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Providence forward Duncan Powell has been suspended for three games after his Flagrant 2 foul sparked a fight in Saturday afternoon’s men’s basketball game against No. 17 St. John’s.
That additional penalty was announced Sunday evening by the Big East. Powell was ejected with 14:25 to play in a 79-69 loss to the Red Storm at Amica Mutual Pavilion.
Powell received a mandatory one-game ban from the NCAA and an additional two games from the conference. No further penalties were announced for any of the other six players – five in the aftermath of the fight, one later in the second half – who were ejected from the game.
“After the on-court video review, game officials determined that Powell engaged in additional combative actions that constituted a fighting act subsequent to the flagrant foul,” the league statement read in part.
Powell will miss a Saturday game at DePaul, a Feb. 24 home game against Xavier and a Feb. 28 game at Creighton. He will be eligible to return for a March 4 home game against Marquette, the last for the Friars downtown this season. Powell will also be eligible for the March 7 regular season finale at Georgetown, the Big East Tournament and any following postseason play.
"We fully support the suspension that the Big East has issued to Duncan Powell," Providence athletic director Steve Napolillo said in a Sunday night statement. "His actions were unacceptable and do not reflect the values, discipline, or sportsmanship expected of anyone representing Providence College."
Powell’s ejection came with Providence holding a 40-39 lead early in the second half. The Friars had erased a 13-point deficit and pulled ahead out of the locker room for the first time since 2-0. Powell made hard contact with former Providence forward Bryce Hopkins on a transition layup attempt, and St. John’s followed by taking the lead for good courtesy of an 8-0 run.
“The scrum happened, I thought, at a bad time for us,” Providence coach Kim English said Saturday. “We had the lead. We were up one. I thought it was a manageable play in transition.”
Friars guard Jaylin Sellers and Red Storm forward Dillon Mitchell were also ejected for their participation in the fight. Sadiku Ibine Ayo, Ruben Prey and Kelvin Odih were ejected for leaving the St. John’s bench. The game resumed with Hopkins connecting on a pair of free throws and Dylan Darling helping the visitors pull away with a game-high 23 points.
Hopkins returned after spending three seasons with the Friars, and his transfer was an acrimonious parting. He was their best player on an NCAA Tournament team in 2022-23, suffered a season-ending knee injury midway through 2023-24 and played in just three games in 2024-25. Providence said Hopkins was dealing with knee irritation and then a bone bruise after an overtime win at DePaul – he opted to sit out to preserve a medical redshirt, leaving Providence for a conference rival that is currently tied for the league lead in the loss column with Connecticut.
“He wanted a change,” St. John’s coach Rick Pitino said Saturday. “It had nothing to do with Providence or the coaching staff – they're excellent. He just wanted a change.
“I thought he was going to Georgetown to be honest with you. It was tough for him.”
Sellers missed his first eight shots but rallied to make five of his next seven – he was sitting with a team-high 13 points when he went to the locker room. The Friars were already without Corey Floyd Jr. (hamstring) and Jason Edwards (foot), who was a late scratch after being listed as questionable.
“We ran out of guys,” English said. “They’re a great defensive team. Tough outcome.”
Jamier Jones made it three ejections for Providence with 5:00 left thanks to his own Flagrant 2 foul. Red Storm big man Zuby Ejiofor had a clear lane to the basket and Jones shoved him in the back with two hands. That came in the midst of St. John’s restoring its lead to 73-60 with 4:05 to play and cruising to an 11th straight win.
Powell has started in five of his 20 appearances this season, averaging 4.9 points and 3.1 rebounds. He was a transfer from Georgia Tech who also counted college stops at North Carolina A&T and Sacramento State. Powell has scored in double figures five times this season for the Friars, who fell to 11-15 overall and 4-11 in league play.
[email protected]
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence basketball's Duncan Powell suspended 3 games for hard foul
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That additional penalty was announced Sunday evening by the Big East. Powell was ejected with 14:25 to play in a 79-69 loss to the Red Storm at Amica Mutual Pavilion.
Powell received a mandatory one-game ban from the NCAA and an additional two games from the conference. No further penalties were announced for any of the other six players – five in the aftermath of the fight, one later in the second half – who were ejected from the game.
“After the on-court video review, game officials determined that Powell engaged in additional combative actions that constituted a fighting act subsequent to the flagrant foul,” the league statement read in part.
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Powell will miss a Saturday game at DePaul, a Feb. 24 home game against Xavier and a Feb. 28 game at Creighton. He will be eligible to return for a March 4 home game against Marquette, the last for the Friars downtown this season. Powell will also be eligible for the March 7 regular season finale at Georgetown, the Big East Tournament and any following postseason play.
"We fully support the suspension that the Big East has issued to Duncan Powell," Providence athletic director Steve Napolillo said in a Sunday night statement. "His actions were unacceptable and do not reflect the values, discipline, or sportsmanship expected of anyone representing Providence College."
Powell’s ejection came with Providence holding a 40-39 lead early in the second half. The Friars had erased a 13-point deficit and pulled ahead out of the locker room for the first time since 2-0. Powell made hard contact with former Providence forward Bryce Hopkins on a transition layup attempt, and St. John’s followed by taking the lead for good courtesy of an 8-0 run.
“The scrum happened, I thought, at a bad time for us,” Providence coach Kim English said Saturday. “We had the lead. We were up one. I thought it was a manageable play in transition.”
Friars guard Jaylin Sellers and Red Storm forward Dillon Mitchell were also ejected for their participation in the fight. Sadiku Ibine Ayo, Ruben Prey and Kelvin Odih were ejected for leaving the St. John’s bench. The game resumed with Hopkins connecting on a pair of free throws and Dylan Darling helping the visitors pull away with a game-high 23 points.
Hopkins returned after spending three seasons with the Friars, and his transfer was an acrimonious parting. He was their best player on an NCAA Tournament team in 2022-23, suffered a season-ending knee injury midway through 2023-24 and played in just three games in 2024-25. Providence said Hopkins was dealing with knee irritation and then a bone bruise after an overtime win at DePaul – he opted to sit out to preserve a medical redshirt, leaving Providence for a conference rival that is currently tied for the league lead in the loss column with Connecticut.
“He wanted a change,” St. John’s coach Rick Pitino said Saturday. “It had nothing to do with Providence or the coaching staff – they're excellent. He just wanted a change.
“I thought he was going to Georgetown to be honest with you. It was tough for him.”
Sellers missed his first eight shots but rallied to make five of his next seven – he was sitting with a team-high 13 points when he went to the locker room. The Friars were already without Corey Floyd Jr. (hamstring) and Jason Edwards (foot), who was a late scratch after being listed as questionable.
“We ran out of guys,” English said. “They’re a great defensive team. Tough outcome.”
Jamier Jones made it three ejections for Providence with 5:00 left thanks to his own Flagrant 2 foul. Red Storm big man Zuby Ejiofor had a clear lane to the basket and Jones shoved him in the back with two hands. That came in the midst of St. John’s restoring its lead to 73-60 with 4:05 to play and cruising to an 11th straight win.
Powell has started in five of his 20 appearances this season, averaging 4.9 points and 3.1 rebounds. He was a transfer from Georgia Tech who also counted college stops at North Carolina A&T and Sacramento State. Powell has scored in double figures five times this season for the Friars, who fell to 11-15 overall and 4-11 in league play.
[email protected]
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence basketball's Duncan Powell suspended 3 games for hard foul
Continue reading...
