A.J. Reeves hit a tie-breaking 3-pointer with 3.4 seconds remaining in overtime as visiting Providence returned from a lengthy hiatus and posted an 80-77 victory over Seton Hall Sunday in Newark, N.J.

Providence (5-2, 1-0 Big East) won its conference opener after not playing since Dec. 9 due to COVID-19 protocols. The Friars had games against Xavier, Connecticut and DePaul postponed before taking the floor Sunday.

Reeves only scored seven points but snapped a 77-77 deadlock with a left corner 3-pointer in front of Providence's bench after getting the pass from David Duke, who made the pass from under the rim while being surrounded by multiple defenders.

Before Reeves' clutch 3-pointer, Seton Hall evened the game at 77-77 on a 3-point play by Sandro Mamukelashvili with 2:43 remaining but neither team could snap the deadlock until Providence's final possession.

After Reeves snapped the tie, Seton Hall called its final timeout before advancing the ball to midcourt and the game ended when Takal Molson missed a game-tying 3-pointer just before the buzzer.

Nate Watson matched a career high with 23 points and pulled down 11 rebounds as Providence shot 47 percent, won its seventh straight conference game dating to last season and also ended a five-game road losing streak to the Pirates. Duke also posted a double-double (18 points, 10 rebounds) and hit eight of the Friars' 13 free throws.

Mamukelashvili struggled most of the game by shooting 6 of 17 from the floor but led the Pirates with 20 points. He converted two 3-point plays in the final 40 seconds of regulation.

Jared Rhoden and Myles Cale added 16 apiece for the Pirates (5-4, 2-1), who saw a four-game winning streak snapped and blew a nine-point lead in the opening minutes of the second half.

Shavar Reynolds contributed 12 but Seton Hall shot 35.7 percent after halftime and 43.5 percent overall.

After taking a 40-38 lead at halftime, Seton Hall started strong in the second half and took a 49-40 lead on two free throws by Ike Obiagu just over three minutes in but Providence countered with a 12-2 run and regained the lead when Watson's layup made it 52-51 with 12:04 left.

--Field Level Media