Late Free Throws Give Villanova 63-61 Win Over PC
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Late Free Throws Give Villanova 63-61 Win Over PC
See the five takeaways slideshow below
A Ben Bentil steal followed by a Kris Dunn layup tied the game 61-61with 12 seconds to play after the Friars had trailed by as much as 13 points in the second half.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTOn Villanova's final possession, Ryan Arcidiacono drove to the basket and missed the layup, however, the referee called a questionable foul on the play and gave Arcidiacono two foul shots and in turn gave Villanova the game.
LaDontae Henton had a decent look with about three seconds left but missed the shot and the Wildcats advance to the Big East Championship, beating Providence 63-61.
Kris Dunn led the Friars with 22 points, nine assists and seven rebounds while Ben Bentil recorded his second straight double-double with 12 points and ten rebounds.
Josh Hart led Villanova with 18 points while Daniel Ochefu poured in 15 and registered five blocks.
Providence will now await selection Sunday to see when, where and who they will be playing.
For a further look at the Providence loss, see the five takeaways slideshow below.
Five Takeaways From the Friars 63-61 Loss to Villanova
Jalen Lindsey
One positive for the Friars is that Jalen Lindsey had one of his best games of the season.
Lindsey netted nine points on 3-of-7 shooting from the field but 3-of-5 from three-point land.
Maybe this game will give Lindsey some confidence going forward.
Kris Dunn
Other than his four turnovers, Kris Dunn had a tremendous game for the Friars, almost single handedly keeping PC in the game.
Dunn poured in a game high 22 points on 9-of-19 shooting from the field, including 2-of-5 from three-point land.
Dunn also pulled down seven rebounds and dished out nine assists, just missing a triple-double.
If Kris Dunn is off to the NBA next season and this was his last Big East tournament, he certainly put on a show.
Hopefully he can take his show to the NCAA tournament next week.
LaDontae Henton
LaDontae Henton netted nine points on 2-of-9 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 from the free throw line in 39 minutes of play.
This is the second time in three games in which Henton has not reached double figures in scoring and really hasn't been much of a factor. In each of the two games, Henton has only made two shots.
This is a concern as the NCAA tournament approaches as Providence needs him to score. It seems that LaDontae Henton has struggled to get himself open against better teams.
That's a scary thought. Henton along with coach Cooley need to figure out a way to get him open.
Final play
On Villanova's final possession, Ryan Arcidiacono drove to the basket and missed the layup, however, the referee called a questionable foul on the play and gave Arcidiacono two foul shots and in turn gave Villanova the game.
"It was a 50/50 call. It just didn't go our way," Friars head coach Ed Cooley said after the game.
It was a questionable call at best and it's too bad the game had to end that way. Providence made a great push to get back in the game and eventually tie it up.
it was going to be a fun overtime period but, oh well.
The good news
Despite the heartbreaking loss, the good news is that the Friars still have basketball left to play and it will happen in the NCAA tournament.
As of March 13, ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi has the Friars as a #6 seed and playing the winner of the play in game between Temple and Texas in Pittsburgh.
This loss to Villanova won't hurt them however depending on what happens in the rest of the Big East tournament and other tournaments as far as upsets and such, it's possible PC could drop a spot.
We will have to wait and see but either way, basketball season will continue.
