By KYLE HIGHTOWER
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Providence will need to play its best basketball of the season down the stretch if its hopes to earn its fifth straight NCAA tournament bid.
The Friars just took a big step toward that goal.
Kyron Cartwright scored 17 points and the Friars withstood several late surges to stun third-ranked Villanova 76-71 on Wednesday night.
Rodney Bullock and Alpha Diallo each added 14 points for the Friars (17-9, 8-5 Big East), who snapped a five-game losing streak to the Wildcats.
It was Providence’s first win over Villanova since Jan. 24, 2016. With the victory the Friars greatly improved their at-large resume for the NCAA tournament. They moved into a tie for third-place in the Big East with Creighton, who they split with this season.
Coming off an 80-63 loss to DePaul, Diallo said this victory gives the Friars’ locker room a needed jolt.
“I think this was a big game for us confidence-wise,” he said. “It’s not every day you basically have the No. 1 team coming into your building.”
Mikal Bridges had 19 points for Villanova, but fouled out with 1:12 to play in the game. Jalen Brunson added 14 points.
Villanova (23-3, 10-3) pulled within 59-54 on a pair of free throws by Omari Spellman with 6:25 left. But the Friars outscored the Wildcats 8-4 over the next two minutes to push the lead back to 67-58.
Collin Gillespie gave the Wildcats a chance after his layup trimmed Providence’s lead to 72-69 with 29 seconds left. Cartwright then connected on 1 of his 2 free throws on the other end.
Villanova missed on its ensuing possession and was forced to foul with 20.6 left. Cartwright again hit 1 of 2, and Eric Paschall made a layup on the other end to make it 74-71.
The Wildcats fouled again with 12.8 left, but this time Diallo was able to convert on a pair of free throws.
“They just outplayed us. We were ready to go. They were just better,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “I thought we would have played a little bit better. We didn’t.”
Spellman, who entered the night leading the team in rebounding, wore a protective mask after suffering a fracture to a small facial bone during Saturday’s win over Butler.
He stayed active underneath the basket, scoring 11 points and grabbing nine rebounds. The extra opportunities helped the Wildcats outscore the Friars 44-20 in the paint. But Villanova struggled from the outside, missing 17 of 20 3-point attempts. The Wildcats also finished with 19 turnovers. “They were just really physical,” said Wildcats guard Jalen Brunson, who finished with 14 points, but had seven of the turnovers. “We were giving up the ball. You gotta be strong with the ball.” Providence has five games remaining, including a trip to fourth-ranked Xavier. Providence coach Ed Cooley said he’s comfortable flying under the radar for now. “We don’t want to be talked about,” he said. “We’re the little red engine just trying to come up the street.” BIG PICTURE Villanova: It’s a setback for the Wildcats, who were trying to keep pace with conference-leader Xavier. They have now lost two of their last three. Providence: The Friars still need to bolster their NCAA resume, but this is their second win this season over a top 5 team, having beaten Xavier last month. WHERE’S THE RESPECT? As happy as he was with the victory, Cooley said he doesn’t think Villanova is getting the respect it deserves nationally in the polls. “They should be the No. 1 team,” Cooley said. “I’m tired of Villanova not being respected the way they should nationally. … I don’t know who’s doing all the voting, but tell Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles they’re looking at the wrong crew.” UP NEXT Villanova: Visits fourth-ranked Xavier in the second meeting this season between the possible No. 1 seeds in the upcoming NCAA tournament. The Wildcats beat the Musketeers 89-65 last month. Providence: Visits Butler on Saturday. Photo: Friars.comOmari Spellman with the face mask…and the dunk. pic.twitter.com/IPMr50S6uI
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) February 15, 2018
