The Wildcats were without leader Collin Gillespie, as he suffered a torn MCL during a win against Creighton on Wednesday. To make matters worse, Villanova guard Justin Moore left Saturday’s game with a sprained ankle at the 5:37 minute mark in the first half.
Without two of their top scorers, Villanova struggled in the first half, going 21% from the floor. Meanwhile, Providence shot 62% in the first half, and this difference resulted in Nova’ trailing 38-21 at halftime.
Yet, the Wildcats rallied in the second half behind Jermaine Samuels’ 21 points and 8 rebounds, as they cut the Friars’ lead to five with five minutes left in the game.