PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Providence coach Ed Cooley said he was "tired" after his team blew almost all of a 26-point lead but held on to defeat Georgetown on Saturday.

But the coach was also clearly relieved the 20th-ranked Friars ended their losing streak and put another win on their postseason resume.

"We needed this," Cooley said after Providence held on for a 75-72 victory. "We're just trying to get to that magic number of 68 (the NCAA tournament field). That's our goal and it's one game at a time."

A loss on Saturday would have made it four straight and five in the last six games –- with the next two on the road, at No. 5 Xavier and Seton Hall.

It would also have meant losing a game that didn't appear would ever be close, and probably falling out of the Top 25, which still could happen.

Cooley said he was looking for energy out of the gate after the third straight loss, a double-overtime crusher at Marquette, and he got it. Then, his team (19-7, 7-6) lost it.

The Hoyas (14-12, 7-6 Big East) cut a 20-point halftime deficit down to one with 1:08 left and held the Friars to five field goals in the second half, none in the final 7:50, but couldn't quite finish the job.

Providence went 12-for-14 from the foul line over the final 6:51 to hold on.

"It was Jekyll and Hyde," said Hoyas coach John Thompson III, who was happy his team rallied but down over the way it started.

After forward Trey Mourning (Alonzo's son) hit a 3-pointer (the first of his two-year career) to cut it to one, Providence forward Rodney Bullock, who scored 16 of his 23 points in a 49-point first half for Providence, was fouled after grabbing an offensive rebound with 37.7 seconds left.

Bullock, who also snatched 10 rebounds, made the two shots, Georgetown called timeout and then called another before an out-of-bounds play with 20.8 seconds on the clock.

Forward Isaac Copeland was fouled shooting a 3-pointer with 10.4 left. He missed the first and made the next two, but Providence forward Ben Bentil made two free throws for the final margin.

Georgetown had time but Bullock got a hand on guard D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera's last second 3-point try.

Cooley said he told Bullock before the game: "Rodney, you're going to be great today and he bought into it -– so Rodney, you're going to be great against Xavier."

Said Bullock: "Basically, we just came out here like we really needed this win."

All-American guard Kris Dunn had 20 points, six rebounds and five assists while Bentil, still playing on a healing right ankle and coming off a 42-point game in a loss at Marquette, had 16 points and nine rebounds.

Both Dunn and Bentil were 5-for-6 from the line down the stretch.

Dunn also had a major hand in holding guard D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera, the No. 3 scorer in the Big East, to one field goal, a 3-pointer, on eight shots. Smith-Rivera came in averaging 16.7 points per game.

"Dunn is an elite player," Thompson III said. "I think he is the best player in the country. ... He's special. He's as good of a guard as I've seen in this league in a long, long time ... maybe going back to the guy who used to wear No. 3 for Georgetown (Allen Iverson)."

Cooley said Dunn's NBA meal ticket will be his defense, predicting Dunn will be "an NBA All-Star defensively."

Forward Marcus Derrickson led five Hoyas in double figures with 18 points and also grabbed nine rebounds.

The Friars, who have defeated Georgetown four straight times (two in the last 15 days) for the first time ever, never trailed, opening a 26-9 lead as the Hoyas went 3-for-16 from the floor.

NOTES: Georgetown coach John Thompson III was able to look up from his bench and see the number of his father, former Providence star and Georgetown coach John Thompson, in the rafters, retired by the Friars. ... Former NBA player Ryan Gomes was one of 14 Providence athletes inducted to the school's Hall of Fame on Saturday and was introduced at halftime. ... Providence downed Georgetown 73-69 in Washington D.C., on Jan. 30 thanks to 26 points apiece from G Kris Dunn and F Ben Bentil, with swingman L.J. Peak coming off the bench to lead the Hoyas with 19. ... The Hoyas play their next three games at home, against Seton Hall, Xavier and Butler.