Villanova Beats Providence Despite Long Scoring Drought

Follow CBSPHILLY Facebook  | Twitter

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Phil Booth scored 23 points, including Villanova's only five points in the final 8 ½ minutes, and the Wildcats held off Providence 65-59 on Saturday.

Villanova took a 60-40 lead on a jumper by Cole Swider with 8:43 remaining in the second half before Providence went on a 16-0 run over the next seven minutes. Villanova missed its next six shots and committed seven turnovers and the Friars closed to within 60-56 on a 3-point play by Alpha Diallo with 1:27 remaining.

Flames Hand Flyers 5th Straight Loss 

Booth finally stopped Villanova's scoring drought, making a layup and free throw for a 63-56 lead at 1:06. Mak Ashton-Langford hit a deep 3-pointer for Providence for a 63-59 score with 57 seconds to go. Ashton-Langford blocked a layup attempt by Booth and Providence had possession with 24 seconds left. But the Friars could not find a shot and were forced to call timeout with seven seconds remaining. Isaiah Jackson missed a deep 3-pointer after the timeout and Booth rebounded, was fouled and made both free throws for the final margin.

Booth added seven rebounds and four assists for Villanova (11-4, 2-0 Big East). Eric Paschall had 13 points and 14 rebounds.

Ashton-Langford led Providence (10-5, 0-2) with 20 points. He made all four of his 3-pointers. Jackson scored 11 points and Diallo added 10.

(©Copyright 2018 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

 

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.