Anderson, #11 Wildcats Complete 13-Game Sweep at Pavilion by Topping Providence, 97-80

To the Wildcat faithful-

Sometimes 13 is a lucky number...

On Thursday, March 5, the #11 Wildcats completed a clean sweep of all Pavilion opponents this season, winning their 13th and final game at the on-campus venue this season (as well as their 28th consecutive victory there, beyond the current season). They topped a scrappy, likely-NCAA-bound Providence squad, 97-80, behind 23 points from Scottie Reynolds but more importantly, a phenomenal final game at the Pavilion from Dwayne Anderson.

Villanova finished its regular season slate at 13-5 Big East, 25-6 overall, and will be making its fifth consecutive NCAA appearance on Selection Sunday, nine days hence. It is likely that the Friars will be joining them, despite the loss. Providence, which completed the season at 10-8 Big East, 18-12 overall, will remain on the bubble until the bids are announced, but they have to feel good about their chances.

The Wildcats led just 40-34 at halftime, before blasting past the Friars in the second half. It was a marked contrast to the first game at the Dunkin' Donuts Center, where the Wildcats had to hang on by their claws for a 94-91 victory after the Friars nearly pulled off a miraculous comeback in the waning minutes... It was Villanova's sixth consecutive win in the series.

Villanova entered the game having clinched no worst than the fifth seed in the Big East tournament. With this victory, the Wildcats are now assured of one of the first-ever double-byes in that tournament, and will enjoy seven days prior to their first game in the quarterfinals on Thursday, March 12. Stop back for a full preview of the Wildcats' opponent, after it has been determined.

As a team, the Wildcats racked up assists and steals with abandon, finishing with 26 and 19 respectively, both season bests. They also had 72 field goal attempts, connecting on nearly half of them, finishing with 48% shooting.

Reynolds had an outstanding game: 23 points on 9-13 shooting overall, including five triples, as well as four steals (although an uncharacteristic 0-2 from the line). Dante Cunningham, playing his final Pavilion game, finished with 19 points on 8-17 shooting, as well as eight rebounds. Shane Clark, likewise, recorded five points and three rebounds.

But the real story for the seniors was Anderson; he was simply incredible. Anderson ended up with 19 points on 7-11 shooting, seven rebounds, three assists, four steals and a blocked shot. That would be a very impressive line for a 35-minute game- but Anderson put up those numbers in just 17 minutes of action.

A word of tribute is warranted for the fourth senior - Frank Tchuisi. I am happy to report that Tchuisi - despite playing just one minute - did reach the line for two free throws, and converted one of them, scoring a point in his final game at the Pavilion. Tchuisi is a great guy who makes a valuable contribution to the team both on and off the court, and the fact that he got on the scoreboard tonight is just a real nice exclamation point to the game - which was already highly memorable...

Rounding out the starters, Reggie Redding dished out 11 assists, as his game continues to improve - he's peaking at the right time.

Villanova had a dynamic offensive attack, and one big factor was that they got a great spark off the bench from the Coreys; Fisher scored 13 points (including 6-6 from the line) and also dealt half a dozen assists. Stokes finished with 11 points and four rebounds.

For the Friars, Weyinmi Efejuku was sensational, scoring a game-high 29 points, while two other Friars had 14 points - Jonathan Kale and Sharaud Curry.

Stop back for a full preview of the Wildcats' opponent, after it has been determined. Villanova is most likely to end up with the #4 seed, and would play on Thursday, March 12, at 2 PM, against the #5 (Marquette), #12, or #13 seed. Two of the trio of Georgetown, Seton Hall, or St. John's will likely end up as the #12 and #13 seeds...

Also, check out the Various Viewpoints from throughout the Villanova blogosphere, as well as the valuable Providence perspective provided by Friarblog (good luck to PC the rest of the way...). His detailed analysis of the game is really worthwhile... take a look at OK, So We're Waiting Till Next Week to Punch Our Ticket (Game Recaps)....

Various Viewpoints

VUHoops has its trademark scoreboard-titled wrapup - Providence 80: :97 Villanova...

I Bleed Blue and White - Chris describes the season finale in - postGame: Villanova 97, Providence 80...

greyCat at Villanova By the Numbers. crunches the numbers and, inter alia, notes our sky-high 3.71 assist-to-turnover ratio in Providence #02 Post Game -- the Class of 2009...

Pete at Let's Go 'Nova... emphasizes the post-season implications in 'Nova clinches double bye with Prov. win...

Tim at 'Nova News writes it up in 'Nova Says Bye Bye to Providence...

Go Wildcats!

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