National Basketball Association
Villanova 89, Providence 69
When: 6:30 PM ET, Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Officials:
# Doug Shows, # Earl Walton, # Mike Eades
Attendance:
8595
By Field Level Media
Eric Paschall scored 17 points, Omari Spellman added 16 and top-ranked Villanova overcame a sluggish start to defeat Providence 89-69 Tuesday at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
Jalen Brunson contributed 15 for the Wildcats (19-1, 6-1 Big East). Donte DiVincenzo, Mikal Bridges and Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree had 11 apiece, with Cosby-Roundtree setting a career high.
The Wildcats shot 50 percent (33 of 66) overall from the floor and 12 of 29 (41.4 percent) from 3-point territory.
Rodney Bullock led Providence (14-7, 5-3) with 16 points while Jalen Lindsey added 14. Kyron Cartwright and Alpha Diallo had 12 points each, but the Friars committed 14 costly turnovers.
The Friars fell to 2-15 all-time against the top-ranked team in the country. Their schedule doesn't get any easier with consecutive road games looming at Seton Hall and Marquette.
The Friars didn't let a nine-point halftime deficit deter them as they trailed only 44-41 with 15:03 remaining. Relentless rebounding and tough defense seemed to frustrate the Wildcats, and suddenly it was a one possession game.
Paschall came back for Villanova with a rare four-point play as he was fouled while hitting a 3-pointer. The free throw moved the lead back to 48-41.
Even though Providence failed to hit a field goal in a four-minute stretch, it still trailed just 52-44.
The Wildcats scored the next seven points with Spellman draining a deep 3-pointer for a 58-44 bulge.
Brunson's 3-pointer following an offensive rebound by DiVincenzo gave Villanova a 66-50 lead. Spellman then hit a nifty left-handed hook shot for a 68-50 advantage with 7:16 remaining.
DiVincenzo hit a trey for a 78-60 Villanova lead with 3:57 left and essentially sealed the victory.
Providence was aggressive from the opening tip and rolled to a 24-15 lead.
Villanova responded with an 8-0 run to pull within one. The Wildcats got red hot, converted nine straight shots and turned a 14-0 run into a 37-26 lead. DiVincenzo knocked down a short jumper for a 39-30 advantage heading into halftime.
The Wildcats recovered from missing 13 of their first 17 shots.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Providence |
|
Villanova |
|
Rodney Bullock 16 |
Scoring |
Eric Paschall 17 |
|
Kyron Cartwright 6 |
Assists |
Eric Paschall 5 |
|
Alpha Diallo 8 |
Rebounds |
Mikal Bridges 9 |
|
Rodney Bullock 4 |
Free Throws Made |
Phil Booth 3 |
|
Maliek White 1 |
Steals |
Mikal Bridges 4 |
|
Jalen Lindsey 2 |
Blocks |
Eric Paschall 3 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Providence
|
69 |
37.1 |
8-22 |
15-20 |
11 |
35 |
5 |
2 |
14 |
| Villanova
|
89 |
50.0 |
12-29 |
11-15 |
18 |
31 |
5 |
10 |
7 |
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