Villanova downs Providence with late burst
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Villanova coach Jay Wright likes to emphasize defense with his team, and on Wednesday night, before a roaring sellout crowd smelling an upset at the Dunkin' Donuts Center, it was easy to see why.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Villanova coach Jay Wright likes to emphasize defense with his team, and on Wednesday night, before a roaring sellout crowd smelling an upset at the Dunkin' Donuts Center, it was easy to see why.
The fourth-ranked Wildcats went cold offensively in the last six minutes against Providence but turned up the screws on defense and rode a big finish by Jalen Brunson to take a 66-57 victory over the Friars in a Big East Conference matchup before 12,463.
Villanova (21-2, 8-2 Big East), which won here for the fourth consecutive season, had just one field goal in the last 5 minutes, 55 seconds. It coughed up almost all of a 13-point second-half lead and went scoreless for a stretch of 4 minutes, 18 seconds.
The Friars (14-10, 4-7) ran off nine straight points and reduced the deficit to two, 59-57, on a three-point basket by Alpha Diallo with 2:12 remaining, but that would end the scoring for Providence. Brunson scored the last seven points to post 21 on the night, and came up with a key steal and subsequent three-point play to seal the victory.
"He is the true definition of gamer, except that he practices really hard, too," Wright said. "We don't really like that term in our program. But I don't mind using it with him because he brings it every day in practice. What you see out there is what we see every day.
"He knows the scouting report. He's getting steals because he knows what they're doing. He's really high IQ. We would have been in trouble without him. He was awesome tonight."
It was an odd game for Villanova offensively. The Wildcats came out hot in the first 10 minutes of each half - 9 of 14 in the first and 10 of 15 in the second. But they finished each half poorly - for 14, 3 of 13 - and were on the ropes late.
"Obviously you have to give Providence credit for switching defenses up," said Josh Hart, who scored 17 points but shot 2 of 9 in the second half. "We just have to play for a full 40 minutes. We have to get in the lane, get each other shots, turn down good shots for better shots, and we didn't do that for a full 40 minutes."
Kris Jenkins continued to struggle, going 2 for 12 (2 of 9 from three) Wednesday night. In his last three games, he is shooting 13.8 percent (4 of 29) overall and 17.4 percent (4 of 23) from deep.
The Wildcats used a 7-0 run to take their largest lead, 55-42, with 10:08 to play, and still led, 59-48, on Eric Paschall's dunk with 5:56 remaining. But they missed their next five shots as Providence gradually trimmed the deficit.
Brunson made both ends of a one-and-one with 1:38 left but was called for traveling - his seventh turnover of the game - on the next possession. He retreated on defense, stole the ball from Rodney Bullock, went in for a layup, was fouled and finished the three-point play for a 64-57 lead with 39.9 seconds left. His two free throws ended the scoring.
"After the turnover," Brunson said, "I just thought 'Next play,' just kind of have short-term memory and focus on the next play. That's what Coach preaches every day."
The Wildcats held the Friars to 39.6 percent shooting and only four three-point baskets. Providence had drilled 13 threes in its loss to 'Nova at the Wells Fargo Center on Jan. 21.
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