Villanova folds late again, loses at Providence

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The turnovers and the fouls mounted with each minute Saturday for Villanova, which had problems dealing with both Providence's frantic arm-waving press and its unrelenting drives to the basket.

In the end, a season-high 25 turnovers and 32 personal fouls proved to be far too many for the Wildcats in their 69-66 Big East loss to the Friars at the Dunkin' Donuts Center, their third straight defeat.

The Wildcats (11-7, 2-3 Big East), who were outscored 15-0 in the final 51/2 minutes Wednesday night against Pittsburgh, suffered another late bad spell Saturday. The Friars (10-8, 2-4) went on a 17-5 run over 41/2 minutes to turn a four-point deficit into an eight-point lead in the final minute.

The Friars scored 30 points - 20 in the second half - off Villanova turnovers and shot 29 of 48 from the free-throw line.

"We've got to play smarter," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "I do think we're going to get there. But win or lose this game, I would have been disappointed in the way we handled their pressure, the way we handled the ball. Twenty-five turnovers is just unheard of. So it just speaks to our having to get better at taking care of the basketball."

Despite foul trouble for starters Mouphtaou Yarou, James Bell and Ryan Arcidiacono, Villanova led by as many as 12 and held a 31-24 advantage at halftime. But the Friars then dialed up the defensive pressure and gave 'Nova fits inbounding the ball and bringing it upcourt.

The Wildcats led 52-48 after JayVaughn Pinkston, who had a team-high 20 points, hit a driving shot in the lane with 5 minutes, 56 seconds to play. The Friars then scored the game's next six points.

After 'Nova's Daniel Ochefu tied the game with a basket, Providence took the lead for good on baskets by Vincent Council and Sidiki Johnson. The Friars' lead gradually grew to eight points twice, the final time at 67-59 on two free throws by Kris Dunn with 36 seconds to play.

The Wildcats had one last gasp after Bell sank a three-pointer and Dunn received a technical foul for pushing Arcidiacono to the floor. Arcidiacono hit both free throws to make it 67-64, but Darrun Hilliard missed a three-point attempt on the ensuing possession.

The Wildcats again struggled on the boards, going without an offensive rebound in the first half and getting beaten overall by 41-35. Yarou, who played 13 foul-plagued minutes, grabbed just one rebound and did not score.