The top 10 clash between Villanova and Providence lived up to the hype Tuesday night as the teams battled for 40 minutes in an electric environment in the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. When the dust settled, Villanova emerged with a hard-fought 89-84 victory over the No. 8 Friars.
“That was a great Big East basketball game,” Jay Wright said. “Great environment. Two outstanding teams. A lot of great players out there, lot of big-time plays. Just a great college basketball game. I’m proud of our guys coming into this environment and I’m proud of the Big East for this environment, this game, this is what Big East basketball is all about.”
Villanova jumped out to an early six-point lead and pushed it to seven just over three minutes in. It wasn’t enough to dampen the mood of the raucous Dunk crowd, put it was enough to keep things from getting completely insane.
Providence clawed within one two minutes later but ‘Nova was able to protect the lead until the 7:16 mark when the Friars took their first lead of the game. It was short lived, as ‘Nova responded to retake a four-point lead just minutes later. Of course, the Friars had a response of their own, once again taking the lead at the 4:30 mark. The teams traded baskets for a stretch before Villanova used a 13-6 push to take a six-point advantage with just under a minute to play. A layup from Collin Gillespie with under 10 seconds to play would send the ‘Cats into the break with a seven-point advantage.
Justin Moore was fantastic in the first half, scoring 18 points on 6-9 shooting, including 4-7 from 3. The 3-point line was huge for the ‘Cats, who hit 7-14 from deep and had a 12-point advantage from beyond the arc.
Providence scored the first four points of the second half to pull within three, but the ‘Cats were able to keep the Friars at bay, leading by between two and seven through the first eight minutes of the period. However, an 8-1 run from the Friars would tie the game at 64 with 9:22 to go.
A huge Caleb Daniels 3 stopped the bleeding and spurred the ‘Cats to a 9-2 run to re-establish a seven-point lead with 5:46 left.
It was then Providence’s turn to answer, this time with a 7-2 run to pull within two. As they did all game, ‘Nova answered once again, this time with Gillespie draining a huge 3 off a Jermaine Samuels offensive rebound with three minutes to go. Providence would pull within two three more times over the next 2:10, the last of those with just 50 seconds left. But once again it was Gillespie answering the bell for the ‘Cats, this time hitting another huge 3 with just 29 seconds left.
“I was really just gonna read it and they both ended up going with Jermaine and I had the open shot, so I had to take it,” Gillespie said of his second huge basket of the final three minutes.
The ‘Cats got a stop on the ensuing possession and a pair of Gillespie free throws pushed the advantage back to seven with 20 seconds left. A Nate Watson free throw cut it to six, but a pair of free throws form Daniels restored the lead to eight with just seven seconds to go. A last second 3 from Providence ended the scoring, leaving the final margin at five.
Gillespie was incredible, finishing with a career-high 33 points, including 23 in the second half. He 10-17 overall and 5-8 from 3, adding four rebounds and two assists.
“I was just taking what they gave and what was open,” Gillespie said. “My teammates did a really good job of finding me in spots and Eric did a great job screening and getting me open.”
Justin Moore had 19 points and 10 rebounds while Brandon Slater had 13 points on perfect 5-5/1-1/2-2 shooting, adding four rebounds and three assists. Eric Dixon chipped in eight points, nine rebounds and three assists while posting a team-high +9. He did an outstanding job battling with Watson and the rest of Providence’s formidable frontcourt. Samuels was limited by foul trouble but still managed seven points, three rebounds and two steals. Daniels chipped in nine points, two rebounds and two steals.
The 3-point line was key for the ‘Cats on Tuesday night, as they shot 47.8% and outscored the Friars by 18 from beyond the arc. While the ‘Cats held their own inside, especially offensively, Providence was able to do damage inside offensively (outscoring ‘Nova 50-32 in the paint) so it was really the 3 that powered ‘Nova to the win. Providence earned 27 trips to the foul line, but ‘Nova was able to keep pace with 26 attempts, taking a one-point advantage.
It was an incredibly well-played game that was close throughout. Villanova’s biggest lead was eight and Providence’s biggest lead was one. The biggest scoring run of the evening was six. The fact that neither team had more than a three-possession lead all night is remarkable, as is the fact that Villanova led for 37:55 of such a close game.
The players credited togetherness for being able to navigate such a hostile environment and intense game.
“I think we just lean on each other,” Moore said. “Coming in and competing as hard as we can and playing for each other.”
“Togetherness, knowing that there’s gonna be ups and downs,” Gillespie added. “We just had to keep a great road attitude and stick together for 40 minutes.”
With the win, the ‘Cats notched their ninth 20-win season in the last ten years, with the only miss being the pandemic shortened season when they went 18-7. More importantly, the win gives the ‘Cats a top 10 win, another Quad 1 win and pulls them within one game of Providence in the loss column at the top of the Big East standings, greatly improving the chances of a regular season Big East title. The victory could also prove to be huge when it comes time for seeding for the NCAA tournament.
The ‘Cats will look to keep rolling on Saturday when they host Georgetown.
