The Canadian powerhouse had the Friars on their heels through 20 minutes, just as Ed Cooley feared coming in.
Coming into this one, Carleton had been 12-0 in their exhibition games and in recent years defeated Wisconsin, Baylor, Memphis and Wichita State.
PC trailed 41-30 at halftime and the numbers were ugly: 7-27 shooting from the field and 1-10 from beyond the 3 point arc. Plus, Providence let shooter Connor Wood get loose (18 first half points).
Of the Friars’ seven made field goals in the opening half, five came from newcomers. Freshman point guard Maliek White drained a 3 pointer from the top of the key (more on his outside shooting in a moment) and fellow freshman Alpha Diallo scored in traffic inside, but junior college transfer Emmitt Holt was the bright spot early.