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Kris Dunn sparks second half comeback in Providence’s win over Vanderbilt

Ed Cooley

Providence head coach Ed Cooley thanks fans after defeating Robert Morris 77-68 in a second-round NIT college basketball game in Providence, R.I., Monday, March 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Stew Milne)

AP

On Friday night, Michigan wasn’t the only team to overcome a 16-point deficit.

Led by its sophomore point guard Kris Dunn -- the former McDonald’s All-American -- Providence rallied off 17 straight points to erase Vanderbilt’s 16-point lead, en route to the Friars’ 67-60 win over the Commodores in the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam quarterfinal.

Vanderbilt led 56-40 with under 10 minutes to play, when Providence made its game-changing run. Providence slowly chipped away at the lead, but with 7:30 to play the Friars took complete control with Dunn scoring four points, grabbing three rebounds, dishing out five assists and coming away with two steals during that stretch. Providence overcame the deficit and took the lead with just over three minutes to play when Dunn handed off to Bryce Cotton for the jumper.

On the other end, Vanderbilt struggled to get anything to drop, going scoreless for almost eight minutes. A 3-pointer from Rod Odom gave Vandy a brief lead as PC rallied off six straight buckets.

On Nov. 2, Dunn left an exhibition game with a shoulder injury, the same shoulder injury that pushed back his collegiate debut until December last season. Dunn being sidelined put up huge concerns for Providence, though the Friars still managed to knock off Boston College on opening night, followed by games against Brown and Marist.

Dunn was rated as the No. 1 point guard in the Class of 2012 coming out of New London High (Conn.) and has the potential to be a breakout player this season. With Dunn back in the lineup and more importantly healthy, Providence has a talented back court with him and Cotton.

That back court gets a test on Sunday against La Salle in the semifinals.

While Providence remains undefeated, Vanderbilt suffers its second heart-breaking loss this week. On Tuesday, the Commodores forced overtime against Butler only to come up short inside Hinkle Fieldhouse.

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