01:00 AM EST on Thursday, February 10, 2005

BY DANIEL CASCIATO
Special to the Journal

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. -- Providence College senior Ryan Gomes could become the eighth player in the history of the Big East to register 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in league games.

After 56 career Big East games, Gomes has recorded 1,009 points and 484 rebounds.

Gomes, who had 33 points in last night's game against West Virginia, shot 16-for-25 from the field, went 1-for-1 from the free-throw line and had 14 rebounds.

McGrath falls short

PC junior Donnie McGrath missed tying an NCAA record of 15 consecutive 3-pointers when his attempt fell short with 2:02 left in the first half.

McGrath started the game with 3 consecutive threes, extending his streak to 14. The NCAA record was set by Todd Leslie of Northwestern over a four-game span in 1990.

Mountaineers sweep

This was the second meeting between the two teams, with the Mountaineers winning the first game, 82-78, at Providence on Jan. 29. The Friars and the Mountaineers have met 17 times in the all-time series with the Friars holding a 10-7 lead. Providence is 6-2 all-time at home against West Virginia, 1-5 on the road and 3-0 on neutral courts. This was the Friars' first game in Morgantown since Jan. 30, 2002. They have not won in Morgantown since Feb. 3, 1999.

Game time changed

The Friars' game at Seton Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 23, was originally scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The game has been changed to 7 p.m. and now will be televised live on ESPN2. The Friars have appeared on national television six times this season, posting a record of 3-3.

A tough loss

Sophomore guard Dwight Brewington is out four to six weeks with a high ankle sprain. He injured his ankle in the loss to Villanova on Feb. 5.

Brewington is the Friars' second leading scorer, averaging 13.6 points per game.

"It's a tremendous loss for this team," said Gomes. "Anytime you lose a player of Drew's caliber is going to hurt, but we have 14 other players on this team that has to step it up and fill that void now."

Ernie D. in the booth

Friar legend Ernie DiGregorio was the color analyst for the Friars' game at West Virginia on ESPN Classic. DiGregorio led the Friars to the 1973 Final Four. In three seasons, he scored 1,780 points and averaged 20.5 ppg. He was the third pick in the 1973 NBA Draft by the Buffalo Braves (Los Angeles Clippers) and named Rookie of the Year.

If blocks were wins . . .

The Friars are ranked sixth in the nation in blocked shots. Through the 22 games prior to yesterday's, the Friars are averaging 6.5 blocks per game.

Here and there

Gomes has now scored 20 or more points in 14 games this season. His 33 points last night marked the 45th time in his career that he's scored 20 or more points in a game. . . . Providence is now 1-10 when trailing at halftime this season. They are 8-3 when leading at halftime. . . . The Friars are 16-6 this season when Donnie McGrath has scored 14 or more points in a game. McGrath scored 14 in Wednesday's loss to West Virginia.