PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Ed Cooley's unbeaten streak lives to see another day, thanks in large part to Jalen Lindsey.

Lindsey's jumper with 43 seconds remaining provided the breathing room Providence needed to upset in-state rival and 21st-ranked Rhode Island 63-60 on Saturday.

"I thought Jalen made the shot of the game," said Friars coach Cooley, who has never lost in six meetings with the Rams. "We call it a 'Oh my God' shot."

Lindsey's shot sent the Dunkin Donuts Center crowd into a frenzy, but the Friars still saw their lead reduced to a point twice in the final 30 seconds.

Kyron Cartwright, who scored a game-high 19 points and dished out eight assists, made two free throws with eight seconds remaining to seal the win.

"Obviously being mentally tough, we talk about that all the time, with the two free throws that he made ... that shows mental toughness," Cooley said.

The Friars have won the last seven meetings with the Rams and lead the all-time series 73-56.

Last year's game between the schools at the Ryan Center also went down to the wire as Ben Bentil tipped in the game-winner at the buzzer to give Providence a 74-72 victory.

"Kind of a mirror image of the last couple times that we've played these guys," said Rhode Island coach Dan Hurley, who fell to 0-5 against the Friars. "Tough loss."

Providence (6-2) has won two straight and five of six after routing New Hampshire 76-62 on Wednesday. Its lone setback in that stretch was a 63-52 loss to then-No. 7 Virginia on Nov. 26.

Rodney Bullock, the Friars' leading scorer who is averaging 21.4 points, had 14 of his 17 points in the second half after scoring a career-high 36 in the win over the Wildcats. Lindsey added 13 points.

Hassan Martin posted a double-double with 14 points and 17 rebounds and Jared Terrell scored 14 for the Rams.

Rhode Island (5-3) is reeling after its second straight defeat following Tuesday's 65-62 loss at Valparaiso, threatening its spot in the AP Top 25.

"It's still early in the season, we can't get too down," Martin said. "We've just got to keep fighting. Games like this are only going to help us down the stretch."

The Rams received only nine points in 31 minutes for E.C. Matthews, who scored in double figures in four straight games to start the season but hasn't topped nine in the last four.

Matthews suffered a season-ending right knee injury in Rhode Island's season opener last season.

"This guy's gotten thrown into the deep end of the pool. He's going to get better as we go here," Hurley said of Matthews. "Right now, physically he's pretty great.

The Rams extended their 35-29 halftime lead to 47-40 on Martin's free throw with 12:15 remaining, but that advantage was quickly erased by a 7-0 Friars run.

Providence clung to a narrow lead for most of the final nine minutes and took a 57-55 advantage into the final minute.

Lindsey knocked down his leaning jumper to put the Friars ahead 59-55.

Terrell made a free throw to finish off a three-point play on the other end after driving to the basket to make it 59-58 with 29.9 ticks to go.

Rhode Island tried to trap Cartwright in the backcourt out of a Providence timeout, but he heaved a pass to an open Bullock, who slammed it home to make it 61-58 with 16 seconds remaining.

"I just tried to zip it to Rodney as fast as I could," Cartwright said.

Terrell made two free throws with 8.3 to play to pull the Rams within one again. Cartwright was fouled after the inbound pass one second later and knocked down both free throws.

Matthews' desperation 3 with 1.3 seconds left was off target, and the Friars sealed the win at the charity stripe.

"They're a very, very good basketball team," Cooley said of Rhode Island. "We beat a tournament team today."

NOTES: Rhode Island's last win over Providence at the Dunkin Donuts Center came Dec. 7, 2002, a narrow 73-71 victory. ... The Friars improved to 147-106 all-time against Atlantic 10 opponents, while the Rams fell to 20-55 against the Big East. ... Friars coach Ed Cooley, who earned his 200th career win Wednesday, backtracked on last year's comments that the annual battle with the Rams was "a game to me, not a rivalry." Cooley told the Providence Journal those comments were "a little blusterous" and that "it's a game that's important to us and important to the city." ... Tickets for Saturday's battle for the Ocean State were reselling for over $100, the Journal reported. ... Rhode Island hosts Old Dominion and Providence welcomes Brown on Tuesday.