VILLANOVA, Pa., – The No. 11 Villanova Wildcats have been atop the NCAA Free Throw Percentage rankings for the last three weeks. On Tuesday night, their accuracy at the line was critical in holding off No. 9 Providence for a 76-74 win.
 
The Wildcats sank 21-of-25 at the line (.840), including seven in the final minute, to earn their second triumph over the BIG EAST regular season champions in the last two weeks. Providence kept the pressure on Nova (22-7 overall, 15-4 BIG EAST) thanks in large part to a 10-of-13 shooting display from beyond the 3-point arc.
 
Senior Caleb Daniels led Villanova with 20 points. Eric Dixon added 15 points while Collin Gillespie chipped in with 14 points. The Friars (24-4 overall, 14-3 BIG EAST) were paced by Jared Bynum's 19 points and 10 assists.
 
"For Providence to play like that in here, without Al Durham, shows you how great a team they have," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "I really appreciate our fans coming in to make that a great environment with our students on spring break. I'm proud of our guys. Taking care of the basketball was big, even though we got a little sloppy there in the end."
 
The Wildcats finished with just five turnovers while forcing Providence to commit 16 miscues. That helped VU outscore the Friars 19-7 on points off of turnovers.
 
"Hitting free throws was big, obviously," noted Wright. "They have a lot of shot-makers. They hit some tough shots and we hit some tough shots. This was just a great Big East game."
 
Dixon opened the scoring with a basket before Providence responded with a trio of consecutive 3-pointers to grab a 9-2 lead less than three minutes into the game. A Dixon 3-pointer and a pair of free throws by Collin Gillespie closed the gap to 9-7 at the game's first official timeout.
 
The Wildcats scrapped their way to a 12-12 tie after a Daniels dunk created by a Brandon Slater steal. That came on the heels of a Slater highlight reel slam that brought the sellout crowd of 6,501 at Finneran Pavilion to its feet.
 
Villanova's defense helped it create a 28-24 advantage at the 3:50 mark of the half. That was followed by a 9-2 burst keyed by Gillespie. When Jermaine Samuels scored on a drive the Wildcats held a 37-26 lead. When Justin Moore dropped in a 3-poiunter to beat the halftime buzzer, the 'Cats were up 40-26.
 
It was a 16-2 run in all. Gillespie's 10 points paced the Wildcats while Noah Horlcher led the Friars with six points. After a slow start, Villanova connected on 14-of-28 field goal attempts (.500) while holding Providence to 10-of-32 shooting (.313). Their end of half run came with Slater and Dixon on the bench, each with two fouls.
 
Providence, however, opened the second half as it did the first, getting a trio of 3-pointers, including two from A.J. Reeves that brought it to within 44-35 after 4:35 of the second half. Dixon drained two free throws before PC connected on its fourth straight triple to close the margin to 46-38 at the 14:17 mark of the period.
 
Two more triples – one by Reeves, another by Horchler – were sandwiched around a pair of Samuels free throws to cut the Nova lead to 48-44. The Wildcats, meanwhile, were just 2-of-11 from the field in the first eight minutes of the period. A Bynum jumper tied the game at 48.
 
Gillespie then answered with a 3-pointer from the top of the key. Another 3-ball from the Friars tied it at 51 before five straight points from Caleb Daniels gave VU a 56-51 edge. A pair of Nate Watson free throws narrowed the lead to 56-53 with 7:44 on the second half clock.
 
Two huge 3-pointers by Moore and a short jumper by Daniels were matched by another Reeves 3-pointer and one from Bynum. When Moore took a charge, Villanova regained possession while holding a 67-63 lead with 2:42 left in the second half.
 
The final two plus minutes were tense. But Villanova answered every Friars' score and finally secured the win when Dixon intercepted a long inbounds pass with 1.8 seconds on the clock and the Wildcats up 76-74.
 
"I think both teams executed really well," said Wright of the final two minutes. "They got the shots they wanted to. We made free throws, except the one by Justin at the end. It was just a really well-played game between two outstanding veteran teams."
 
The Wildcats wrap up the BIG EAST regular season on Saturday when they travel to Indianapolis to meet Butler at noon (Fox and the Villanova IHeart Radio network).