#8 Providence Drops Highly Anticipated Game With #10 Villanova

The No. 8/9 Providence College men’s basketball team was defeated by the No. 10/10 Villanova Wildcats, 89-84, in the Pink Out Game on Tuesday, February 15 at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, R.I. The Friars fell to 21-3 overall and 11-2 in BIG EAST play. Graduate student Nate Watson (Portsmouth, Va.) led the way for the Friars with 20 points. Junior Jared Bynum (Largo, Md.) added 18 points. It marked the Friars’ first loss of the season as they fell to 14-1 at home.

FIRST HALF:

Villanova’s Justin Moore opened the game with a three-point basket. A.J. Reeves (Roxbury, Mass.) got in the scoring column first for the Friars.
The Wildcats made each of their first four shots to start the game. Meanwhile, Watson established his paint presence early for the Friars.
The Wildcats took the early lead, 13-6. The Friars responded with a 6-0 scoring run, capped off by a second-chance layup by Justin Minaya (Harrington Park, N.J.).
Villanova’s Justin Moore quickly notched double figures, recording a total of 18 points in the first half.
At the 9:24 mark, Reeves knocked down the Friars’ first three-pointer of the game. PC had missed their previous five shots from beyond the arc. Villanova held the lead, 20-19.
At the 7:28 mark, Bynum forced a turnover, leading to a tip-in layup by Ed Croswell (Philadelphia, Pa.). The Friars took their first lead, 25-24.
With the Friars trailing by two, Noah Horchler (Melbourne Beach, Fla.) drained a three ball from the left corner to regain the lead. PC led 30-29.
Each team had success on offense in the final stretch of the half. Bynum was the main contributor for the Friars, while Collin Gillespie brought a spark for the Wildcats.
The Wildcats extended their lead to six ahead of the final minute of the half.
Villanova led at halftime, 46-39.
Providence shot 14-32 (43.8%) from the field, 3-12 (25.0%) from three, and 8-11 (72.7%) from the free throw line.
Villanova shot 17-32 (53.1%) from the field, 7-14 (50.0%) from three, and 5-5 (100%) from the free throw line.
SECOND HALF:

Watson played a crucial role on each end of the floor to start the second half, forcing back-to-back defensive stops and scoring in the paint on each ensuing possession.
Villanova’s Collin Gillespie and Reeves traded three-pointers early in the half. Reeves scored on four consecutive possessions as the Friars started the half 5-5 from the field.
At the 13:30 mark, Reeves made a floater off the glass, ending a scoring drought of over two minutes. The Friars cut the deficit to two, as the Wildcats led 58-56.
At the 11:47 media timeout, Villanova held a five-point lead, 63-58.
With 10:24 to play, Bynum fought his way to the basket for a tough layup. Shortly after, Al Durham (Lilburn, Ga.) made a contested reverse layup. An 8-1 Friars run had knotted the game at 64.
At the 7:45 mark, Croswell battled for the offensive rebound off a missed free throw and finished a heavily contested shot in the paint. The Friars trailed 69-66.
Villanova went on a 9-2 scoring run to extend their lead to seven before the final stretch.
Ahead of the final media timeout, Durham completed an and-one opportunity and finished again in the paint on the next possession. PC continued to fight, trailing 75-72.
With just over three minutes remaining, Villanova’s Collin Gillespie drained his fourth three-pointer. The Wildcats’ lead increased to five, 78-73.
Watson drew the foul and completed the three-point play with 1:43 to play. The Wildcats held a slim lead, 78-76.
Durham fought to the basket to cut the deficit to two, but Collin Gillespie answered with a dagger three for the Wildcats. With 0:28 left, PC trailed by five once again.
NOTES/HIGHLIGHTS:

Providence finished 30-62 (48.4%) from the field, 5-23 (21.7%) from three, and 19-27 (70.4%) from the free throw line.
Villanova finished 29-57 (50.9%) from the field, 11-23 (47.8%) from three, and 20-26 (76.9%) from the free throw line.
Four players finished in double figures for the Friars, in Watson (20), Bynum (18), Reeves (16), and Durham (13).
The Friars outscored the Wildcats in bench points by a clip of 26-9.
Horchler and Croswell each finished with a team-high seven rebounds.
Collin Gillespie was the driving force for the Wildcats, recording 33 points.
Villanova’s Justin Moore finished with a double-double, 19 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
Tonight marked the second all-time top-10 matchup at the Dunk’.
The Friars have been ranked for nine consecutive weeks after entering the polls on December 20, 2021.
Attendance – 12,636
WHAT’S NEXT:

The No. 8/9 Friars travel to take on the Butler Bulldogs on Sunday, February 20 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m. on FS1.
The Friars hold a 14-5 all-time edge against Butler. In their most recent matchup, the Friars earned a home win over the Bulldogs, 69-62, on January 20.