Villanova Men's Basketball
Villanova Survives Late Game Woes, Drops Providence 75-73

Villanova snapped a two game losing skid on Friday, Jan. 17, outlasting the Providence Friars 75-73 at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center.
Even against a heavily depleted Friars’ squad, Villanova (12-7, 5-3 Big East) struggled to pull away in a game that saw 10 ties and 13 lead changes. Just as in recent losses to St. John’s and Xavier, the outcome hung in the balance late… but this time, Villanova managed to survive. A Jhamir Brickus three gave Villanova a five point lead with 2:30 to play… and barely a minute later, Providence roared back to tie it 71-71 with a Justyn Fernandez triple.
That prompted a timeout from Wildcats’ head coach Kyle Neptune and, although Eric Dixon missed his next two shots, a pair of offensive rebounds — the second a putback from sophomore guard Tyler Perkins — put Villanova back in front.
In uncharacteristic fashion, both Wooga Poplar and Dixon missed one of their two free-throw attempts, but the Wildcats still managed to close things out.
Wildcats’ Ups and Downs
Neither team could buy a bucket to open the game, with Fernandez starting the scoring more than three minutes in.
Villanova found their footing after the nine minute mark, taking a 23-14 lead with just over six minutes to play in the first half thanks to an 8-0 run. From there, Providence went into the break on a 7-for-7 run from beyond the arc, surging ahead 37-29 before a late Dixon triple cut the deficit to five.
Villanova began the second half on a 10-0 run but again couldn’t land the knockout blow. Providence took the lead on three separate occasions, including with 7:45 to go, but Jordan Longino immediately tied things back up before a Poplar slam put the Wildcats back in front. While the Friars managed to force two more ties, Villanova never trailed again.
Up next for the Wildcats is a home date with Georgetown starting at 6 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 20.