Nova Beats Providence
File Photo. (David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports).
"We were playing off our defense," stated Wright. "We were getting confidence from getting stops defensively. We kept grinding."
Article by Dave Nguyen, AKSM Sports
VILLANOVA, PA - Despite both a poor shooting performance and a nine-point deficit in the first half, the third ranked Villanova Wildcats were able to respond in the second half by scoring 47 points in its victory over the Providence Friars. The win puts the Wildcats at a 10-1 record and undefeated in Big East play (5-0).
The senior leadership of Collin Gillespie and Jermaine Samuels helped Villanova in the win, as Gillespie finished with 15 points while Samuels had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore guard Justin Moore played well also, tying the point total of Gillespie with 15.
The first half was an offensive struggle for both teams, especially for Villanova, who found itself down 20-11 with six and a half minutes to play in the first half. The Friars built its lead at that point with an 11-0 run led by forward Jimmy Nichols Jr and guard David Duke. In the first 16 minutes of play the Wildcats connected on 5-of-23 shots from the field, including two made triples on 11 attempts from beyond the arc. Additionally, the Wildcats couldn't take care of the basketball, turning it over seven times in that same span. However, Villanova was able to make a run in the final four minutes of the first half as Gillespie's leadership shined by hitting a three at the buzzer to cut the Friars' lead to three at 27-24 after 20 minutes of play. The 24 points are the fewest points scored in the first half by Jay Wright's team this season.
"I thought those two plays at the end of the first half were important," said Wright. "We made a mistake and fouled a three-point shooter. But to be able to come back, have Justin (Moore) find Collin (Gillespie), who made the shot, was big. We were fortunate to just be down by three."
In the opening four minutes of the second half, the Wildcats offense got into a groove and clawed its way back to tie the game at 33. Villanova would take its first lead of the game on a traditional three-point-play by Jermaine Samuels and added three more from Cole Swider to take a 39-33 advantage with 14 minutes left in the second stanza. Yet, Providence would fight back on a 5-0 spurt in roughly 60 seconds, as baskets by Nichols Jr and AJ Reeves cut Villanova's deficit to one. The key to holding an early lead in the second half was the Wildcat defense.
"We were playing off our defense," stated Wright. "We were getting confidence from getting stops defensively. We kept grinding."
After the Friars cut the lead to one, Villanova went on a traditional scoring run that every Wildcat fan has seen for the past four years, and Jay Wright's squad never looked back. Within the span of five minutes, Villanova went on a 15-2 run to put the game away. During the run, as Villanova held a 54-42 advantage, six of the 15 points came from the charity stripe, while the other nine came from field goals, each of them off an assist, showing the TV audience that making the extra pass was a successful formula to put the ball in the basket. More importantly, Villanova's defense was the difference maker in the entire contest, as it held the Friars to shoot 38.5% from the field while forcing 19 turnovers, and had 17 points off of them. Additionally, Villanova won the second-chance points margin 20-7 and a plus-four advantage on the glass.
"That was a good step for us against an outstanding defensive team," said Wright about his team's overall performance. "They always give us trouble. In the first half, we couldn't score. I was pleased with our patience in not getting frustrated. We continued to play good defense of our own."
With the UCONN game postponed again, the Wildcats will take a road trip to the Prudential Center to take on Seton Hall. The action tips off at 3:30 PM ET on Fox.