PC Beaten By Villanova, Big Comeback Fails, Friars Finish Regular Season 24-4

PC Beaten By Villanova, Big Comeback Fails, Friars Finish Regular Season 24-4

The Providence College men's basketball team was defeated by the  Villanova Wildcats, 76-74, on Tuesday at the Finneran Pavilion.

It was the second loss of the season to the Wildcats.

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The Friars finished the regular season with a 24-4 overall record and 14-3 mark in the Big East.

The Friars dug themselves a big first-half hole -- trailing 26-40 at half-time.

Junior Jared Bynum led the way for the Friars with a double-double, recording 19 points and a career-high 10 assists. Graduate student Noah Horchler and senior A.J. Reeves each finished with 15 points, as each made five three-pointers in the game. The Friars will enter the Big East Tournament as the No. 1 seed and will play on Thursday, March 10 at Noon at Madison Square Garden. 

 

GAME STORY

FIRST HALF:

- Reeves, Justin Minaya (Harrington Park, N.J.), and Horchler each knocked down a three-pointer on three consecutive possessions to start the game for the Friars. PC held an early 9-2 lead. 
- Villanova did not score for nearly three minutes after their first basket. At the 16:45 mark, Eric Dixon ended the drought with a three-ball from the top of the key for the Wildcats.
- At the 14:24 mark, Horchler knocked down his second three-pointer. Each of the Friars' first four baskets were from three-point territory. The Friars led by five points, 12-7.
- The Friars endured a four-minute scoring drought midway through the half. Meanwhile, the Wildcats took their first lead in several minutes, 13-12.
- With 11:05 left in the half, Nate Watson finished through contact in the paint to end the drought. 
- Following the 7:58 media timeout, Alyn Breed) connected on a three-pointer and Ed Croswell scored in the paint. The Friars regained the lead, 23-22.  
- With less than five minutes to play in the half, the game was knotted at 24. 
- Villanova went on a 16-2 scoring run to close out the half. Justin Moore beat the halftime buzzer for a three-pointer, extending the Wildcats' lead to 14 points. 
- The Friars failed to find a spark on offense in the final minutes of the half, missing eight of their final nine shots. PC finished the half with eight turnovers, while Villanova only had two.
- Villanova led 40-26 at halftime, which was the team's largest lead of the game. 
- Collin Gillespie was the driving force behind Villanova's offensive success and was the only player to reach double figures before halftime. 
- Providence shot 10-32 (31.3%) from the field, 5-19 (26.3%) from three, and 1-4 (25.0%) from the free-throw line. 
- Villanova shot 14-28 (50.0%) from the field, 4-13 (30.8%) from three, and 8-9 (88.9%) from the free-throw line.

 

SECOND HALF:

- Early in the second half, Horchler and Reeves set the tone with their long-range shooting. All of the Friars' first six baskets of the half were three-pointers, with three each from  Horchler and Reeves. The Friars began to chip away at the deficit, trailing 44-35.
- At the 13:55 mark, the Friars trailed by 10 points, 48-38. Over the next two minutes, the Friars went on a 10-0 scoring run to tie the game. 
- The Friars' run included the final two baskets of the three-point streak by Horchler and Reeves. Bynum capped off the run with back-to-back mid-range jumpers. 
- Shortly after, Minaya and Villanova's Collin Gillespie traded three-pointers. The game was level at 51.
- In the next stretch of the game, the Wildcats went on an 8-2 scoring run to take a six-point lead, 59-53.
- With just over four minutes remaining, the Friars cut the deficit to two points, as Reeves buried his fifth three-pointer of the game. PC trailed 62-60.
- Entering the final minute of the game, the Wildcats led by four points, 69-65.
- With 0:41 to play, the Friars forced a defensive stop. On the other end, Minaya knocked down a three-pointer on the fastbreak. PC narrowed the gap to one, 69-68.
- Eric Dixon extended the lead back to three from the free-throw line. Bynum quickly finished a layup. In the final minute, the Friars cut the deficit to one on multiple occasions. 
- With one second remaining, the Friars trailed by two. Eric Dixon intercepted the Friars' final inbounds pass to close out the game. 
- The Friars overcame a 14-point deficit in the second half, but fell short in the final minute of the game. 

 

HIGHLIGHTS:

- Providence finished 25-56 (44.6%) from the field, 15-32 (46.9%) from three, and 9-12 (75.0%) from the free-throw line.
- Villanova finished 23-57 (40.4%) from the field, 9-27 (33.3%) from three, and 21-25 (84.0%) from the free-throw line.
- There were eight lead changes in the game. 
- The Wildcats controlled the turnover differential, finishing with only five turnovers. The Friars finished with 16 turnovers in the game. 
- The Friars recorded more assists and rebounds than the Wildcats, by margins of 18-11 and 39-30, respectively. 
- Bynum had a career-high 10 assists. Horchler had a game-high seven rebounds. 
- Caleb Daniels led the way for the Wildcats, recording 20 points. 
- In their win over Creighton on February 26, the Friars won the Big East regular-season title for the first time ever. 
- The Friars have won 14 games in Big East play for the first time in program history. 
- The Friars have been ranked for 11 consecutive weeks after entering the polls on December 20, 2021. 

 

NEXT: GAME

The Friars will travel to New York, N.Y. for the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden. As the No. 1 seed, the Friars will play on Thursday, March 10 against the winner of Wednesday's No. 8/No. 9 game. Tip-off is set for Noon ET on FS1.