Field Level Media
Feb 6, 2019
Freshman Saddiq Bey scored a career-high 17 points to carry No. 14 Villanova to a 66-59 overtime win over visiting Creighton on Wednesday.
Eric Paschall scored 15 points, Phil Booth added 14 and Collin Gillespie had 13 as the Wildcats (19-4, 10-0 Big East) won their 11th in a row.
Davion Mintz led Creighton (13-10, 4-6) with 19 points while Martin Krampelj added 13 points and 10 rebounds. Mitch Ballock had 11 points for the Bluejays, who had won three of their previous four.
Booth's driving layup got the Wildcats within 48-47 with 2:01 left. On Villanova's next possession, Booth scored again with a tough layup for a 49-48 lead with 1:12 to go.
Bey then fouled Kaleb Joseph on a 3-point attempt with 37.1 seconds remaining. Joseph missed two of three free throws but tied the score at 49.
After Krampelj blocked a Booth shot, Joseph missed a runner near the lane, and the game went into overtime.
Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree corralled an offensive rebound off a missed free throw and gave Villanova a 55-52 lead midway through the extra period. Booth's 3-pointer with 1:27 left pushed the lead to 58-52, and the Wildcats closed out the victory at the foul line.
Creighton sophomore guard Ty-Shon Alexander was a late scratch after injuring his knee in practice on Tuesday. Bluejays guard Marcus Zegarowski also sat out because of a broken bone in his hand.
Villanova struggled with its shooting for the first seven minutes, going 2 of 11, with nine of those shots coming from beyond the arc. Still, the Wildcats managed an early 5-4 advantage.
Ballock knocked down a 3-pointer from the wing as Creighton went ahead 10-8 with 10:28 left in the half. Christian Bishop followed with a short jumper to cap a 7-0 spurt for a 12-8 lead.
Paschall hit a late trey and the Wildcats took a slim 25-24 lead into the locker room. Gillespie led all scorers with nine first-half points.
The Bluejays pulled ahead by four early in the second half before the Wildcats rallied with four straight to tie the score again at 32 with 13:36 left.
Krampelj kept Creighton close, and Ballock eventually tied the score again at 43 with 6:25 left.
--Field Level Media