Providence eyes bounceback vs. Fairleigh Dickinson after 0-2 tourney

After being swept in the Rady Children's Invitational in San Diego last week, Providence begins its final nonconference stretch with a Tuesday night matchup against visiting Fairleigh Dickinson.

The Friars (4-4) lost to Wisconsin 104-83 -- allowing 100-plus points for the second time this season -- and Florida 90-78 during their trip to the Golden State.

Though the results were both losses, coach Kim English believed that the team's performance against the reigning national champions was much improved. Florida was held to its second-worst shooting performance of the season (42.4%).

"I thought the compete level on defense was better," English said. " ... I thought we took a step in the right direction. We're excited to get home and prepare for a three-game homestand (before conference play begins)."

Sophomore Ryan Mela had 17 points and eight rebounds to lead the Friars against Florida, though four teammates also had double-figure scoring nights. Jason Edwards added 13 points, lowering his team-best scoring average to 18.6 per game.

English tinkered with his lineup between games in San Diego, opting to bring Edwards and Oswin Erhunmwunse off the bench. Amidst the change, freshman 7-footer Peteris Pinnis provided a strong bench performance with six rebounds and three points in over 15 minutes.

"I thought he gave us really good production," English said. " ... It's a testament to him for simply being ready to play."

Fairleigh Dickinson (1-6) continues a challenging nonconference schedule against the Friars, having played opponents from the Big 12 (Iowa State) and SEC (Texas) thus far. The ACC's Boston College and Big Ten's Minnesota are also on the December slate.

The Knights, who were projected to finish fifth in the Northeast Conference in the preseason, earned their lone win to date against Division III Saint Elizabeth before taking losses to East Texas A&M (70-65) and Army (81-73) in a multi-team event held in their home arena before Thanksgiving.

In the latter game, Fairleigh Dickinson's six made 3-pointers in the second half were not enough for a victory. Raysean Johnson netted a career-high 16 points and Taeshaud Jackson pulled down 14 rebounds.

Eric Parnell paces the Knights with 12 points per game, including double-digit points against both power-conference opponents to date. Jackson co-leads the NEC with 9.1 rebounds per contest.

--Field Level Media