Caleb Daniels scored 20 points, including four free throws in the final 9.6 seconds, and host Villanova defeated No. 9 Providence 76-74 on Tuesday.
Eric Dixon added 15 points, Collin Gillespie contributed 14 and Justin Moore had 13 for the No. 11 Wildcats (22-7, 15-4 Big East), who improved to 12-1 at home.
Jared Bynum led the Friars (24-4, 14-3) with 19 points, 10 assists and six rebounds while Noah Horchler and A.J. Reeves added 15 points apiece. Justin Minaya had 11.
Despite the loss and a season sweep against Villanova, Providence had already clinched the Big East regular-season title for the first time in program history. The Friars will be the top seed in the conference tournament.
Villanova held a 65-60 lead after Moore’s 3-pointer with 3:52 to go. Bynum came right back with a trey on Providence’s next trip.
Daniels scored and Gillespie added one of two free throws for a 68-63 advantage with 2:27 remaining.
When Minaya converted a 3-pointer with 32 seconds left, the Friars trailed 69-68. After two Dixon free throws, Bynum’s layup cut it to 71-70, leading to strategic fouls the rest of the way.
Bynum drove to the basket and hit a difficult layup for a 16-15 Providence lead with 10:20 remaining in the first half.
Deep reserve Jordan Longino dropped in a 15-foot jumper from the wing and the Wildcats regained a 24-23 advantage with 5:21 to go.
Villanova moved out to a 31-24 lead when Gillespie made a turnaround trey with 2:43 left.
The Wildcats led 40-26 at halftime thanks in large part to Gillespie’s 10 points. Moore propelled them to a 14-point advantage with a 3-pointer before the buzzer.
Horchler paced the Friars with six points on a pair of 3-pointers.
Providence opened the second half with a 6-0 spurt to close within eight. But Dixon worked his way free in the lane and threw down a dunk for a 42-32 lead.
Horchler knocked down a 3-pointer with 14:19 left and Providence got within 46-38.
Reeves soon hit a trey, Horchler followed with his fifth 3-pointer and the Friars trailed by only four. Bynum hit consecutive baskets to tie the game 48-all with 11:37 left, capping a 10-0 run.
–Field Level Media
