Villanova Survives Shaky Defense at Providence; Askew Stars Off Bench

Villanova Men’s Basketball outlasted Providence 88-82 on Tuesday, Jan. 13, a 20-point, seven assist performance from sixth man Devin Askew powering the Wildcats to victory.

Villanova (14-3, 5-1 Big East) allowed the Friars to sink 55 percent of their shots, but they won 34-27 on the glass and forced 13 turnovers, allowing them to take just 56 shots; they averaged 65 per game at the start of play. Providence’s leading scorer Jason Edwards (17.2 points per game) was a late scratch, but Jaylin Sellers (24 points), Jamier Jones (23 points) and Stefan Vaaks (21 points) all stepped up in his absence.

While the Wildcats pushed their lead as high as 15 points, Providence’s hot shooting gave them little margin for error. Villanova’s bench starred early, with threes from Askew and Malachi Palmer helping to put the Wildcats ahead 20-12. Providence fought back to tie the game with an 11-3 run; Bryce Lindsay sank a three from 30 feet out to end the cold spell, sparking a highlight reel stretch from Villanova that saw a Tyler Perkins (15 points) triple and dunks from Duke Brennan and Braden Pierce.

The Friars’ best chance at overcoming their double digit deficit came midway through the second half, a Vaaks’ layup cutting the deficit to 63-58. Perkins responded with another three, this one on a feed from Acaden Lewis (eight assists) and the Wildcats managed to go blow for blow with Providence from there.

Up next, Villanova will host St. John’s at Xfinity Mobile Arena, with that game set to tip off at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17.