JAMAICA, N.Y. — If a fan had ignored the scoreboard while watching the first 32 minutes of Providence’s 74-59 win over St. John’s at Carnesecca Arena on Sunday, he might have concluded that the Red Storm was comfortably ahead.

Indeed, St. John’s looked far better in its offensive sets than Providence, knocking down jumpers and navigating the Friars’ zone for easy buckets. At the other end of the floor, Providence couldn’t hit a shot. Even its nice drives ended in rim outs, and mostly the Friars were missing low-percentage looks. As evidence of the disparity in offensive flow, the Red Storm had 19 assists on 25 made field goals for the game, while Providence had just 13 on 22 makes.

But then there were the turnovers, which would be the game’s storyline. Instead of being behind by 10 or 12 points, Providence trailed by just four with 7:50 to play, because the Friars continued to force St. John’s miscues, and often the miscues — a season-high 23 giveaways — weren’t forced at all. Read More »