PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rodney Bullock had 23 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 20 Providence held off a furious rally to beat Georgetown, 75-72, on Saturday.
Kris Dunn added 20 points, and Ben Bentil finished with 16 points and nine rebounds to help the Friars (19-7, 7-6 Big East) end a three-game losing streak.
Georgetown (14-12, 7-6 Big East) had a chance to tie the score in the closing seconds, but L.J. Peak’s 3-point attempt was blocked by Bullock.
The Hoyas cut what had been a 26-point first-half deficit all the way down to a point with just over a minute to play.
The Friars put the ball in the hands of Dunn and Bentil, and they accounted for 12 of Providence’s final 14 points to help stave off Georgetown’s comeback efforts.
Marcus Derrickson led the Hoyas with 18 points and nine rebounds.
D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, the Hoyas’ leading scorer, knocked down a 3-pointer — his first basket of the game — to pull Georgetown within 70-67 with 2:42 left.
It was 71-67 when Dunn blocked a shot by Smith-Rivera, but Bentil missed a 3-point attempt on Providence’s ensuing possession.
Georgetown got it back and cut it to a point on a 3-pointer by Trey Mourning with 1:08 left.
Bullock was fouled underneath and connected on two free throws to push the lead back up to three.
Out of a timeout, Georgetown ran the shot clock down, and Isaac Copeland was fouled on a 3-point attempt by Junior Lomomba with 10 seconds left.
Copeland got only two of the three free throws, forcing the Hoyas to foul Bentil.
Bentil made both, setting up Peak’s final shot as time expired.
The Friars’ offense was in sync early, and had an 11-0 run midway through the first half.
Georgetown fell apart on both ends of the court during the stretch, going without a field goal for nearly seven minutes, and turning it over five times as it fell into a 20-point deficit.
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