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FULLERTON, Calif. (AP) — Ben Bentil scored a career-high 24 points, Kris Dunn added 18, and Providence beat Evansville 74-64 on Thursday night in an opening-round game at the DirecTV Wooden Legacy.
Four players scored in double figures for the Friars (5-0), including Junior Lomomba with 13.
Evansville (3-1) was led by D.J. Balentine with 18 points, and Egidiju Mockevicius with 13 points and nine rebounds.
Providence led 40-32 at halftime, despite missing 10 of its first 13 shots and getting outscored 16-2 in the paint through the first 12 minutes. Bentil led the way for the Friars with 17 points, offsetting Balentine's 13 points and Evansville's 63.6 percent shooting (14 for 22).
Ryan Fazekas hit a 3-pointer with 6:53 left in the half to give Providence a 24-22 lead, their first since Bentil's game-opening 3.
Dunn increased the margin to 34-26 on a 16-footer that capped a 16-4 run with 3 ½ minutes left before intermission, then converted his steal of Adam Wing in the backcourt into a fastbreak dunk and a 3-point play to put the Friars up 40-29 — their biggest lead of the half.
Dunn and Lomomba keyed an 11-0 run that opened the second half and increased the Friars' margin to 51-32 with 15:24 remaining. Dunn hit a pair of outside jumpers during that stretch, while Evansville came out of halftime 0 for 10 from the field.
Mislav Brzoja ended the field goal drought on a driving layup that trimmed the Purple Aces' deficit to 51-36 with 12:35 left in the game. They sliced a 17-point deficit to 69-59 with 2:47 to play, after Balentine made a jumper, a 3-point play and dunk during a 58-second span. But that was as close as Evansville got.
TIP-INS
Evansville: Mockevicius led the Missouri Valley Conference in rebounding in each of the previous two seasons, and was fourth in the NCAA last season with an average of 7.71 rebounds per game. .Balentine, the leading active scorer among Division I players, is trying to join Larry Bird (Indiana St.) and Oscar Robertson (Cincinnati) as the only players to lead the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring in three consecutive seasons. . Jaylon Brown has committed seven turnovers in 119 minutes over four games since taking over as the starting point guard for the injured Duane Gibson.
Providence: This was Bentil's second collegiate game with at least 20 points. He had 21 against Seton Hall last March 4. . The only other time the Friars faced Evansville in men's basketball was on Dec. 11, 1975, a 98-71 victory at Providence. . Dunn, who entered Thursday averaging 18.8 points, was named a Preseason Top 50 Candidate for the John R. Wooden Award after sharing the Big East defensive player of the year award last season with St. John's Dominic Pointer. . F Rodney Bullock had seven points on 2 for 8 shooting, after averaging 18.8 through his first four games this season. He missed last season after injuring his leg in October, and didn't play the previous season due to a team suspension.
UP NEXT
Evansville: Faves Arizona of Santa Clara in the second round of the Wooden Legacy.
Providence: Faces Arizona or Santa Clara on Friday in the second round of the Wooden Legacy.
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