Bears, Friars tangle Tuesday night

PROVIDENCE — Ed Cooley will be the first one to tell you he’s pleasantly surprised by the performance of his Providence Friars three weeks into the season.

The Friars (6-2) are coming off a 63-60 win over Rhode Island and will look for a sweep of long-time local opponents when they host Brown on Tuesday at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. PC will be looking to continue a trend in which some tough, aggressive defense is leading the team’s play while offensive answers keep developing. So far it’s a mix that has the Friars pegged as one of the early surprise teams in the East.

“We’ve seen the same focus for every game and that’s what I’m most pleased with,” Cooley said. “On offense we’re a little…