Eric Dixon scored 23 points to lift host Villanova to a 75-73 victory over Providence on Friday.
Jhamir Brickus contributed 18 points and Wooga Poplar chipped in 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Wildcats (12-7, 5-3 Big East). Jordan Longino notched 13 points for Villanova, while Tyler Perkins had a key bucket in the final minute.
Bensley Joseph scored 20 points to pace the Friars (9-10, 3-5), who also received strong contributions from Corey Floyd Jr. (18 points) and Justyn Fernandez (17).
The game was tied until Perkins caught an airball by Dixon and put it in at the shot-clock buzzer, giving Villanova a 73-71 lead with 42.7 seconds left. Poplar and Dixon each went 1 of 2 from the line down the stretch, giving life to Providence, which had several chances to tie or take the lead.
With the Friars down by two, Providence’s Jayden Pierre was whistled for dribbling the ball out of bounds with 4.5 seconds left. However, the play was reviewed and officials determined that Pierre never actually stepped out of bounds.
The Friars then threw away the ensuing inbounds pass, but Perkins stepped out of bounds, giving the ball back to Providence with 2.7 seconds left. Jabri Abdur-Rahim misfired on a contested jumper from the corner, and Villanova held on to snap a two-game skid.
Providence lost for the sixth time in eight games.
The game got off to a slow start with the Wildcats leading 5-4 after nearly 7 1/2 minutes. Both teams missed their first five shots from the floor, and Villanova started 3-for-13 while Providence opened the game 2-for-14.
The Wildcats grabbed a 23-14 lead with 6 1/2 minutes to go in the first half, but the Friars responded with three consecutive 3-pointers — two by Floyd and one by Joseph — to draw even.
That trio of triples ignited a 23-9 run by the visitors, who went on to lead 37-32 at the half.
Villanova scored the first 10 points after intermission to set the stage for an exciting final 20 minutes.
–Field Level Media
