Arcidiacono powers No. 6 Villanova past Providence
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Providence, RI (SportsNetwork.com) - Ryan Arcidiacono led the way with 20 points and four assists as No. 6 Villanova defeated Providence 74-68 on Wednesday.
Daniel Ochefu scored 19 points on a perfect 7-for-7 shooting clip and pulled down nine rebounds and Darrun Hilliard netted 16 points for the Wildcats (22-2, 9-2 Big East), who won their fifth straight game.
"That's a great win for us in one of the toughest places to play in the country," Villanova head coach Jay Wright said. "I was very pleased with our defense."
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LaDontae Henton provided a game-high 23 points and Kris Dunn and Tyler Harris each scored 17 for the Friars (17-8, 7-5).
Providence head coach Ed Cooley returned to the bench for the game after leaving Saturday's loss to Xavier and spending time in the hospital with an unspecified condition.
Hilliard hit a jumper and Arcidiacono hit a 3-pointer to start the second half, giving Villanova a 34-26 advantage.
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Providence cut the deficit down to three points, but the Wildcats went on an 11-0 run, with Ochefu supplying five points and Josh Hart hitting two triples during the spurt for a 48-34 lead with 8:16 to play.
Henton scored six quick points and Dunn's dunk made it a 48-42 game with 6:51 remaining, but Arcidiacono made five in a string of six Villanova free throws to make it a 12-point game.
Jalen Lindsey made a left-wing triple to cut Providence's deficit to six points with 2:05 to go, but the Wildcats made enough free throws down the stretch to keep the Friars at bay.
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Arcidiacono buried two 3s around Ochefu's tip-in for a 27-21 lead with 3:28 left in the first half. Harris, however, knocked down a trey for the Friars with 39 seconds left to make it a 29-26 game at the break.
Game Notes
The Wildcats shot 50 percent from the field, while the Friars shot 43.1 percent ... Villanova made 27-of-37 free throw attempts ... The Wildcats now lead the all-time series 55-37.