National Basketball Association
Villanova 79, Creighton 67
When: 12:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 25, 2023
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Officials:
# James Breeding, # Brent Hampton, # Tim Clougherty
Attendance:
17114
By Field Level Media
Eric Dixon recorded career highs with six made 3-pointers and 31 points to lift host Villanova to a 79-67 victory over No. 19 Creighton on Saturday in Philadelphia.
Dixon made 11 of 15 shots from the field -- including 6 of 8 from 3-point range -- en route to the biggest offensive output from any Villanova player all season.
Cam Whitmore added 17 points for the Wildcats (15-14, 9-9 Big East), who won their second straight game over a ranked opponent. They posted a 64-63 victory over No. 16 Xavier on Tuesday.
Mark Armstrong contributed 11 points and Justin Moore had eight points and eight assists.
Arthur Kaluma led Creighton with 19 points while Ryan Kalkbrenner added 18 and eclipsed 1,000 points for his career. Baylor Scheierman had 10 points for the Bluejays (18-11, 12-6), who have dropped two in a row and three of their last four games.
Dixon stayed aggressive, dribbled out of a double team and converted a difficult reverse layup for a 67-51 lead with 6:58 remaining.
The Bluejays never posed a serious threat the rest of the way and finished 5 of 26 from 3-point territory.
Dixon's fourth 3-pointer gave the Wildcats a 37-20 lead with 5:06 remaining in the first half. They went into the locker room ahead 38-24.
Dixon was 7 of 9 from the field and finished the first half with 18 points.
Creighton struggled with its shooting before the break, going 10 of 28 from the field and 2 of 13 from 3-point territory. No Creighton player reached double figures as Kalkbrenner led the way with nine points.
Villanova once again pulled out to a 17-point lead at 46-29, less than three minutes into the second half.
While the Wildcats extended their lead, Creighton went through a stretch with 12 consecutive missed 3-pointers.
Trey Alexander ended the skid with a trey from the corner with 16:17 remaining to get within 46-32.
The Bluejays gained some momentum and then cut the deficit to 48-37 when Kaluma dropped in a 3-pointer with 15:11 left.
Dixon hit his sixth trey and then added a three-point play for a 58-45 lead with 11:15 to go.
After an empty possession by Creighton, Whitmore drove to the basket and scored for a 15-point advantage just about midway through the second half.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Creighton |
|
Villanova |
|
Arthur Kaluma 19 |
Scoring |
Eric Dixon 31 |
|
Ryan Nembhard 4 |
Assists |
Justin Moore 8 |
|
Arthur Kaluma 6 |
Rebounds |
Caleb Daniels 7 |
|
Arthur Kaluma 6 |
Free Throws Made |
Cam Whitmore 6 |
|
Trey Alexander 1 |
Steals |
Mark Armstrong 2 |
|
Ryan Kalkbrenner 2 |
Blocks |
Chris Arcidiacono 1 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Creighton
|
67 |
39.0 |
5-26 |
16-20 |
13 |
29 |
3 |
1 |
6 |
| Villanova
|
79 |
50.0 |
9-22 |
16-20 |
14 |
31 |
2 |
5 |
3 |
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