TULSA WORLD HOMEPAGE | WIRELESS

Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on RSS
Sports Extra! Sports Extra Tulsa World Follow us on ...


SPORTS EXTRA BLOGS
    Sports Editor
Mike Strain

Sports Columnist
Dave Sittler

The Picker
Entertaining & Infuriating

LOCAL PROS

ALL SPORTS

PHOTOS & VIDEOS

OUTDOORS

FIND A STORY

EMAIL ALERTS

SOCIAL MEDIA

RSS FEEDS

CONTACT US
BUY PHOTOS & PAGES

TULSA WORLD

ADVERTISE ON SPORTS EXTRA

National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Villanova 98, Creighton 78
When: 6:30 PM ET, Thursday, February 1, 2018
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Officials: # Brian O'Connell, # Ron Grover, # Mike Roberts
Attendance: 10225
Mikal Bridges scored 21 points, Jalen Brunson added 19 and No. 1-ranked Villanova defeated Creighton 98-78 Thursday at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

Donte DiVincenzo contributed 17 and Omari Spellman had 14 for the Wildcats (21-1, 8-1 Big East). Eric Paschall had 11 points and a game-high eight rebounds.

The Wildcats tied a program record with 19 made 3-pointers. They attempted 39 shots from beyond the arc. Villanova shot 37 of 68 (54.4 percent) from the floor overall.

Villanova, the No. 1 team in the country for the fourth consecutive week, opened its four-game homestand with yet another victory. The Wildcats keep winning despite the absence of guard Phil Booth, who is out indefinitely due to a fractured bone in his right hand.

The Wildcats have taken 17 of the 19 all-time meetings against Creighton, including eight in a row.

Marcus Foster led Creighton (17-6, 7-4) with 20 points while Kaleb Joseph and Khyri Thomas added 12 apiece. The Bluejays had won consecutive games over St. John's and Georgetown in the past week.

Bridges knocked down a 3-pointer, the Wildcats' 13th of the game, for a 59-43 advantage early in the second half.

Villanova's Collin Gillespie later hit a deep 3-pointer from the wing for a 64-48 lead with 14:01 remaining.

It was more than enough of a cushion in another blowout win for the Wildcats. Even walk-on Matt Kennedy hit a late basket, drawing a loud ovation from the home crowd.

Brunson and Bridges combined for 29 points on 11-of-17 shooting as the Wildcats raced to a 49-34 halftime lead.

Villanova shot 19 of 32 before the break, including a sizzling 10 of 18 from beyond the arc. The Wildcats registered 13 first-half assists on the 19 made field goals and committed only three turnovers.

No Creighton player was able to reach double figures before halftime.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Creighton   Villanova
Marcus Foster 20 Scoring Mikal Bridges 21
Davion Mintz 7 Assists Donte DiVincenzo 5
Mitch Ballock 4 Rebounds Eric Paschall 8
Kaleb Joseph 8 Free Throws Made Mikal Bridges 2
Marcus Foster 3 Steals Donte DiVincenzo 2
Ty-Shon Alexander 1 Blocks Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Creighton 78 49.0 6-18 22-24 14 23 2 4 8
Villanova 98 54.4 19-39 5-6 19 32 2 4 6