Providence and Saint Louis advanced to championship game of 2K Classic

November 16, 2017

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Providence and Saint Louis both withstood valiant efforts in advancing to the championship game of the 2K Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project.

In the first of the semifinal games, Saint Louis emerged with a 77-71 win over Virginia Tech. Javon Bess scored 22 points and hauled down nine rebounds to pace the Billikens. Jordan Goodwin recorded 19 points and 10 rebounds.

Saint Louis led by as many as 12 points, 61-49, with 7:57 to play. That’s when the Hokies came back, cutting the lead to four, 75-71 with less than two seconds left.

The Hokies were led by Ahmed Hill, who scored a game-high 26 points. Justin Bibbs added 15 points, and Kerry Blackshear Jr. had 10 points and six rebounds.

In the nightcap, Rodney Bullock recorded 17 points and nine rebounds to lead Providence to a 77-71 win over Washington.

The Friars, who like Saint Louis led by as many as 12 points, saw their second half lead cut to one, 69-68, on a Matisse Thuybulle 3-pointer with 2:16 to play. However, the Friars would hold the Huskies to just three points the rest of the way.

Providence received 12 points from Kalif Young, 11 apiece from Drew Edwards and Alpha Diallo, and 10 points and five assists from Kyron Cartwright.

Washington was led by Noah Dickerson and his 19 points and six rebounds. Jaylen Nowell had 14 points, David Crisp netted 12 points, and Thuybulle ended the game with 10 points.

The 2K Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project continues on Friday with Providence meeting Saint Louis in the Championship game, preceded by Virginia Tech facing Washington in the consolation game at Madison Square Garden. The doubleheader begins at 5:00pm (ET) and tickets are available at: TicketMaster.com