PROVIDENCE, R.I., Nov. 26 – Providence College freshman Ray Hall barely figured into the GW men’s basketball team’s game plan. The freshmen center, who averages 1.1 points per game, played just two minutes before halftime.
But the 6-foot-11 center effectively ended the Colonials’ nation-leading 22-game regular season winning streak in XX minutes at Dunkin’ Donuts Center Sunday night. Hall used a mammoth mismatch in the paint to score eight points to give the Friars a four-point lead and the 86-67 win here in Rhode Island’s capital.
“I don’t even remember Ray Hall,” Hobbs said after the game. “The story of the game is they shot the ball, they missed they got the rebound and put it back up. I don’t want to complicate it.
Providence head coach Tim Welsh, who won his 200th game here tonight, said GW’s prowess from the three-point line threw his team off but they were able to successfully adjust.
“We withstood their best punch in the first half,” Welsh said. “They were getting the ball into great spots in our zone.”
GW’s frontcourt, which was crippled with the loss of Cheyenne Moore and Hermann Opoku, grabbed 11 rebounds. The Colonials’ have two inside players, which Hobbs said is a concern, but he said he feels there are ways to overcome lack of size to win.
“We try to use our speed and quickness,” Hobbs said. “We need to be a little bit more effective.”
Senior captain Carl Elliott spent nearly half of the second period on the bench, after fouling out with 11 points with just under eight minutes left in the game. Junior Maureece Rice had 15 points and sophomore Noel Wilmore had 13, including three three-pointers. Senior Regis Koundjia had 13 points for GW in the loss.
GW connected on 38.1 percent of its shots from the floor and just 70 percent from the line. The Colonials were 50 percent from beyond the arc, nailing 12 of 24 three-pointers.
The Colonials turned the ball over 14 times and were out-rebounded 57-27.
Providence got 27 points from Sharaud Curry. Herbert Hill had a double-double with 20 points and 20 rebounds.
The 22-game regular-season win streak dates back to Dec. 30, 2005, when the Colonials lost to North Carolina State in Raleigh, N.C. The Colonials face Virginia Tech Dec. 3 in the BB&T Classic at Verizon Center.
