It was a tale of two halves for Villanova at Providence on Saturday afternoon. And with their season essentially on the line, the Wildcats flipped the switch and and secured a gargantuan 71-60 win.
“I was really proud of the way our guys came out," Kyle Neptune said after the victory. "We weathered a bunch of storms from them, I thought they came out, threw a bunch of punches, made some shots, thought they were playing well, they had a great game plan. Unbelievable atmosphere. Really proud of our guys.”
It was an ominous start for the 'Cats. On the games opening possession, they committed an unforced turnover. The Friars made them play, drilling a three to open the scoring and fueling an already raucous crowd. However, Providence returned the favor seconds later with a silly error of its own, committing a lane violation on a missed Eric Dixon free throw. Dixon made his retry attempt, essentially stealing a point back for 'Nova. The first minute of the game set the tone for a back and forth first half.
For the next four minutes, Villanova was trading twos on offense for threes at the other end, allowing Providence to open a six-point lead. 'Nova responded with a 5-0 run, and moments later a Justin Moore layup gave the 'Cats their first lead of the game. The 'Cats would build the lead to five, but then Providence responded with an 8-0 run to retake the lead. That push would grow to 14-2, giving the Friars a seven-point cushion with 3:21 to play in the half. 'Nova would punch back, scoring six straight points to get within one before a Providence bucket and missed layup at the buzzer by Mark Armstrong sent the Friars into the break with a three-point advantage.
The defense left a bit to be desired in the first half, with Providence shooting 53.8% overall and 41.2% from three. That was about to change in a big way.
Villanova came out on a mission in the second half, holding Providence scoreless for the period's first 5:03. The 'Cats scored the period's first nine points, turning a three-point deficit into a six-point lead. After Providence finally broke the drought, 'Nova ripped off another nine straight points, opening the half on an 18-2 run to take control of the game, leading by 13.
The lead would get as big as 15, but with NCAA Tournament hopes hanging in the balance and fueled by an impressive home crowd, the Friars weren't going to go away quietly. They trimmed the lead to single digits with 6:12 to play and pulled within two possessions with 2:19 to go. On the ensuing possession, Moore delivered an absolute dagger three, pushing the lead back to nine with 1:53 left. Providence wouldn't score again, with Armstrong delivering a pair of free throws to push the final margin to 11.
The 'Cats put on a defensive clinic in the second half, limiting Providence to 23 points. The Friars shot just 26.9% overall, including 3-13 (23.1%) from three and 4-13 (30.7%) from two.
“We really didn’t change anything schematically, we just did what we do," Neptune said of the second-half defense. "We told our guys it’s gonna take 40 minutes. We knew they’re a tough team, they made some timely shots, some tough ones as well. They got great players over there so we had to take a couple punches and we just kept going.”
Just like the Georgetown game, Moore and Dixon led the way. Moore scored a team-high 15 points (4-6 3PTA) while adding four assists and three rebounds. Dixon chipped in 11 points, three rebounds and two steals. The big man was second on the team with a +14 rating.
“I think just taking pride in defense," Moore said after the game. "Knowing that we can get stops and rebounds so when we come on offense we can play freely and just sharing the ball, that’s been key with us. Sharing the ball and taking our shots confidently.”
The duo wasn't alone however, as all nine Wildcats who played managed to score.
Armstrong had 10 points and five assists, making some timely plays for the 'Cats, including scoring the first four points of the second half as the 'Cats began to turn the tide. The sophomore was a team-high +19.
“I thought he was great,'" Neptune said of his young guard. "His defense was unbelievable. His energy level was unbelievable. He made some timely plays.”
Brendan Hausen made all three of his three-point attempts for nine points, while Tyler Burton had seven points, TJ Bamba and Jordan Longino added six apiece, Hakim Hart chipped in five (and three steals) and Lance Ware had two.
It's impossible to overstate the importance of the win for Villanova, which will likely shift into the next round of NCAA Tournament projections. While there's still work to be done, the team's postseason hopes are in good shape at the moment.
“We have a resilient bunch of guys," Neptune said. "We have multiple guys who have been through a lot in their careers. We’ve been through a lot together as a unit. I think it’s really kind of hardened us over this year. Our goal has always been to be the best by the end, I think we’re trending that way.”
