The Wildcats got a huge road win over Providence, where they held the Friars to 23 points and shot 70% from three in the second half.
The margin for error grows even tighter as the regular season winds down and the race heats up for the last few spots of the NCAA Tournament.
Villanova is no stranger to adversity or tough circumstances, as it endured various highs and lows over the last two years.
Down by four at halftime in the hostile Amica Mutual Pavilion, the Villanova Wildcats responded with a big second-half effort on both sides of the ball to enjoy a marquee 71-60 win over Providence on Saturday afternoon.
“Just really proud of the way our guys came out,” Villanova coach Kyle Neptune said. “We weathered a bunch of storms from them. They threw a bunch of punches, made some shots and I thought they played well and had a great gameplan. Awesome atmosphere. Crowd put a lot of pressure on us, but these guys right here were really resilient, did everything we asked them to do and more. Really proud of our guys.”
The Wildcats emerged out of the halftime break and rattled off a game-changing 18-2 run to storm ahead.
“We really didn’t change anything schematically,” Neptune said. “We did what we do. We told our guys it’s going to take 40 minutes. We knew they’re a tough team, they made some timely shots and they have great players. We had to take some punches and go from there.”
After a back-and-forth first half, the Wildcats didn’t look back once they took control of the game.
“Just taking pride in defense and knowing that we have to get stops and rebounds so on offense we can play freely and just share the ball,” Villanova guard Justin Moore said.
The Wildcats clamped down in the second half and restricted the Friars to 23 second-half points and limited them to shooting 26.9% on the floor.
Providence only had one made shot in the final five minutes of the game and none in the last two minutes.
Whenever the Friars appeared to be building any momentum, the Wildcats made sure to have an answer to shut things down.
Providence had a late 7-0 run to trim the deficit down to 59-51, with 6:12 left in the game. A pair of Tyler Burton free throws, followed by a three-pointer, reextended the lead and dispelled the threat.
Villanova led by as much as 15, when Justin Moore drilled one of his many three-pointers midway through the second half.
Offensively, the Wildcats shot 56.5% overall and a blistering 7-of-10 (70.0%) from deep in the second half, with five different players connecting from beyond the arc.
Moore finished with a team-high 15 points, including a 4-of-6 clip from three-point range. He also had three rebounds and four steals. Eric Dixon chipped in 11 points and three rebounds. Mark Armstrong had 10 points, five assists and a game-high plus/minus rating of +19. Brendan Hausen was a weapon off the bench, drilling all three of his long-range attempts to finish with nine points.
For Providence, Josh Oduro had 16 points, nine rebounds, two blocks and a steal. Devin Carter had 13 points, nine rebounds and three steals. Ticket Gaines finished with 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting from deep.
Villanova improves to 17-12 overall and 10-8 in Big East play. The Wildcats have one last road game before returning home. They return to action on Wednesday at Seton Hall. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET
“We have multiple guys who have been through a lot in their careers, and we’ve been through a lot together as a unit, and I think it’s hardened us over this year,” Neptune said. “Our goal is always to be the best by the end, and I think we’re trending that way.”