Box Score

By JIM O'CONNELL
AP Basketball Writer

NEW YORK - Ryan Gomes had 24 points and 12 rebounds, Donnie McGrath scored all 15 of his points in the second half and Providence beat No. 14 Illinois 70-51 Tuesday night in the opening game of the Jimmy V Classic.

No. 6 Texas and No. 8 Arizona met in the second game of the doubleheader at Madison Square Garden.

The Friars (4-1) overcame a terrible start and a 30-24 halftime deficit behind the offense of Gomes and McGrath and the effectiveness of their 2-3 zone that shut down the backcourt of the Illini (4-2).

Providence, coming off a loss at Rhode Island, didn't score for the opening 7? minutes, falling behind 12-0. Despite getting within 12-11, the Friars were down six at halftime and it seemed like it could have been a lot worse.

Gomes and McGrath scored all the points in an 11-0 run that gave Providence a 44-35 lead with 13:07 to play. Illinois, which could not get good perimeter shots against the zone and with McGrath starting to hit from the outside and Gomes leading the way inside, the Friars pulled away to the easy victory.

McGrath finished 5-for-7 from the field, including 4-for-5 from 3-point range, and had five assists. He hit three 3s in the opening 5? minutes of the second half. Rob Sanders added 15 points and eight rebounds for the Friars.

James Augustine had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Illini, while Roger Powell had 13 points. The starting backcourt of Deron Williams and Dee Brown entered with a combined scoring average of 32.0.

Brown had four points on 2-of-9 shooting, while Williams had three points on 1-for-8 shooting.

The Illini finished 2-for-15 from 3-point range compared to Providence's 7-for-16.

Illinois committed 22 turnovers, with Williams having nine.

Providence's Marcus Douhit had four points, six rebounds and six blocked shots.