City of Basketball Love

Aron Minkoff (@AronMinkoff)

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In a rematch of January 24 Providence victory over Villanova, ‘Nova left no doubt who is the team to beat in the Big East with a 72-60 beating of Providence on their home court.

At First…

There was no doubt who would win this game, from the get go, ‘Nova jumped out to a 10-0 lead right out of the gate. Providence struggled to get much of anything going, never getting closer than eight points, the Wildcats led by as many as 17 in the first half.

Turning Point…

“Nova had a double digit lead for most of the game, but after Providence erupted to a 11-2 run, the Wildcats were only up by five. ‘Nova’s Josh Hart nailed a 3-point jumper to stretch the lead to eight with under three minutes to go, and from there it was smooth sailing to the win.

Standout Stars…

Darryl Reynolds started in place of the injured Daniel Ochefu, and he made the most of the opportunity. The 6-foot-8 junior finished with a career-high 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead Villanova.

For the Friars, sophomore star Ben Bentil finished with an impressive 20 points off of the bench in the losing effort.

Noteworthy Number(s)...

46-29: the rebounding margin between ‘Nova and Providence. It is tough to to win games, if you are the Friars, when the rebounding margin -17.

Up Next…

Villanova (20-3, 10-1 Big East) @DePaul (Feb. 9, 8:30 p.m.)

Providence (18-6, 5-2 Big East) @ Marquette (Feb. 10, 7:00 PM)