PHILADELPHIA – Next time, they’ll fix it.
Next time, the incoming pass will not be intercepted. Next time, the ensuing play won’t be blown up, resulting in a rushed shot that never had a chance. Next time, they’ll do a better job boxing out on the defensive boards so as not to give up an uncontested layup with the game on the line.
And whoever wears that Providence Friars uniform will learn from it so that next time things go as planned.
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“Our team doesn’t lack for anything,” Friars coach Kim English said after her team’s 75-73 loss to Villanova here last night in a game where the Friars overcame a dismal early shooting to take the lead. ‘ advantage at halftime, then saw a series lead in the second half. changes before “Nova’s Tyler Perkins” knocked away an Eric Dixon aerial ball with 42.7 seconds remaining, keeping the Wildcats in front. “We just have to learn from it and continue to improve
“We can improve if we continue to observe and learn, starting with me.
“How can I coach these guys better and put them in better situations to play to their strengths more, execute more and share a goal.”
If you’re keeping score, this is the fifth game the 9-10 Friars (3-5 in the Big East) have lost by four points or fewer. Although it is undoubtedly frustrating. They insist they are not discouraged.
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“I just think we have to continue to stick together,” said sophomore guard Andre Fernandez, who scored 17 points and made 5 of 10 3-pointers in his first start of the season. “Obviously we’ve been in these games before.
“We have to figure out how to play him. With more time to come together, we will resolve this issue.
Bensley Joseph, his backcourt teammate, seconded that view. “I’m not frustrated. I’m motivated to go back to the drawing board with my team,” said Joseph, who led the way for the Friars with 20, while Corey Floyd Jr. added 18. “We have to learn from this and continue to move forward.
In a game featuring 13 lead changes and 12 ties, where no one had a double-digit lead all night, deservedly so, it came down to the wire. After Fernandez buried a three to tie it, 71-71, with 1:28 left, the ensuing possession allowed Villanova to grab two offensive rebounds, before Perkins’ layup barely beat the clock shots.
When Floyd missed a chance to give Providence the lead beyond the arc, Nova’s Wooga Poplar left the door open when he made only one of two free throws – Villanova’s first miss from the evening line – making the score 74-71 with 14.2 seconds left.
Villanova immediately fouled Joseph, not wanting to risk giving up the three-way tie, who swept both to make it a one-point game with 10.3 seconds remaining. In turn, the Friars fouled Dixon, whom the English later called “the best player in the country.” who also made just one of two, giving the ball back to the Friars with a chance to win or send it to overtime.
And then things got really crazy. It looked like Jayden Pierre, on a run, had stepped on the baseline, giving the ball back to Villanova with 4.5 seconds left. But after a lengthy review, authorities ruled there had been an inadvertent whistle blow, meaning the brothers had another chance.
Turns out they had two, with Perkins making a close steal, but going out of bounds, and then after another review to reset the clock, Jabri Abdur-Rahim ended up taking that final unfortunate shot that sealed their fate.
And the English left-winger is disappointed but said his team are heading in the right direction. “Give credit to ‘Nova,” said English, whose club made as many as 36 3-pointers on its 56 shots, missing the first nine and then scoring seven in a row in one stretch. “We had two chances, but they kept it very well.
“We thought they would call the first play out of bounds, but they didn’t. By the second play, they knew what was coming.
While some might point to the fact that the Friars were without leading scorer Bryce Hopkins, as well as Wesley Cardet Jr. and Ryan Mela, the English won’t accept that as an excuse. “The standard is the standard,” he insisted. The players we have are good enough to run the hardest in transition. To close out shooters with the hot hand. Be the first to lose balls. Switch to the open man, and shoot.
“Everything I mention would be exactly the same if we had Bryce Hopkins, Wesley Cardet and Ryan Mela.
The standard is the standard. We lack nothing. »
They have a week to shake this situation off before former coach Ed Cooley and Georgetown come to town next Saturday. Until then, the brothers are confident they’ll learn from another heartbreaker so they’ll have the right answers next time.
This article was originally published in the Providence Journal: The Providence Friars lose to the Villanova Wildcats, 75-73, Friday night
