VILLANOVA, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Not even the sun could prevent a Villanova onslaught in the second half.
The third-ranked Wildcats picked up their tenth victory of the season by beating Providence, 71-56. The Wildcats trailed by three at the half and were ready to resume the second half, but had to wait thanks to an unusual situation.
The Cats and Friars were forced to wait to start the second half because the glare from the sun made it difficult for the players to see on the court. The light was shining directly on the Providence bench, and the Friars likely would have been happy if the second half wasn't played at all. Villanova went on an 11-0 run and never looked back as Jay Wright's squad remain unbeaten in Big East play.
"It was bad," Wright said about the light problem. "I've never seen that. We practice in here. The girls play games in here. I've never seen that. It was bad. It was blinding."
What was even more blinding was the Villanova defense in the second half. The Wildcats held the Friars to 29 second half points and forced 19 Providence turnovers in the victory. It was an improved defensive effort from Villanova's last game when the Wildcats outlasted Seton Hall.
"I really think we were playing off our defense," Wright said. "I think we're getting confidence from getting stops defensively."
Villanova knew it wouldn't be in a game similar to the one against Seton Hall on Tuesday. The Wildcats had watched Providence upset 11th-ranked Creighton earlier in the week and knew they were more than capable of winning on the Main Line. Wright believes this was a significant step forward in what has been a challenging season.
"It was a really good step for us," said Wright. "It was a good step against an outstanding defensive team. We all watched their last game against Creighton where they just went out there and locked up Creighton on the road. They always give us trouble."
It was only last month when the Wildcats were forced to shut down due to its second COVID-19 issue of the season. Villanova's players had to quickly get back into game shape and have won both games since returning. Wright knows he has to assess this season differently with the hope that another COVID-19 issue will not delay their season yet again.
"It was a really good step," Wright said. "We can't evaluate ourselves on where we would normally be at this point of the season. We have to evaluate ourselves on just where are we based on the challenges we have at this time."