Final Score: Providence 75, Villanova 62
 
Overview
 
Providence used strong starts in the opening minutes of each half to build the foundation of a 75-62 BIG EAST victory Saturday night at the Amica Mutual Pavilion on a night where the Friars retired the jersey of guard Billy Donovan.
 
The Friars were exceptional in their utilization of the 3-point shot.
 
At the offensive end, they reeled off six in the game's opening six minutes, on route to a 13-of-27 effort from beyond the arc (.481).
 
"They made some tough ones," said Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune, "but they also took advantage of some openings we gave them. They just did a good job."
 
They were nearly as proficient at defending outside the arc. Villanova was held to a single 3-point field goal over the game's first 28:51. Jhamir Brickus and Wooga Poplar each added a pair in the final 11 minutes of the second half but it was a difficult night from deep for the 'Cats (5-of-19, .216).
 
"A lof of credit goes to Providence," said Neptune. "They threw a hard punch at us to start the game and we just never recovered. They made a lot of adjustments from the last game and had a great gameplan."
 
Triples Told the Early Tale
 
Providence got a 3-pointer from Jayden Pierre on its opening possession and followed that with a steal and score to jump out to a 5-0 lead in the contest's first 39 seconds. Two free throws from Jordan Longino and a short jumper from Wooga Poplar narrowed the gap to 6-4 two minutes in. Bensley Joseph followed with a step-back triple to push the Friars' edge to 9-4.
 
The Friars were 4-of-5 from the field, including 2-of-2 from deep, over the game's first three plus minutes. That surge helped build an 11-6 cushion by the time the first official timeout came with 15:43 on the first half clock.
 
The Wildcats closed to within 11-10 on an Eric Dixon drive and score. But Providence knocked down 3-pointers on its next two possessions to spread the advantage to 17-10. Before the midpoint of the first half, the Friars had dropped in two more from deep, to build a 25-14 lead.
 
At that point, Providence was 9-of-12 from the floor and had a 6-0 lead in 3-pointers made over the 'Cats.
 
Providence's Defense Kept the 'Cats in Check
 
The Wildcats were able to slow the Friars attack for a stretch, but that coincided with an offensive drought that lasted more than five minutes. Providence moved on top, 31-17 with 4:17 to play in the first half.
 
At halftime, Providence held a 36-24 edge.
 
Dixon paced Nova with nine points, but the rest of the numbers favored the Friars.
 
Providence sank 9-of-16 from beyond the arc and connected on .520 of its total attempts.
 
At the other end, the Wildcats were unable to solve Providence's switching defenses. Villanova was 8-of-26 from the field (.308) and 1-of-10 from long distance (.100). It hit just 2-of-14 over the final seven minutes of the period.
 
Second Act
 
Providence got off to a similar start to what it produced in the first half, scoring the first four points of the period while Nova went without a point over the first 2:07 to move the lead to 40-24. The Wildcats misfired on their first five field goal attempts of the half.
 
A Friar 3-pointer – their tenth of the night – pushed the margin to 43-24 with 16:08 left in the game. It became a 10-0 surge that gave the Friars their largest lead of the night, 46-24.
 
The Wildcats came up with an 10-0 burst, fueled by Dixon and Longino, to shave the gap to 46-34 with the clock just below the 12 minute mark in the second half. But Providence got a traditional 3-point play at the 11:09 mark to push the edge to 49-34.
 
Villanova got it to within 57-46 but the Friars went into the bonus midway through the half and in the double bonus with 6:50 to play.
 
Milestone for Brickus
 
When the La Salle transfer dropped in a 3-pointer from the left wing in the second half, it pushed him over the 1,500 point plateau for his career. He added another 3-pointer a short while later.
 
Another first-year Wildcat, forward Enoch Boakye, joined the 500 career rebounding club this week and added another today to move his career number to 506. The native of Brampton, Ontario was limited by foul woes in this matchup at Providence.
 
Up Next
 
Villanova heads out on the road again early in the week as it heads to Hartford ahead of a Tuesday night clash with Connecticut (6:30 p.m./FS1 and the Villanova Sports Network on IHeart).