VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) — Bryce Cotton hit the winning 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds left and scored 18 points to lead Providence to a 55-52 win over Villanova on Sunday.
The Friars (11-11, 3-7 Big East) swept the Wildcats after beating them 69-66 last month. Vincent Council missed a jumper with 12 seconds left, but Josh Fortune grabbed the offensive rebound. Cotton buried the second-chance 3-pointer from the top of the arc with 2.2 left for a 55-52 lead.
The Friars nearly blew a nine-point lead with 4:34 remaining down the stretch.
JayVaughn Pinkston’s driving bucket down the lane sliced Villanova’s deficit to 52-50 with 46.8 seconds left. James Bell then intercepted a pass off a full-court press and was fouled. Bell hit both to make it 52-all with 42 seconds left.
Darrun Hilliard led the Wildcats (13-9, 4-5) with 17 points.
