It wasn’t pretty, but Providence did just enough to beat Fairleigh Dickinson 72-61 on Saturday and give Ed Cooley, a Providence native, a win in his debut with the Friars.

Gerard Coleman led Providence with 18 points and seven rebounds. The Friars got 16 points from Bryce Cotton, 12 points from Vincent Council, and 10 points and six rebounds from LaDontae Henton.

Fairleigh Dickinson (0-1) was led by Lonnie Hayes, who scored 26 points, 14 of which came in the first half. But the point guard’s outburst was offset by seven turnovers. Kinu Rochford scored 15 points before fouling out.

Providence led 33-28 at halftime. The Friars didn’t achieve a double-digit lead over the pesky Knights until there were three minutes left.

Providence now leads the series 2-1 and is 50-13 against members of the Northeast Conference.