Overview
 
Refreshed after a six day layoff since its last game action, Villanova rode a potent offensive attack past Providence Friday night at Finneran Pavilion.
 
Two surges proved pivotal.
 
Villanova opened up a 17-point halftime lead thanks to sharp defense that produced 10 first half Friars' turnovers. Then, after Providence narrowed its deficit to 49-43 with 14:25 left in the second half, Villanova again kicked its offense into overdrive. It closed the contest on a 38-30 burst to secure its 16^th win of 2025-26.
 
Devin Askew, who scored 20 points when these teams met in Providence on Jan. 13, matched that total in this win. He added three assists and a pair of steals.
 
"We're trying to get Dev to play off his strengths, now that he is kind of back at full strength," said Villanova head coach Kevin Willard. "He had a great week of practice. I think that was the big thing for him. That's really the way he played for the last three days."
 
"I feel really good out there," added Askew. "But just like always, I've still got some work to do. I've still got to get better every day."
 
At the Start
 
Providence scored the game's first four points before Tyler Perkins came up with a steal that led to a traditional 3-point play. A Perkins triple helped Villanova claim a 7-6 lead at the night's first official timeout 4:16 into the first half.
 
Chris Jeffrey made his return to game action at the 13:15 mark of the first half after missing 10 games following arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in December.
 
A pair of Askew 3-pointers helped Villanova get its offense into gear but the Friars' work on the glass – they collected 10 of the game's first 15 caroms – allowed them to stay close. Villanova held an 18-16 lead after 8:34 of the period.
 
Veteran official Michael Roberts left the game early in the period after suffering an apparent leg injury. The remaining referees – Mike Palau and Tony Henderson worked the remainder of the contest as a two-person crew.
 
D Fuels a Burst
 
Acaden Lewis helped to create some of the turnovers that led to open-court opportunities. Nova reeled off a 10-2 burst to stretch its advantage to 28-18. At one point the Wildcats sank seven consecutive field goal attempts.
 
The other catalyst was Askew, who finished the first half with 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field, including 4-of-5 from beyond the 3-point arc. He added three free throws when fouled on an attempt from long range.
 
Those offensive fireworks helped Villanova build a 45-28 lead at halftime.
 
The Wildcats forced 10 Friars' turnovers that resulted in a 15-4 edge in points off turnovers. Providence was limited to 12 points over the final 11 plus minutes of the half.
 
"We've got a really good transition team," noted Perkins. "When we get stops, it gets us into transition."
 
After Intermission
 
A Stefan Vaaks 3-pointer and a pair of free throws gave the Friars' the first five points of the second half. Duke Brennan gave Villanova its first two points of the second half at the free throw line. Vaaks then dropped in another triple and the lead was shaved to 47-36 in the first two minutes of the period.
 
Another 3-ball by Vaaks closed the gap to 47-39 at the 17:36 mark of the second half.
The Wildcats missed their first six attempts from the field over the first 4:34 of the period. Providence, meanwhile, was 3-of-3 in that same span. The Wildcats held a 49-41 edge early in the second half.
 
A Perkins basket after six minutes gave Nova its first field goal of the second half. A few moments later another Perkins bucket – this one a transition triple from the top of the key – nudged the Villanova lead to 57-46 with 11:02 remaining in the period.
 
Triples from Bryce Lindsay and Askew helped Villanova restore its margin to 70-52 with 7:13 remaining in the second half.
 
The Wildcats cruised home from there to improve to 9-1 at Finneran Pavilion this season.
 
What They Said
 
Providence coach Kim English: "Credit to Villanova. I thought they were really good defensively in the first half. There are simple things we need to get better at. They did them and we didn't. That was the difference."