Bryce Cotton scored a game-high 19 points as visiting Providence won its seventh consecutive game with an 80-61 victory over Rhode Island on Friday.

Gerard Coleman had 16 points and Vincent Council - the team’s leading scorer - finished with 15 for the Friars (11-2), who took a 35-33 lead into halftime despite shooting only 11-for-21 from the free-throw line.

Providence increased its lead to double digits midway through the second half on LaDontae Henton’s jumper with 12:08 left.

The Rams (1-11) lost their eighth straight game and fell to 1-6 at home. Jonathan Holton had a team-high 15 points while Orion Outerbridge and Mike Powell added 13 apiece for Rhode Island, which shot 31.2 percent from the field and was only 3-for-19 from 3-point range.

Jamal Wilson, the Rams’ leading scorer, finished with five points on 1-of-12 field goal shooting.

Providence led the entire second half. Rhode Island closed the gap to one point on two separate occasions after the break, but the Friars went on a quick 8-0 spurt, taking a 49-40 advantage on Cotton’s 3-pointer with 14:07 remaining.

This was Providence’s final non-conference game before they open Big East play at St. John’s on Tuesday.