Justin Moore’s return not enough as Villanova falls to No. 23 Providence

Three-hundred nine days after suffering a torn right Achilles and 307 days after undergoing surgery to repair that tendon, Justin Moore returned to the court for Villanova on Sunday and provided a much-needed spark.

For a while, it looked like it would pay off in a signature Villanova win over No. 23 Providence.

Instead, two Big 5 transfers spoiled Moore’s return as the Friars got hot in the second half and held on for a 70-65 victory at the Wells Fargo Center.

The loss dropped Villanova to 10-11 and 4-6 in Big East play.

Villanova’s Cam Whitmore led all scorers with 21 points. He made four three-pointers in eight attempts and added nine rebounds. Eric Dixon scored 14 points. Brandon Slater and Caleb Daniels added 10 apiece. Moore finished with five points on 2-for-8 shooting (0-for-4 from three-point range). He added four assists and four rebounds.

Jared Bynum, a St. Joseph’s transfer, led Providence with 19 points (7-for-8 shooting), 17 in the second half. Ed Croswell, a Philadelphia native and La Salle transfer, made 7 of 9 shots for 14 points. Bryce Hopkins added 13 for the Friars (17-5, 9-2).

Whitmore hit his biggest shot of the game, a three-pointer from the left wing, with 1 minute, 33 seconds left to cut a four-point Providence lead to one.

The Wildcats then got a huge stop, and had the ball with less than a minute to go. But Moore’s drive to the rim wouldn’t go. Bynum then connected on the dagger, a tough turnaround shot in the paint to put Providence back up by three.

Down at the other end, Villanova turned the ball over and never scored again.

The Friars went nearly 30 minutes without making a three and trailed, 49-42, before Bynum provided a spark. He hit a three-pointer on consecutive possessions and then scored on a floater to cap an 8-0 run that gave Providence a 50-49 lead with nine minutes to go.

That was part of a stretch in which Providence scored baskets on six consecutive possessions. Providence missed its first 11 three-point attempts on the day and then connected on six of its next seven.

Bynum later hit a critical corner three off of a scramble that turned a one-point lead into a four-point advantage with less than five minutes to play. He scored 17 points in the final 10:30.

“He’s just a tough player,” Villanova coach Kyle Neptune said. “He makes really tough shots. You can be there and you can be in him and he just makes a really good play.

“They’re a good team. They’re not going to just lay down for you. You have to go out and execute and get stops. Unfortunately, they were able to make some tough shots.”

» READ MORE: Hard lessons for Cam Whitmore in what might be his lone season at Villanova

How often does Villanova get nine players on the floor inside the first 10 minutes? It happened Sunday.

Neptune was active sending people to and from the scorer’s table early. Villanova made 22 substitutions in the first half.

Moore’s return is a lot more than just adding a second-team All-Big East player who can score and defend. It unlocks a lot of different lineup possibilities, and Neptune made sure he got a good look at them Sunday.

Moore had his moments. During one play in the first half, he grabbed a rebound and drove all the way down for a basket at the other end. He said he felt naturally rusty, but it was obvious at times what Villanova can be with him back.

“It was great to be out there with my teammates,” he said. “They were excited, I was excited.”

No one seemed to benefit more than Whitmore, who had a lot of space on offense.

“He can get everybody in their spots and move the ball,” Whitmore said of Moore. “He’s the guy that just brings everyone together. He’s like the glue to the team, to be honest.”

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The rotations are without accounting for sophomore forward Jordan Longino, who remains out with a left hamstring injury. He’s unlikely to return to the lineup until at least the second week of February.

Villanova has a critical road trip this week. The Wildcats play at No. 16 Marquette on Wednesday night and then at Creighton on Saturday. The Bluejays beat No. 13 Xavier on Saturday in Omaha, Neb.