PROVIDENCE, R.I. –A 14-4 Providence burst after Villanova had grabbed its first lead of the day early in the second half, proved decisive in an 85-72 Friars' victory over the Wildcats in a BIG EAST game played Saturday before a sold-out crowd of 12,650 at Amica Mutual Pavilion.
Villanova (13-14 overall, 7-9 BIG EAST) closed to within two points of No. 24 Providence with 4:53 left but were unable to recapture the lead.
Eric Dixon led the Wildcats with 18 points and eight rebounds while Justin Moore added 17 points. The Friars converted 27-of-48 field goal attempts (.563 on the day), including 7-of-18 from long range (.389).
"I thought Providence came out and really set the tone with hard how they played and how tough they were," stated Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune. "They just showed how into Providence basketball they were. We just never recovered."
The Wildcats had held their previous three BIG EAST opponents to 58.7 points per game but had a tough time getting a handle on the Friars on their home floor.
"I think we just went against a team that executed better than we did," said Neptune. "They came out and executed really well in the first five minutes. They set the tone physically and on the glass."
The Friars built a 9-4 lead over the Wildcats through the first 4:04 of the period as the Friars converted 3-of-4 field goal attempts along with three free throws. A driving layup by Noah Locke pushed the margin to 11-4 before Moore broke the spell with a basket and a free throw at the 14:25 mark.
Leading scorer Caleb Daniels also picked up two early fouls for the Wildcats, heading to the sidelines with 15:56 on the clock.
Consecutive 3-point plays from Providence made it 17-7. When Villanova signaled for time at the 10:58 mark, the Friars had converted 8-of-11 from the field and held a 21-12 lead. Ed Croswell scored seven of those 21 for the Friars. The Wildcats, meanwhile, were 5-of-15 from the floor in that same opening stretch.
A 3-pointer from Chris Arcidiacono got VU to within 24-15 but Providence came right back with a quick basket by Noah Locke to extend the margin to double digits, 26-15 with 7:54 remaining in the half. Freshman Mark Armstrong helped give VU some offensive juice, scoring six first half points.
When Brendan Hausen drained a 3-pointer on the Wildcats' final offensive possession, Villanova was back to within 36-31. That is where the score stood at halftime.
Providence connected on .542 of its field goal attempts in the period and owned a 17-12 edge on the glass. But the Wildcats hung in despite foul trouble that limited both Daniels and Cam Whitmore in the half. Moore's seven points led Villanova in the period while Dixon added six points and two caroms.
The Wildcats scored nine of the first 12 points in the second half, briefly taking the lead at 40-39 on a Whitmore slam off a steal. Five straight points from Locke – on a 3-pointer and short jumper pushed Providence back in front, 44-41 after 4:48 of the half. Providence continued its push and extended the lead back to 54-44 with 11:04 to play in the contest.
"I give a lot of credit to our bench," Neptune noted. "I thought those guys gave us a lift. But you go on the road in a game like that and fall behind like that, it's tough."
Villanova kept battling, however. A Moore 3-pointer from the right wing narrowed the gap to 61-54 ahead of a Wildcats' timeout with 6:46 on the clock. Then Whitmore turned the corner and finished with another electric slam to pull Nova to within 61-56. After a Providence basket, Dixon rattled home a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 63-59 as the clock ticked towards the five-minute mark. When Daniels scored, it was a 63-61 Friars' lead.
A Croswell basket on the interior made it 65-61. Villanova misfired on its next 3-point attempt, Providence collected the carom, and got a basket from Devin Carter to extend to a 67-61 lead.
Dixon notched a bucket to shave the deficit to 67-63. Locke then dropped in a long 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down to zero to make it 70-63 with just a shade under three minutes to play. Moore hit two free throws for Nova before Carter replicated Locke's bomb, dropping in one of his own to push the edge to 73-65.
Providence sealed the win with its work at the free throw line. The final was 85-62.
Next up for Villanova is another road date, this one at No. 16 Xavier. The 'Cats and Musketeers are set to meet at the Cintas Center on Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. (FS1 and the Villanova Sports Network).
