No. 6 Villanova Routs No. 25 Providence 89-61
VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) — Darrun Hilliard scored 19 of his game-high 24 points in the second half, JayVaughn Pinkston had 16 points and eight rebounds, and No. 6 Villanova clinched at least a share of its second straight Big East regular-season title with an 89-61 rout of No. 25 Providence on Tuesday night.
Ryan Arcidiacono added 13 points and four assists for the Wildcats (26-2 overall, 13-2 Big East), who shot 53 percent from the field and 52 percent from 3-point range en route to their ninth straight win.
Tyler Harris led Providence (19-9, 9-6) with 18 points on 8-for-11 shooting.
Before the game, Hilliard and Pinkston were honored for Villanova's senior night ceremony. Tuesday's game was the Wildcats' last of the season at the Pavilion, their on-campus gym where they've won 26 straight dating back to the 2012-13 season.
After Providence pulled within six early in the second half, Hilliard took over. The senior guard scored 14 points in a four-minute stretch, including four 3-pointers, to give Villanova a 54-36 lead with 13 minutes left.
Villanova kept surging, completing a 23-6 run to build a 63-38 advantage midway through the second half before easing home with a dominant win that gave them a three-game lead in the Big East with three to play.
Hilliard is averaging 18.7 points per game during the course of Villanova's nine-game winning streak. He came out to a standing ovation with 3:28 left.
A day after entering the Top 25 Poll for the first time since the 2003-04 season, Providence sputtered from the opening whistle. The Friars committed five turnovers before making their first shot, falling behind 9-0 four minutes into the contest and then 28-13 with 6:09 left in the first half after Arcidiacono and Josh Hart drilled back-to-back 3-pointers.
Providence closed the first half on a 7-0 run but still trailed 34-25 at the half despite shooting 50 percent from the field before the break.
LaDontae Henton and Kris Dunn, two of the top five scorers in the Big East, combined for just seven points in the first half and 16 for the game. Dunn, who entered the contest averaging 15.6 points per game, finished with four points on 2-for-10 shooting and committed six turnovers.
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