NEW YORK -- With No. 3 Villanova struggling to get to the rim in its quarterfinal game against Georgetown in the Big East Tournament, the Wildcats relied on a tactic they seldom had success with this season.

Villanova (28-4) shot 61.9 percent from 3-point range (13 of 21) to knock off the Hoyas 81-67 on Thursday afternoon. It marked the highest percentage from long distance for the Wildcats since a 2012 game against Monmouth.

The top-seeded Wildcats will face fourth-seeded Providence in the semifinals Friday.

Villanova made seven of nine 3-pointers in the second half when it outscored eighth-seeded Georgetown 53-40.

The Wildcats ranked seventh in the 10-team conference in 3-point field goal percentage during the regular season.

"Our 3s kept us in it," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "We were struggling to finish at the rim. We have the balance where we can shoot them (3-pointers) and there's going to be some nights you can't finish at the rim and you have to rely on them.

"You can lose that way, but it gives you a heckuva chance to win. Thank God for the 3s tonight."

Villanova was outscored 24-16 in the paint.

Josh Hart led the Wildcats with 25 points, Ryan Arcidiacono poured in 19 points, including 5 of 7 3-pointers, and Kris Jenkins added 15 points.

Guard L.J. Peak paced the Hoyas (15-18) with 18 points and forward Bradley Hayes had 13 points and nine rebounds.

Villanova center Daniel Ochefu, who finished second in the conference in field-goal percentage and third in rebounding, was slowed by an ankle injury he suffered Tuesday in practice. He failed to score and grabbed only two rebounds in 13 minutes, 10 of which were in the first half.

Ochefu's replacement, Darryl Reynolds, had nine rebounds and four blocked shots.

"He tried (Ochefu) a little bit, but I think he tweaked it again," Wright said. "We have to try and rest him him up and see if we can get him feeling better tomorrow."

The Wildcats created some separation with a 13-2 blitz in 2:40 to take a 60-48 lead with 7:32 to play. Hart and Arcidiacono deposited six points apiece during the run.

“I know I'm not going to finish at the rim," Arcidiacono said. "If I'm out in transition, I'm pretty much the only one who pulls up. That (run) was just a product of us getting out."

The Hoyas opened the second half on a 10-3 run to move ahead 37-31, with Hayes scoring the first six points. The Wildcats responded with an 8-0 flurry in 49 seconds, with five points from guard Phil Booth, with 15:42 to play to slip ahead 39-37.

"We got some looks and the ball just didn't go in," Georgetown coach John Thompson III said. "We got some point blank in-the-paint looks.

"I feel like there were four or five possessions where we got an easy look, It didn't go in and then they got 3s. They made us pay."

Jenkins ended a scoring drought of more than five minutes by Villanova with a 3-pointer that put the Wildcats ahead 28-27 at the half. The tightly contested first half produced seven lead changes and the score was knotted on five occasions.

Neither team held more than a three-point advantage and both schools failed to get to the foul line in the half.

With the 6-foot-11 Ochefu playing just 10 minutes in the first half because of the ankle injury, the Hoyas enjoyed a 25-12 rebounding advantage. Ochefu missed both of his shots from the floor and failed to grab a rebound in the half.

NOTES: This was the first Big East Conference tournament meeting between Villanova and Georgetown since the Hoyas won a quarterfinal matchup 82-63 in 2008. ... The win was Villanova's first in six outings against the Hoyas in the tournament. ... Villanova is 8-3 in the Big East tournament as the No, 1 seed. ... This is the third straight season that Villanova has accumulated at least 28 wins. ... Villanova went 16-2 in the conference, winning a third straight regular-season title. ... Junior G Josh Hart was a unanimous All-Big East first-team pick for the Wildcats. ... Georgetown snapped a six-game losing streak with a 70-53 win over DePaul on Wednesday in the first round of the tournament. ... Hoyas G D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera finished fifth in scoring in the Big East and is fifth on Georgetown's career scoring list.