Cats Pull Away From Providence in 85-67 Win

Early in the game, the offense continued to struggle, as the ‘Cats missed their first six shots. Fortunately, they were able to hit five of their next eight, helping them to finish the half at 40.7 percent, although they hit just 3-11 from deep. The Wildcats were bolstered by the free throw line, where they went a perfect 14-14 while Providence was just 1-2. The defensive glass continued to be an issue for ‘Nova against the Friars, as the ‘Cats surrendered nine offensive rebounds in the first half after allowing 17 in the last meeting between the teams.

Both teams were executing a balanced attack, with seven players scoring for each team in the first half. The ‘Cats led by as many as eight before carrying a five-point lead into the break in a fairly tightly contested half.

In the second half, it became a game of runs. After scoring first to go up seven, Villanova saw Providence tie the game at 45 with 16:08 left. The ‘Cats then ripped off eight-straight over the next minute and a half capped by a pair of Eric Paschall 3’s to restore the lead.

The Friars were undaunted, battling back to take the lead, 55-53, at the 10:32 mark. The teams traded blows for the next three and a half minutes with Providence pulling within one with 7:01 to play, 62-61. But the would be as close as it would get, as Villanova went on a 15-3 spurt over the next three-plus minutes to all but put the Friars away, ultimately ending the game on a 23-6 run over the final seven minutes, creating a final margin that wasn’t indicative of how close the game actually was.

The second half saw the ‘Cats find their offense, shooting 63 percent from the floor and 58 percent from 3. Providence, on the other hand, shot just 11 percent from 3 in the second half after knocking down 42 percent from deep in the first half. ‘Nova finished the game at 51.9 percent from the field and 43.5 percent from 3.

Eric Paschall was fantastic, going for a game-high 25 points on 10-13 from the floor and 5-6 from 3.

Phil Booth added 22 points, four rebounds, and three assists.

Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree was productive for the ‘Cats, netting 12 points on a perfect 4-4 from the field and 4-4 from the line to go with seven rebounds and two blocks.

Collin Gillespie’s shooting woes continued as he was 0-6 from 3. However, he was 5-5 from the line to get to seven points and dished out eight assists.

Saddiq Bey chipped in six points and six rebounds while Jermaine Samuels added six points, five rebounds, and three assists.

Joe Cremo added five points and Jahvon Quinerly had two.

‘Nova again struggled to keep Providence off the offensive glass, surrendering 16 offensive rebounds and 18 second-chance points, but it didn’t matter as the ‘Cats gained an advantage from the 3-point line and the free throw line while winning the turnover battle.

It was great to see the offense get going and ‘Nova did a good job putting away a pesky Providence team. With the win, the Wildcats secured their seventh-straight 20-win season and retained their one-game lead over Marquette in the Big East standings.

They’ll try to build on Wednesday’s win when they travel to St. John’s on Sunday.