Box Score

            PROVIDENCE, R.I.. – Derek Needham tied his season-high with 18 points as the Fairfield University men's basketball team fell to Providence College by a 66-47 score at the Dunkin' Donuts Center on Friday night. Needham was the only double-digit scorer although Amadou Sidibe just missed with nine points off the bench.
 
            Providence jumped out to a 4-0 lead with baskets on its first two possessions. Derek Needham quickly cut into that deficit with a three-point basket at the 18:21 mark that made it a 4-3 game. The Friars scored the next six points to run the advantage to seven points as three different student-athletes scored during that run.
 
            The Stags stopped the spurt with a layup by Amadou Sidibe, but Providence responded with five straight points to make it a double-digit lead at 15-5 with 12 minutes left. Fairfield put together a string of five straight points with a jumper from Sidibe and a three pointer from Needham to make it at 15-10 game with 10 minutes left.
 
            The Friars nearly regained that double-figure lead with back-to-back hoops from Kadeem Batts, making it a 19-10 game. Fairfield came back with its best run of the half by scoring seven straight points off a three pointer from Needham and baskets from Maurice Barrow and Sidibe, pulling with two points at 19-17 with six minutes left. Sidibe's basket would be the last points of the half for Fairfield, allowing the Friars to finish with the last six points to head into intermission with a 25-17 edge.
           
            Keith Matthews opened the second half with a layup to pull the Stags within six points, but Providence used a 17-0 run to take its biggest lead of the game at 42-19 with 12:31 on the clock as Bryce Cotton netting eight of those Friar points. Matthews ended the run with a pair of free throws at the 12:12 mark
 
            Fairfield came as close 15 points on a couple of occasions, the last at 53-38 with 4:41 remaining in the game. Providence pushed the lead back to 20 points at 62-42 before settling for the 19-point win.
 
            Cotton led all scorers with 21 points, while LaDontae Henton added 15 points for the Friars.