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Catholic 7 schools with a forgettable night on Friday

Jay Wright

Villanova coach Jay Wright pinches holds his brow as his team plays against Pittsburgh in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

AP

Tucker Halpern went off the high screen, fading to the corner. He took a high pass, caught, pump faked Josh Fortune into the air, took a dribble and drained his eighth 3-pointer off the night to give Brown a 69-68 lead with seven seconds remaining. Providence got the ball inside the 3-point line, but Vincent Council fumbled the dribble and missed a three, followed by a miss tip-in, as the Bears took down city rival at home Friday night.

Vincent Council, who returned to the PC lineup for the first time since Nov. 10 due to a hamstring injury, went to the line up 67-66 and sank the first free throw, but missed the second, setting up Halpern’s late-game heroics.

Providence was without leading scorer, Bryce Cotton, but the loss to Brown (4-6) was the headlining act for a forgettable night for three members of the Catholic 7.

Besides the PC loss, Villanova and Seton Hall both struggled with the likes of NJIT and Stony Brook.

Villanova was able to pull away late in the second half to beat NJIT 70-60, but it wasn’t easy. NJIT, who started Division I play in 2006, had the game tied a 52 with just over 10 minutes to play. The Highlanders have played three Catholic 7 schools this season before the Villanova game - Providence, Seton Hall, and St. John’s - and lost all three games by a total of 18 points.

Stony Brook almost sneaked out an upset against Seton Hall, but the Pirates held off the Seawolves 60-59. Stony Brook lead 55-51 with 6:21 to play until Seton Hall put together a 7-0 run to get the lead for good. Stony Brook had a chance to win at the buzzer, but a 3-point attempt from Anthony Jackson was off the mark.

Catholic 7 is back in action when Marquette hosts North Carolina Central and DePaul takes on Loyola (IL) on Saturday.

Terrence is also the lead writer at NEHoopNews.com and can be followed on Twitter: @terrence_payne