Creighton Bluejays vs Providence Friars Box Score on Feb 05, 2020

A.J. Reeves scored 22 points and Alpha Diallo added 14 as host Providence rallied from a double-digit first-half deficit to earn a 73-56 Big East Conference victory Wednesday over No. 21 Creighton.

David Duke added 12 points as Providence (13-10, 6-4) won its second consecutive game against a ranked team after defeating Butler on Saturday. The Friars finished 2-3 in a five-game stretch against ranked teams, the program's longest such streak since facing 10 consecutive during the 1990-91 season.

Ty-Shon Alexander scored 15 points, while Damien Jefferson and Christian Bishop added 13 each as the Bluejays (17-6, 6-4) saw their four-game winning streak come to an end.

It was the second consecutive time Creighton lost a game immediately after moving into the national rankings. The Bluejays were ranked No. 25 on Jan. 13 but lost two days later at Georgetown and fell out of the rankings a week later. They are now 1-2 as a ranked team this season.

Creighton led by as many as 10 points in the first half and took a 36-32 lead into the break after shooting 43.8 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes.

The Bluejays held a 45-39 lead with 15:57 remaining in the game before Providence made its move. The Friars went on an 11-0 run to take a 50-45 lead with 12:58 remaining as Reeves hit two 3-pointers and scored eight points in the stretch.

After both teams traded baskets for a short stretch, Providence went on another run, this time outscoring Creighton by an 8-0 margin to take a 60-50 lead with 7:09 to play. The Friars outscored the Bluejays 21-5 over an eight-minute stretch.

Nate Watson scored 11 points for Providence, which shot 60.9 percent from the field in the second half and 49.1 percent for the game. After not starting for the first time this season Saturday against Butler, Diallo returned to the starting five to score his most points since he had 19 against St. John's on Jan. 15.

Mitch Ballock added 12 for Creighton, which plays two of its next three games at home but does have to play at No. 12 Seton Hall next week. Creighton was just 6 for 27 (22.2 percent) from 3-point range.

--Field Level Media