No. 10 Villanova fought its way back from a 17-point halftime deficit but fell just short Saturday in a 54-52 loss to Providence. A basket off an offensive rebound by Friars guard David Duke with 2.8 seconds left was the difference.
 
            Jermaine Samuels was at the center of the furious Wildcats' comeback. He finished with 21 points, including two clutch free throws that tied the game at 52 prior to the final Providence offensive possession. A good look at a 3-pointer by Jeremiah Robinson-Earl just before the horn sounded was a touch long.
 
            Villanova lost sophomore guard Justin Moore, tasked with serving as Nova's primary ballhandler in the aftermath of Collin Gillespie's knee injury, in the first half with a sprained left ankle. Sophomore Chris Arcidiacono stepped into the void and performed admirably.
 
            "I was really proud of him," said head coach Jay Wright of Arcidiacono. "Our problem was not missing Collin at the point guard spot. We had problems with offensive execution but none of it was his fault. He was great getting us into offense.
 
            "We had our chances. We had free throws, shots at the rim. It just wasn't meant to be. That's sports sometimes. It's hard to accept that. I thought our effort in the second half was great. I just was really disappointed in the way we started. I was really surprised at the way we started."
 
            An 11-0 spurt by Providence after a game-opening basket by Jeremiah Robinson-Earl helped the Friars gain the advantage early. Villanova found itself in a 16-5 hole at the 13:25 mark of the first half. The Wildcats converted just 2-of-12 from the field in the first 6:35 while Providence was 7-of-8 on its attempts.
 
            The Friars expanded the lead to 21-9 midway through the period as Nova continued to struggle to find an offensive flow.
 
            Villanova switched to a 2-3 zone and it helped create a series of stops. But field goals were still hard to come by – the Wildcats had just three (in 20 attempts) over the first 12 minutes. Providence's lead was 21-12 with 7:33 to play in the period. A 10-0 spurt stretched the Friars' advantage to 31-12.
 
            As part of that stretch, Moore went to the sidelines after getting tangled up with Providence's David Duke near midcourt. He never returned to the game and spent the second half watching from the bench in a walking boot.
 
            The Friars held a 38-21 lead at halftime. Providence connected on 16-of-26 from the field in the period (.615). Meanwhile, the Wildcats were 6-of-28 from the field (.214), including 2-of-11 from beyond the arc. Nate Watson (14 points) and Duke (13) combined for 27 first half points while Robinson-Earl's seven points led Nova.
 
            Providence held an 18-4 first edge in points scored in the paint.
 
            With Arcidiacono starting the second half in Moore 's spot, Villanova put together a charge, pulling to within 38-32 four minutes into the period. But though the defense remained strong, Villanova slipped into another scoring drought which facilitated a 6-0 spurt before a Jermaine Samuels drive for two and a free throw pulled Nova back to within 44-35 with 10:21 to play in the period.
 
            The Wildcats stymied the Friars defensively and Samuels carried them back. He scored five consecutive points to put Villanova into the lead at 50-49 with 3:41 to go. But Providence managed to get one more score than the 'Cats in those final minutes and walked off the court with the victory.
 
            Villanova (16-5 overall, 11-4 BIG EAST) sank just 7-of-14 free throws in the second half.
 
            "That's playing on the road," said Wright. "We just haven't been able to get that vibe on the road this year. We force a miss at the end and don't get the rebound. If we had gotten that, we would have had the last possession in a tie game. They're the little things that bother us, not the free throws. Over the season, you're going to have games like that (missed free throws) but you've got to find a way to overcome it."
 
            Wright did not have an update on Moore's status moving forward. The sophomore is expected to undergo an MRI in the next 48 hours to help determine the severity of the sprain.
 
            The Wildcats are scheduled to open the BIG EAST Tournament on Thursday afternoon. As the regular season champion and top seed, the Wildcats will meet the winner of a Wednesday night meeting between the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds.