WASHINGTON - Providence guard Kris Dunn spent part of his boyhood in Alexandria, Virginia, just across the Potomac River from the nation's capital. He was about 10 when he moved with his father to Connecticut, where he went to high school.

Dunn was back in the Washington area Saturday night and he and his Providence teammates certainly showed they were comfortable again on the road, hitting several clutch free throws down the stretch to beat Georgetown 73-69 in a Big East Conference game before a crowd of 14,481.

The No. 10 Friars began this week as of one of four Division I teams that were unbeaten on the road. With the win on Saturday, Providence (18-4, 6-3) is 6-0 away from home this season.

"I have a lot of family down here. It is good to get the win on the road and see some of my family," said Dunn, who had 26 points and now 1,020 in his career.

"We are doing a good job the road," added Dunn, a national player of the year candidate. "We are just a tough team right now. A lot of guys are improving. When the young guys play good we have a good team."

Dunn also had four steals and two assists and made several deflections that led to steals for his teammates. He was 8 of 17 from the field in 38 minutes as the Friars made 24 of 33 shots from the charity stripe.

"He may be the best guard that has come through this league in a long time," Hoyas coach John Thompson III said of Dunn. "He is one of the best passers I have seen this year. He is an elite defender. He can impact the game in so many facets."

Guard D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera of the Hoyas (13-9, 6-3) shared similar sentiments.

"It is always going to be tough," Smith-Rivera said of facing Dunn. "As a team we have to defend him better. I just have to keep moving, get open and make plays."

Sophomore forward Ben Bentil also had 26 points and nine rebounds for the Friars as he made 8 of 12 shots from the field and 9 of 10 from the foul line, including several in the final minute.

"I think it is a great win for us. It is a great road win," Bentil said. "We just move on to the next game. I am very comfortable going to the line."

Friars coach Ed Cooley said as much as he likes Washington he would much rather be in Providence.

"Another Big East war on the road," Cooley said. "I thought we played with some desperation. We wanted to try and be more aggressive going to the basket. Anytime you play on the road you have to be mentally tough. We wanted to guard the post as much as we can."

The Friars had played their previous three games against ranked teams, beating Butler and Villanova before losing at home Tuesday to Xavier.

The Hoyas dropped out of a tie for second in the Big East as Xavier won against DePaul earlier Saturday. Forward L.J. Peak had 19 points, Smith-Rivera had 18 and five assists and center Bradley Hayes had 13 points for the Hoyas. Peak had 17 points in the second half.

"They have two players that are elite, and they played like it," Thompson said of Dunn and Bentil.

The Hoyas, who trailed by 12 early in the second half, trimmed the margin to 44-43 on a field goal and free throw by Hayes with 13:33 left to go.

Guard Kyron Cartwright (six assists) hit a 3-pointer as the shot clock was about to expire to give Providence a lead of 65-56 with 2:21 left. Cartwright hit one of two free throws with 1:03 left to make it 66-59 and Bentil made two free throws with 26.7 seconds left to make it 69-64.

Bentil hit two free throws to make it 71-66 with 10.4 seconds left but Smith-Rivera made a 3-pointer with 4.1 seconds left to trim the margin to 71-69. Bentil made two more free throws with 3.2 seconds left to account for the final margin.

Forward Reggie Bullock had 10 points and 13 rebounds for Providence, which won despite making 17 turnovers - nearly six more than its average.

"He was aggressive, he was assertive," Thompson said of Bullock.

Said Hayes of facing Bentil: "I think I needed to make better decisions with the ball than I did. I just have to make better decisions with the ball."

NOTES: Providence G Kris Dunn entered the game averaging 16.9 points, 7.1 assists and 3.2 steals per game. He is pegged as the No. 4 overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft by www.draftexpress.com as of Saturday. ... The Hoyas play Tuesday at Butler. Providence is at DePaul the same day. ... Georgetown was coming off a 74-73 win at home on Tuesday over Creighton after trailing by 11 points with 2:32 left. ... The Hoyas still lead the series 44-23. ... Georgetown G D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera entered the game averaging 16.3 points and 4.4 assists but was held to four points in the first half before scoring 14 in the second.