Providence Drops Resume Building Opportunity Against Villanova

The Providence College men’s basketball team was defeated by the Villanova Wildcats (17-12, 10-8 BIG EAST), 71-60, on Saturday, March 2 at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, R.I. The Friars fell to 18-11 overall and 9-9 in BIG EAST play. Graduate student Josh Oduro (Gainesville, Va.) led the way for the Friars with 16 points and nine rebounds. Junior Devin Carter (Miami, Fla.) finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. Oduro and Carter each hauled in a game-high nine rebounds.

“We still control our own destiny and have two great opportunities in front of us,” Head Coach Kim English said. “It starts at Georgetown on Tuesday night and UConn at home on Saturday.”

FIRST HALF:

Ticket Gaines (Buffalo, N.Y.) buried a three-pointer from the right corner to put the Friars on the board first.
The Friars’ first four field goals were all three-pointers, with two from Gaines and one each from Rich Barron (Chicago, Ill.) and Jayden Pierre (Elizabeth, N.J.).
PC did not attempt a two-point field goal until the 13:28 mark. A layup by Oduro gave the Friars a 14-11 lead.
Midway through the half, Villanova went on a 9-2 surge to take the lead, 26-21.
The Friars responded emphatically with a 14-2 run. At the 3:21 mark, Devin Carter capped off the run with a deep triple. The Friars had made six of their last eight shots and held a 35-30 lead.
The Friars held Villanova scoreless for the final two minutes of the half. Providence led 37-34 at halftime.
Providence shot 14-26 (53.8%) from the field, 7-17 (41.2%) from three, and 2-2 (100%) from the free-throw line.
Villanova shot 12-26 (46.2%) from the field, 6-13 (46.2%) from three, and 4-5 (80.0%) from the free-throw line.
SECOND HALF:

Villanova caught fire to start the second half, streaking ahead with an 18-2 run. The Wildcats held the Friars scoreless for the first five minutes of action. Villanova gained a double-digit advantage, 52-39.
The Friars opened the half 2-14 from the field. Meanwhile, the Wildcats found a rhythm from three-point territory, shooting 5-7 from beyond the arc to start the half.
The Friars went on a 7-0 run to narrow the gap back to single digits. With six minutes remaining, PC trailed 59-51.
With 2:19 left to play, Dual knocked down a triple to cut the deficit to six. Justin Moore answered with a three-pointer of his own on the ensuing possession. Villanova led 69-60.
The Friars made only seven shots in the second half. Villanova made seven three-point baskets.
NOTES/HIGHLIGHTS:

Providence finished 21-52 (40.4%) from the field, 10-30 (33.3%) from three and 8-10 (80.0%) from the free throw line.
Villanova finished 25-49 (51.0%) from the field, 13-23 (56.5%) from three and 8-9 (88.9%) from the free throw line.
Three players finished in double figures for the Friars: Oduro (16), Carter (13), and Gaines (11).
The rebound battle was even, with each team pulling down 27 boards.
Justin Moore led the way for the Wildcats with 15 points, shooting a 4-6 clip from three-point range.
Today’s loss marked the first time this season the Friars have lost after leading at halftime (13-0 prior to the game).
The Friars have posted a 43-72 mark all-time versus the Wildcats. Villanova swept the season series this year.
Attendance: 12,525
WHAT’S NEXT:

The Friars will play their final regular season road game on Tuesday, March 5 against the Georgetown Hoyas at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. on FS1.
The Hoyas hold a 45-37 all-time series advantage over the Friars. In the first meeting this season, the Friars defeated Georgetown at home, 84-76, on Jan. 26, 2024.