Kris Dunn can’t save Providence from a surprising home loss

The highest ranking Providence has enjoyed in 39 years will prove to be short-lived.

The eighth-ranked Friars squandered an eight-point lead in the final seven minutes Tuesday night en route to a surprising 65-64 home loss against Marquette.

After Duane Wilson scored a driving layup in traffic with 31 seconds left to give the Golden Eagles the lead, the Friars had a final chance to extend their eight-game win streak. Ed Cooley put the ball in the hands of his All-American point guard Kris Dunn on the decisive possession, but not surprisingly Marquette was ready for that strategy.

When Dunn tried to drive into the teeth of Marquette’s zone defense early in the shot clock, he did not find space to maneuver and had to give the ball up. By the time Dunn got it back, there were only four seconds left and he was 30 feet from the basket. Dunn blew by his man off the dribble and attempted to hit a heavily contested fall-away pull-up jumper at the buzzer, but help defender Henry Ellenson blocked the shot as time expired.

Henry Ellenson BLOCKS Kris Dunn, @MarquetteMBB UPSETS #8 Providence! #BIGEAST https://t.co/yGI08JFQs9

— FS1 (@FS1) January 6, 2016

Providence’s loss serves as a reality check for a team that has been among the nation’s most pleasant surprises so far this season. The Friars had been off to an impressive 14-1 start that included quality wins over Arizona, Butler and Rhode Island and a lone narrow loss against Michigan State.

It looked like Providence was going to extend its win streak to nine when it battled back from a double-digit first-half deficit behind the play of Dunn and forward Ben Bentil. Dunn had 20 points, seven assists and five steals, though he was uncharacteristically loose with the ball and finished with seven turnovers. Bentil had 28 points and nine rebounds and was by far the most effective interior scorer on the floor.

Freshmen Haanif Cheatham and Ellenson carried Marquette for most of the night, but it was the Golden Eagles’ defense that sparked their game-ending 15-6 spurt. They held Providence to two field goals in the final six-plus minutes to improve to 11-4 this season.

The upset victory over a top 10 team had Marquette coach Steve Wojchiechowski pretty excited after the game, and with good reason. It was a win the Golden Eagles needed badly after losses to Seton Hall and Georgetown to begin Big East play.