Nova Beats Providence 89-69

The Wildcats’ shooting stroke again abandoned them early in the game on Tuesday night, as they missed their first five shots and 13 of their first 15, quickly falling behind the Friars. About the only thing that went well for Villanova offensively in the first 10 minutes was the fact that they pinned two early fouls on Kyron Cartwright, which would prove to be impactful.

With nine minutes to go in the first half, Villanova had just 10 points and faced a nine-point deficit. However, with Cartwright on the bench, the Providence offense stagnated, bothered by Villanova pressure. That combined with the shots suddenly starting to fall sparked a big ‘Nova run. Over the final nine minutes of the half, the ‘Cats outscored Providence 29-11, flipping the nine-point deficit into a nine-point lead at the half. After a 4-17 start from the floor, ‘Nova knocked down 10 of its next 13 shots to finish the half at a respectable 47%.

Eric Paschall deserves a ton of credit here. He was incredibly active on the defensive end, getting blocks and steals, including one that he took coast to coast for an emphatic jam. He scored from inside and out, at one point scoring seven-straight points for Villanova. He finished the half with nine points, a rebound, two assists, two steals, and two blocks, playing a major role in the turnaround.

Fortunately for ‘Nova, the warming shooting touch remained in the second half, and by the time the final buzzer sounded the slow start was all but forgotten. The ‘Cats shot 53% in the second half, including 47% from three.

And 11-5 spurt from Providence to open the second half cut the deficit to three at 44-41, but that would be as close as the Friars would get. ‘Nova quickly built the lead back to double digits, and would continue to build it to the final margin of 20 as the Wildcats coasted to the victory.

Six Wildcats scored in double figures, led by Eric Paschall’s 17. Paschall was phenomenal, making plays all over the court. He shot 6-9 from the field, 2-3 from three, and 3-3 from the line. His shot selection was good, and he displayed a great blend of patience and aggressiveness. He also added five assists, four steals, three blocks and two rebounds, doing his best Mikal Bridges impression.

Omari Spellman had an effective game, scoring 16 points to go with six rebounds, two blocks and an assist. He didn’t have his three-point stroke, hitting just 1-4 from deep, but he was 7-12 overall and proved to be a force around the basket.

Jalen Brunson was again a specific victim of the slow start, hitting just one of his first seven attempts for the second game in a row. While he didn’t get quite as hot as he did against UConn, he did warm, and finished with 15 points. He added four assists and a rebound.

Mikal Bridges had a relatively quiet offensive night, scoring 11 points on 4-11 shooting. As is his M.O., he didn’t let that stop him from having a major impact on the game. He added nine rebounds, four assists and four steals.

Phil Booth had eight points, four rebounds and a steal.

Donte DiVincenzo again reached double-figures off the bench, scoring 11 points to go with four rebounds, four assists, and steal.

Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree had another solid outing, scoring 11 points on 5-7 shooting and grabbing four rebounds. Nova Nation has to like what it has seen out of Cosby-Roundtree as the season has progressed. He continues to look increasingly aggressive, looking to score as soon as he catches the ball. He has shown a knack for finding open space near the basket. And on one play in particular Tuesday night he showed impressive patience as he took a dribble to avoid a pair of shot blockers, position himself, and get an easy dunk. His awareness seems to be improving on a nightly basis.

Collin Gillespie grabbed a rebound in seven minutes as he continues to work his way back from his hand injury.

Despite the incredibly slow start and early cold shooting, the ‘Cats managed to shoot 50% for the game. ‘Nova had 18 assists and just seven turnovers. While the slow start is concerning, especially as it happened for the second-straight game, it’s not a reason to hit the panic button. Why? Because it was simply the result of cold shooting, which is going to happen from time to time, and because on both Saturday and Tuesday, the ‘Cats were able to find and maintain their usual shooting touch. The slow starts would be much more concerning if they were being caused by a lack of focus, intensity, or execution.

Defensively, ‘Nova was solid. Providence shot just 37% from the floor and 36% from three. There were no glaring defensive breakdowns. Villanova’s press was effective, and the ‘Cats were able to turn defense into offense, scoring 19 points off 14 Providence turnovers.

‘Nova had a rough night on the glass, getting outrebounded 44-33, but they were able to mitigate the consequences, managing to tie the Friars in second chance points at 22.

Villanova got virtually nothing out of its offense for the first 11 minutes of the game and still managed to score 89 points and earn a 20-point win. That’s a testament to the defense as well as to how good the offense is when it is clicking. We mentioned the benefit of Jay Wright’s offensive philosophy and the confidence that stems from it in the recap of the UConn game. For the second night in a row, that philosophy allowed the ‘Cats to calmly navigate disastrous shooting, that would sink a lot of teams, without ever trying to play outside themselves, force things, or play outside of the offense. Instead, they simply continue to rely on the defense, run the offense, and confidently take good shots until they start to fall.

‘Nova finds itself atop the Big East standings with a 6-1 conference record, a half game ahead of Xavier.

Next up the ‘Cats start a tough three-game stretch with a trip to Marquette on Sunday.