Providence 81, Xavier 72: Bryce Cotton and LaDontae Henton combined for 48 points to lead the host Friars to their fifth straight win by turning back the Musketeers in Big East play.

Cotton scored a game-high 25 points, including 17 in the second half, for Providence (15-5, 5-2) while Henton added 23 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Kadeem Batts and Tyler Harris scored 12 points apiece with a combined 14 rebounds as Providence improved to 11-1 at home.

Justin Martin led Xavier (15-5, 5-2) with 19 points but only had six in the second half while Semaj Christon, who was held to a pair of foul shots in the first half, finished with 18 points on 5-of-14 shooting. Matt Stainbrook added 11 points and nine rebounds for the Musketeers, who lost for only the second time in their last 12 games.

The Friars shot 64 percent from the floor in the second half after a frigid opening 20, led by Cotton, who was 6-of-11 from the floor after intermission. Xavier rallied from a 12-point deficit in the final 20 minutes to trail 76-72 on a Stainbrook layup with just under two minutes left to play, but the Friars closed out the game with a 5-0 run from the foul line.

Cotton and Henton combined for all of Providence's points in a decisive 11-2 run eight minutes into the second half, giving the Friars their biggest lead of the game at 55-43. The first half saw both teams combine to shoot only 32.8 percent from the floor but the Friars did their part to make up for subpar shooting by hitting 11-of-12 from the foul line en route to a 35-31 lead at halftime.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Friars won their fifth straight in the Big East for the first time since the 2003-04 season. … Xavier's bench outscored Providence's reserves 16-2. … Batts had three blocked shots for the Friars, who recorded 10 blocks as a team compared to none for the Musketeers