The Wildcats needed him early.

The positive sign for Villanova is that, although their leading scorer plays only in spurts with a leg injury, the Wildcats have developed enough resources and know-how to win. They earned their third victory in a row with an 82-73 Big East victory over Providence last night.

"Our older guys know how difficult it is to play here," coach Jay Wright said of the Dunkin' Donuts Center, where Providence (13-6, 3-3 conference) had won 12 straight. "Our younger guys have no idea. . . . As much film as we watched and as much as we talked about it, they got it right before the game."

Following up on wins last week against top-25-ranked Notre Dame and Texas, in which Sumpter did not play, the Wildcats (14-5, 3-3) did not suffer a letdown in a city where they have gone 2-13 since 1991.

Sumpter played just 16 minutes, nursing a deep bone bruise on his left shin, but he made the most of his time with seven points and four rebounds.

The difference was that his teammates have learned how to do the little things, which counted for a lot last night.

Providence shot 55.3 percent from the floor, but Villanova nearly matched the Friars, shooting 53.3 percent. The Wildcats forced 22 Friars turnovers, converting them into 26 points.

They also owned the boards, 33-23, which included 15 offensive rebounds against the conference's best rebounding team.

And while Villanova was not perfect on free throws (making 10 of 15) or turnovers (with 19 of their own), the Friars were miserable, going 14 for 24 from the line.

"I never had a team shoot that well [from the field] and lose, I don't think," Providence coach Tim Welsh said. "We're making plays I just don't ever see. Maybe the young guys aren't ready for prime time. That type of ballhandling is just too shaky to win."

With Sumpter only available for snippets of time and the Wildcats collecting fouls early, Villanova needed its backcourt to put in some serious work. It delivered.

Freshman guard Scottie Reynolds led the Wildcats in scoring for the third straight game with 20 points, which made up for his nine turnovers. Senior guard Mike Nardi scored 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including 5 of 6 on three-pointers.

"Those guys really gutted it out," Wright said.

The Wildcats worked both the perimeter and the paint, playing one of their most balanced games of the season. They went 8 for 18 on threes while scoring 40 points inside.

"Our game plan was to attack the zone inside," said Nardi, who scored 16 of his points in the first half.

Sumpter was not planning on playing, but after Shane Clark and Dante Cunningham picked up early fouls, the Wildcats turned to him. He shot 3 for 5 from the floor.

"I said if they needed me out there, I was willing to go," he said. "I knew what my job would be."

After controlling Texas' big man, Kevin Durant, the Wildcats stifled Providence's Herbert Hill. Hill, who was averaging 11.4 rebounds and 21.6 points per game, was held to 12 points and five rebounds last night.

As former Villanova guard and current Boston Celtic Allan Ray watched from courtside, Providence kept fighting back.

The Friars cut Villanova's 11-point lead to 76-72 with 1 minute, 30 seconds to go on Geoff McDermott's steal and dunk.

But Villanova's Will Sheridan came up with the rebound and Cunningham made his one-handed jam for a safe seven-point lead at 79-72.

or sryan@phillynews.com.