​Nov 10, 2026; Providence, RI, USA; Bryant Bulldogs forward Duane Thompson (0) shoots over Providence Friars guard Gavin Hightower (9) during the second half at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Rhode Island supremacy was on the line Tuesday night when Bryant and Providence matched up for the first time in 11 years.Providence defeated Bryant 78-55 and gained some in-state bragging rights. Devin Vanterpool led all scorers with 21 points, and Malik Mack added 19 for the Friars. Each hit three 3-point shots. Duane Thompson led Bryant with 15 points. The Friars are now 2-1 on the season while Bryant dropped to 1-3.The last time the two faced off since Dec. 12, 2015. Providence also won that game 74-67 and has now won all six of their matchups. Both programs have found success in between their meetings — as the Friars have made six NCAA Tournaments and Bryant has made two. The Bulldogs have the most recent appearance, coming in 2025. Since it’s been such a long time and these schools are only about a 20-minute drive apart, both programs had a strong amount of fan support, and it made for an incredible hometown, early season matchup.“Any game within close proximity like this has some sort of different level of intensity to it,” Providence head coach Bryan Hodgson said. “When you’re another Division-I basketball program and you’re down the road, you know you feel some type of way towards that other program, right? That’s just human nature.”“This is a great platform for us,” Bryant head coach Jamion Christian said. ”A great way for us to celebrate basketball in the state of Rhode Island. I think our two programs have the two best records in Rhode Island over the last five years.”While Providence never lost the lead and led by double digits for a good portion of the game, each program saw this game as a big opportunity. This was a good way for the Friars to rebound after a tough 67-58 loss to Nebraska in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off at Mohegan Sun Arena on Nov. 7.On the flip side, Bryant, a member of the America East, competed with a power-conference program. Christian expressed gratitude to Providence for getting this game scheduled. The Bulldogs have other notable non-conference matchups with Rutgers, Kentucky, George Mason, Fordham and another fellow Rhode Island program in Brown. Christian explained how games like this can help them come to the America East play and once it comes to March.“If you want to be a great team and play in March, you can never be scared,” Christian said. “We want to be able to judge ourselves against the very best teams. That’s the most important thing that we can do. I always want to put our team in that position where we’ve prepared the right way. Win or lose, we’ve prepared.”View LinkMid-major teams playing high profile games like this one can help under-the-radar programs get some more recognition. Thompson, Elijah Crispi