Villanova defeats Providence with strong 3-point shooting

Villanova beat Providence in a standout performance on Friday night, thanks to their strong 3-point shooting. The Wildcats sank 13 shots from beyond the arc, with Devin Askew leading the charge by making five of them. This victory improved Villanova’s record to 16-5 for the season and 7-3 in the BIG EAST conference.

The game kicked off with an intense back-and-forth, with three ties and three lead changes in the first eight minutes. Then, Villanova went on an impressive 13-3 run to take a 10-point lead, which they held onto for the rest of the game. Providence’s Stefan Vaaks tried to bring his team back with a 3-pointer, narrowing the gap to eight points, but Villanova answered with a decisive 13-1 run to secure the win.

In addition to Askew’s standout performance with 20 points, Tyler Perkins added 19 points and six rebounds, Acaden Lewis contributed 12 points and eight assists, Bryce Lindsay scored 11, and Matthew Hodge finished with 10. Providence’s offense was led by Vaaks, who scored 25 points, with Jaylin Sellers adding 16 and Ryan Mela putting up 14 points.

Interesting stats from the game include the fact that this was Askew’s fourth game with 20 or more points this season, and Vaaks now ranks second nationally among freshmen for 3-pointers made, with a total of 60 this season.

Looking ahead, four games are lined up for Saturday, starting with Marquette at Seton Hall, Georgetown at Butler, and DePaul at Xavier in the early afternoon, and ending with UConn visiting Creighton in the evening. Additionally, the BIG EAST podcast has lined up interviews with Villanova head coach Kevin Willard, UConn’s Tarris Reed Jr., and TNT Sports’ Spero Dedes for its latest episode.

Lastly, a new initiative from the BIG EAST Conference starting this season requires schools to submit player availability reports three hours before each game, indicating whether players are “questionable” or “out.” These reports will be posted on the BIG EAST website throughout the 2025-26 season.