Villanova holds off Providence, 75-73, to snap two-game Big East losing streak

It’s a tradition for Villanova fans to stay standing until their team scores its first basket of the game. Fans’ legs must have gotten tired as it took 3 minutes, 39 seconds for graduate forward Eric Dixon to lay in the first bucket.

Villanova (12-7, 5-3 Big East) was in need of one thing after back to back Big East losses a win. The 75-73 victory over Providence (9-10, 3-5) at the Wells Fargo Center provided just that.

The win didn’t come easily, though. And it may not have come at all if it wasn’t forDixon, the nation’s leading scorer, a free throw to give the Wildcats a two-point lead with eight seconds left.

» READ MORE: Guards Quante Berry and Jamal Mashburn Jr. lead Temple to an upset win over No. 18 Memphis

Two inadvertent whistles and a missed three pointer allowed Villanova to inbound the ball with less than a second on the clock and secure its fifth Big East win.

Dixon dropped a game-high 23 points and grabbed eight boards.

“Eric Dixon is the best player in the country,” Providence coach Kim English said. “He’s going to be a first-round draft pick. He’s just the best player in college basketball right now.”

But Dixon didn’t do it alone. Villanova spread the wealth on the stat sheet as four Wildcats finished in double figures.

Senior guard Wooga Poplar had 15 points and a game-high 13 rebounds for his fifth double-double at Villanova.

Graduate guard Jhamir Brickus chipped in with 18 points, four rebounds, and four assists, while senior guard Jordan Longino added 13 points.

The start of the game wasn’t just slow — it was ugly.

Both teams went 0-for-5 on their first five possessions of the game, and by the second TV timeout at the 11-minute mark, neither team was shooting above 25% from the field.

“I thought we got great shots,” Villanova coach Kyle Neptune said. “You’re definitely not going to go 100% from the floor, but we weren’t worried about offense at all.”

Back-to-back baskets from Longino, followed by a three from Poplar gave Villanova a four-point lead and brought the crowd to its feet with 9:29 to go in the first half.

» READ MORE: Eric Dixon, Villanova’s homegrown star, is college basketball’s leading scorer and could one day be a museum curator

But it took just a few more minutes for Providence to find its rhythm. In the final 4:24 of the half, the Friars made 5 of 6 shots from the floor and sent the Wildcats into the locker room down, 37-32.

At the half, Villanova was shooting 36.7% from the field, including 30.8% from behind the arc, while the Friars were 43.3% from the field, including 45% from three.

Providence was without leading scorer Bryce Hopkins, who averages 17 points and 7.7 boards. The Friars also were missing Wesley Cardet (10.2 points, 3.8 boards) and Ryan Mela (5.4 points, 5.1 rebounds).

In their absence, Bensley Joseph led the Friars with 20 points, while Corey Floyd Jr. and Justyn Fernandez contributed with 18 and 17 points respectively. Oswin Erhunmwunse led Providence with eight rebounds.

At halftime, Villanova introduced its men’s basketball alumni in attendance.

There were 34 alumni at the Wells Fargo Center, ranging from 1956 to 2016. Former Villanova men’s head coach and Hall of Famer Jay Wright also was in attendance.

As part of the celebration, members of the 1985 Villanova NCAA championship team received special recognition. There were 12 Wildcats from the 1985 team present, including Ed Pinckney, the Final Four Most Outstanding Player, who went on to play 12 seasons in the NBA.

» READ MORE: Why Joe Lunardi says Villanova’s NCAA Tournament chances are a ‘50-50 shot’

“These guys are big time guys that have really helped cement Villanova as one of the best programs in the country,” Neptune said. “We are honored that they continue to come around and take pride in the program.”

Villanova, who was an No. 8 seed in that tournament, defeated Georgetown, a No. 1 seed, 66-64, to clinch the program’s first national title.

Villanova is set to host Georgetown (12-6, 3-4) on Monday (6 p.m., FS1) at Finneran Pavilion.