Jayden Pierre and Bensley Joseph each scored 14 points to lead Providence to a 78-68 win over Georgetown on Saturday afternoon, getting some revenge against former coach Ed Cooley.
The Friars (10-10, 4-5 Big East) played with extra energy, as Cooley, who coached Providence from 2011-23, returned to the building as Georgetown’s coach for the 2023-24 season. Providence fans greeted Cooley with boos and chants, celebrating when Corey Floyd Jr. made a jumper to give the Friars a 68-58 lead with 4:05 left.
Georgetown (13-7, 4-5) went on a 7-0 run to close the gap to 68-65 with 2:30 remaining, but Jabri Abdur-Rahim responded with a 3-pointer to keep Providence in control. The Friars maintained at least a four-point lead the rest of the way.
Pierre and Joseph were among five Providence players in double figures, alongside Abdur-Rahim (12), Floyd (11), and Oswin Erhunmwunse (10). Joseph and Erhunmwunse each grabbed six rebounds.
Micah Peavy scored a career-high 27 points, and Thomas Sorber added 25 for Georgetown. However, Georgetown’s bench failed to score, while Providence’s bench contributed 26 points.
The Hoyas shot 46.7% from the field, while Providence shot 45.2%. After letting Georgetown take a 45-44 lead early in the second half, Providence responded with a 3-pointer from Christ Essandoko and extended its lead to 60-52 thanks to a three-point play by Joseph and a jumper from Floyd.
Georgetown initially led, with Sorber scoring seven points in a 14-4 run to give the Hoyas a 23-11 advantage. But Providence finished strong, scoring 27 of the last 37 points of the first half to take a 38-33 lead into halftime. Peavy and Sorber combined for 26 of Georgetown’s 33 points in the first half.
