Friars Journal: Cooley wonders about his team’s slow starts – Sports – providencejournal.com – WBNews

PROVIDENCE — Ed Cooley has to be wondering just what needs to happen for his team to play something close to a full 40 minutes of good offensive basketball. The Friars have found ways to remain more than competitive for the last few weeks despite suffering through some dreadful offensive halves. The Friars managed just 20 points on 30 percent shooting in the second half of an overtime loss at Seton Hall, but then found a way to turn 32 percent shooting and a 23-point first half into a 71-65 win over Butler. On Wednesday against Xavier the offensive woes cropped up in an ugly start. The Friars made just two of their first 14 shots (0-for-8 on 3-pointers) and fell behind by 10 points after 12 minutes. PC finished the half on a run but still shot just 33 percent (10-for-30) for the half. “The game didn’t start well, that’s a couple games in a row where we came out a little flat,” Cooley said. “I thought we had good shots early but the ball just wasn’t going in.” The push toward the end of the first half continued in the second. With the rejuvenated offense, the Friars rushed to a 61-48 lead with 6:42 to play on the heels of 13-for-17 shooting. PC would go on to shoot a sizzling 64 percent (20 of 31) in the second half. If Cooley could ever figure out what leads to the cold stretches, the Friars would have the recipe to…more detail