GAME NOTES: Looking to put an end to a two-game slide, the Providence Friars return home to take on their cross-town rival Brown Bears in a non-conference matchup at Dunkin' Donuts Center.

Brown enters the game with a 4-6 record on the season, having won three of its past four contests. The Bears took down Bryant, 69-62, in their last outing Saturday, but haven't played a real team of substance since an 89-68 loss to Illinois last month.

Providence is 6-2 to start the season, but the Friars were 6-0 up until the last day in November, when the team dropped a 58-38 decision to top-ranked Kentucky. The Friars are coming off their second defeat in a row, this one to Boston College, 69-60.

These two rivals from the city of Providence have met 120 times on the floor in their series history, with the Friars owning a commanding 93-27 all-time mark. The only opponents Providence has faced more times in its history is Rhode Island. The Friars have won six of the last seven games with the Bears.

In the team's last outing, Brown was able to build up a 41-30 halftime advantage over Bryant thanks to 48.3 percent shooting from the floor. The 11- point lead was crucial for the Bears, who surrendered four points of that lead in the second half to the Bulldogs, but managed to hold on down the stretch for the win. Cedric Kuakumensah tallied a double-double of 20 points and 15 rebounds, adding in four blocked shots, to lead Brown, while Steven Spieth netted 12 points. Both Leland King and Tavon Blackmon contributed 11 points in the winning effort.

King enters the game with Providence leading the Bears in scoring, netting 15.8 ppg this season on 49.2 percent shooting from the field. His 8.0 rpg mark is the best on the team as well, followed by 7.4 rpg from Rafael Maia. Kuakumensah is the only other Brown player to come into this clash with the Friars sporting a double-digit point average, netting 11.7 ppg. Defensively, the Bears have been a little unstructured, allowing 71.7 ppg to opponents while only managing 65.7 ppg themselves.

It was a slow day offensively for Providence against Boston College, as the Friars shot just 39.3 percent from the floor while they allowed their opponent to connect on 50 percent shooting. It was a contest that saw the score tied 13 times with seven lead changes. Kris Dunn netted a career-high 24 points with six assists to pace the Friars, as the point guard connected on 10-of-13 shooting. Carson Desrosiers added 15 points with six rebounds in a game where Providence was outscored at the free-throw line, 16-6.

Forward LaDontae Henton, who netted nine points against Boston College in the loss, enters the game against Brown with a firm grip on the top spot of the scoring chart for the Friars. Henton is averaging 19.8 ppg with a team high- tying 5.4 rpg mark, adding in 15 steals. He's followed by Tyler Harris at 12.4 ppg, and then it's Dunn with 10.7 ppg. Providence as a unit has seen its scoring totals drop over the course of its eight games, as the Friars now enter this clash netting 67.9 ppg, while allowing just 59.6 ppg to opponents.

After two losses away from home, the Friars should relish the upcoming four- game homestand at Dunkin' Donuts Center. The Bears picked a bad time to challenge the Friars, who are champing at the bit to get back in the win column.