Providence 84, DePaul 61: Bryce Cotton scored 15 of his 22 points in the first half and the host Friars used an early 20-3 surge to beat the struggling Blue Demons.

Providence (17-9, 7-6 Big East) emphatically ended a three-game losing streak by shooting 64 percent from the field in the first half and 5-of-7 from 3-point range, building a 49-26 halftime cushion. Cotton finished 7-for-14 from the field, Kadeem Batts scored 15 points with eight rebounds and Josh Fortune scored all 10 of his points in the first half as six Friars finished in double figures.

Brandon Young scored 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting to lead DePaul (10-16, 2-11), which lost its eighth in a row. Sandi Marcius added 15 points, but the Blue Demons shot 2-for-13 from 3-point range.

DePaul led 4-3 in the early seconds before Providence made nine consecutive shots from the field – including 3-pointers from LaDontae Henton and Fortune, and three Cotton baskets – to build a 23-7 advantage. Greg Sequele’s dunk with just under eight minutes left brought DePaul within 28-17, but the Friars scored 14 of the next 16 points as their lead swelled to 42-19.

Cotton scored five points in the final three minutes of the half, and two Fortune free throws pushed the Providence lead to 23 points at the break. The Blue Demons drew within 74-60 on Tommy Hamilton IV’s layup with 4:34 to play, but the Friars were never seriously threatened the rest of the way in shooting 52.9 percent from the field.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Providence, which started the week first in the nation in free-throw shooting at 78.6 percent, hit 24-of-29 attempts. … Young moved into eighth place on DePaul’s all-time list for 3-pointers and field goals and became the fourth player in school history with 500 assists. … Cotton scored 20 or more points for the 18th time this season.