There was no more fitting way to finish what was a beautiful disaster of a basketball game than a step-back jumper from Kris Dunn that hit the rim a good four times before falling through.
Providence won 50-48.
Dunn finished with 20 points, solidifying his National Player of the Year résumé with this shot:
KRIS DUNN CALLED GAME! @PCFriarsmbb get the win! #BIGEAST https://t.co/dwop6eNmoc
— FS1 (@FS1) January 13, 2016
What made that shot so perfect was that this was as horribly-played as any basketball game that you’ll see this season. Providence shot 29.6 percent from the floor and 4-for-24 from three, which actually bested Creighton’s 25.8 percent shooting night, although the Bluejays did hit 5-for-23 from beyond the arc. They’re used to those CenturyLink Center rims.
What made it all-the-more fitting was that not 20 seconds prior to his game-winner, Dunn committed a typical, careless turnover that led to Creighton’s Maurice Watson finishing off a drive to the rim that tied the game at 48. Dunn’s heroics* were needed because Kris Dunn made a typical Kris Dunn play.
*(incredibly lucky bounce)
On the night, Dunn had eight boards, three assists and five turnovers to go along with his 20 points, shooting 6-for-17 from the floor and 1-for-5 from three. Ben Bentil also had an off night, finishing with 13 points and eight boards on 4-for-12 shooting. The rest of the Friars combined for 17 points, with Rodney Bullock, the team’s leading scorer, notching a goose egg on 0-for-2 shooting with one board, two turnovers and three fouls in 22 minutes.
But hey, Providence will leave Omaha with a win, which is not something that has been easy to do in the Big East this season. Creighton was 3-1 in the league entering Tuesday night, having rolled over Georgetown and Seton Hall in their last two games. With the Friars coming off of a loss to Marquette last Tuesday, I’m pretty sure that head coach Ed Cooley will get on that charter back to Rhode Island with a smile on his face tonight, regardless of what that win looked like.
The Friars can work on fixing things in practice tomorrow.
They can’t change an L into a W.