On Friday, Jan. 30, Villanova men’s basketball defeated Providence College 87-73, reigniting its win streak after a hard-fought battle against the No. 2 University of Connecticut last week.
The 14-point margin of victory doubles that of the team’s past meeting on Jan. 7, when Villanova (16-5, 7-3 Big East) beat the Friars (9-13, 2-9 Big East) by six points, 87-81. The result keeps Villanova and Providence ranked at third and eleventh in the Big East, respectively.
Graduate guard Devin Askew led the Wildcat offense with 20 points off the bench, marking the second time this season that Askew has put up 20 points against the Friars.
“We’re trying to get Dev to play off his strengths since he’s now back at full strength,” Villanova head coach Kevin Willard said. “He had a great week of practice. I think that was a big thing…that’s the way he played for the last three days.”
Four other Wildcats tallied points in the double digits, with junior guard Tyler Perkins scoring 19, freshman guard Acaden Lewis scoring 12, redshirt sophomore guard Bryce Lindsey scoring 11 and redshirt freshman forward Matt Hodge scoring 10.
Providence freshman guard Stephan Vaaks led the court offensively, scoring a game-high 25 points.
After going 0-for-4 on scoring attempts, Perkins opened the game’s score sheet, driving a layup delivered by a stolen pass from Lewis.
After the opening minutes of the game saw back-and-forth baskets between the Wildcats and the Friars, Villanova pulled away, finding success on fast breaks and precision around the key.
“We’re a really good transition team,” Perkins said. “We have a whole bunch of good shooters like Devin and Bryce, so we get out there and run when we have a good opportunity to score.”
Coming off the bench, Askew rallied the Wildcat offense, going four-for-five (80%) on three-pointers and scoring 17 points in the first half alone.
“I think he’s starting to realize how good a shooter and scorer he is,” Willard said. “How much pressure he can put on defenses, he can play off of that.”
Freshman guard Chris Jeffrey returned to the court for the first time since December after recovering from orthopedic knee surgery.
The first half concluded with Villanova holding a 45-28 lead.
Following halftime, the Wildcats struggled to finish offensive opportunities.
Vaaks mobilized a Friar effort, scoring nine points in the first five minutes of the second half to chip away at Villanova’s lead.
The Wildcats found their momentum again after Hodge delivered a defensive block, giving Perkins the opportunity to sink a three-pointer and sparking an 11-1 Wildcat scoring run over 2:22.
“We left him [Vaaks] twice to start the second half and gave them nine points to get right back into the game,” Willard said. “I thought we did a much better job of sitting down and defending.”
In the game’s remaining minutes, the Wildcats maintained control, ending the game 87-73.
The Wildcats are now scheduled to host Seton Hall University (6:30 p.m., FS1) on Wednesday, Feb. 4. Villanova leads the all-time series 37-12, and defeated Seton Hall, 64-56 in the first matchup earlier this season in December.
