Despite a valiant effort, Villanova suffered a disappointing loss to Providence Saturday afternoon in what turned out to be an incredibly frustrating showing.

The first half offense was a complete mess. Villanova started 1-of-8 from the field, 0-of-6 from three, and finished the half a dismal 2-of-9 from the foul line. The Wildcats scored one point over the first 7:03 and trailed 10-1.

The ‘Cats showed a bit of life by ripping off a 14-4 run to take a 15-14 lead, but Providence came right back with a 9-0 push of its own to regain its advantage. The offense disappeared again, and the Friars would extend that run to 16-3 to close the half, taking a 30-18 lead into the break.

Villanova shot 28 percent from the floor, 15.4 percent from three, and 22.2 percent from the charity stripe while Providence went 44 percent/57.1 percent/57.1 percent. The perimeter defense was disappointing and the ‘Cats found themselves in the rare position of losing the three-point battle. They also committed five turnovers and got outrebounded 22-15. It was arguably the worst half Villanova has played all season, and the ‘Cats left themselves with plenty of work to do in the second half.

The second half brought much of the same. The defense was better, but Villanova trailed by double figures for much of the second half. Showing the toughness we’ve seen from them all season, the Wildcats stayed engaged and started to make their move, clawing to within five with 5:30 to go. They would get within two with 1:56 to play, but big plays from Luwane Pipkins prevented them from getting over the hump, ultimately falling 58-54.

The early offensive struggles were simply too much to overcome. ‘Nova finished the game shooting 35.1 percent from the field, 16.7 percent from three, and a brutal 50 percent from the free-throw line. Ultimately, there are three things that stick out that make this loss particularly frustrating.

First, an egregious flop by Pipkins with 48 seconds to go. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl executed a perfect trap late in the shot clock that Pipkins never saw coming. With nowhere to go and the clock ticking down, Pipkins flailed wildly and fell down, and the officials rewarded the Oscar-worthy performance with a call, sending Pipkins to the line. He knocked down both, and instead of trailing by three with the ball, ‘Nova was now down five. Now, it’s necessary to point out that Villanova shouldn’t have put itself in a position to be affected by a poor call, but that doesn’t take away the frustration of the fact that JRE was punished instead of rewarded for making an excellent play, that Pipkins was rewarded for flopping, or that the call essentially ended Villanova’s comeback bid.

Second, outside of the poor shooting Villanova did what it needed to do to win the game. The Wildcats held their own on the glass, losing by just one 38-37, and limited Providence to seven offensive rebounds while grabbing 10 of their own. They also won the turnover battle, committing 12 while forcing 15, and kept the pace of the game where they wanted it. If you would have told me those numbers before the game and that Providence only scored 58 points, I would have been almost certain Villanova would win.

Finally, the free-throw shooting. Villanova was 9-18 from the line. If they shoot their season percentage, they probably win the game.

As ugly as the game was, there are some positives to take away. ‘Nova battled back from multiple double-digit deficits, and despite the atrocious shooting had a chance to win the game. The ‘Cats didn’t let the offensive struggles take them out of the game mentally and they continued to show the effort and toughness we’ve seen from them all season.

The hopes of an outright Big East regular-season title are all but over, as ‘Nova would need a ton of help from the likes of St. John’s and Georgetown for that to happen. The ‘Cats would need to win their final two Big East games, while also hoping Marquette beats Seton Hall Saturday afternoon and that Creighton somehow loses to St. John’s and Georgetown before beating Seton Hall in the final game of the regular season. It’s unlikely that all of that aligns.

All in all, a frustrating day for the Wildcats between the poor shooting, the struggles at the free-throw line, and the failed comeback attempt. The ‘Cats will look to get back on track and start building some momentum into tournament time on Wednesday when they head to Seton Hall.