The fourth-ranked Villanova Wildcats welcomed the Creighton Bluejays to the Wells Fargo Center tonight in a clash between newly formed Big East rivals. Creighton would shoot the lights out early and often to build a comfortable first half lead, and continue to grow that lead in the second half on their way to 96-68 victory.
Creighton was off to a fast start to say the least, as the Bluejays made their first seven shots, all from beyond the arc, to take a 21-5 lead just over four minutes in. Ethan Wragge was off to a torrid start of his own for the Blue Jays, starting the game off 7 for 7 from 3-point range.
With the help of fantastic ball movement, the Bluejays were able to stretch out the Villanova defense on their way to taking a 47-19 lead with 7:17 remaining in the half. Villanova would finally begin to gain their footing, utilizing a 16-3 run to cut the Bluejays' lead to 50-35.
Closing the half on a much stronger note, the Wildcats went to the locker room at the Wells Fargo Center down 54-41, after trailing by as much as 28.
Wragge led the early charge for the Bluejays, finishing the half with 24 points on 8-10 shooting, all from beyond the arc. Creighton shot 59.4 percent in the half, including 14-22 from beyond the arc, while moving the ball well enough to rack up 15 assists on 19 made shots.
Darrun Hilliard led all Villanova scorers with 10 points in the half, while JayVaughn Pinkston added 9 for the Wildcats, who made a late first half rally to cut into the Bluejays' massive lead.
Villanova had outscored their opponents in 14 of 17 second halves this season, and would need a similar performance if they had any intentions of pulling out a win in this one. Creighton would almost immediately dash those hopes however, controlling the pace as they started the half on 23-6 run to extend their lead to 77-47 with less than 12 minutes remaining.
The Bluejays would continue to dominate, as Villanova seemed to have no answers for Creighton's shooting. Behind a Big East record 21 3-pointers, the Bluejays cruised past the fourth-ranked Wildcats, 96-68.
Ethan Wragge led all scorers with 27 points, while Doug McDermott finished with 23 points in the huge win for Creighton.
The Wildcats were led in the loss by James Bell, who finished with 19 points in the contest. The loss was just the second of the year for Villanova. The Wildcats will next face Marquette on the road on Saturday.
By: Kyle Babcock
Follow us on Twitter: @BroadStBeat
With the help of fantastic ball movement, the Bluejays were able to stretch out the Villanova defense on their way to taking a 47-19 lead with 7:17 remaining in the half. Villanova would finally begin to gain their footing, utilizing a 16-3 run to cut the Bluejays' lead to 50-35.
Closing the half on a much stronger note, the Wildcats went to the locker room at the Wells Fargo Center down 54-41, after trailing by as much as 28.
Wragge led the early charge for the Bluejays, finishing the half with 24 points on 8-10 shooting, all from beyond the arc. Creighton shot 59.4 percent in the half, including 14-22 from beyond the arc, while moving the ball well enough to rack up 15 assists on 19 made shots.
Darrun Hilliard led all Villanova scorers with 10 points in the half, while JayVaughn Pinkston added 9 for the Wildcats, who made a late first half rally to cut into the Bluejays' massive lead.
Villanova had outscored their opponents in 14 of 17 second halves this season, and would need a similar performance if they had any intentions of pulling out a win in this one. Creighton would almost immediately dash those hopes however, controlling the pace as they started the half on 23-6 run to extend their lead to 77-47 with less than 12 minutes remaining.
The Bluejays would continue to dominate, as Villanova seemed to have no answers for Creighton's shooting. Behind a Big East record 21 3-pointers, the Bluejays cruised past the fourth-ranked Wildcats, 96-68.
Ethan Wragge led all scorers with 27 points, while Doug McDermott finished with 23 points in the huge win for Creighton.
The Wildcats were led in the loss by James Bell, who finished with 19 points in the contest. The loss was just the second of the year for Villanova. The Wildcats will next face Marquette on the road on Saturday.
By: Kyle Babcock
Follow us on Twitter: @BroadStBeat
RSS Feed
