Gillespie scores 24, leads No. 16 ‘Nova past Creighton 64-59

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Collin Gillespie and Saddiq Bey made back-to-back 3-pointers to give Villanova the lead for good in the final four minutes, and the No. 16 Wildcats ended a six-game Big East road losing streak with a 64-59 win over Creighton on Tuesday night.

The Wildcats (11-3, 2-1 Big East) overcame another poor shooting performance to end Creighton’s 15-game home win streak and deny Bluejays coach Greg McDermott his 500th career win. Creighton (12-4, 1-2) has lost two in a row, both to ranked opponents.

Gillespie finished with 24 points and was by far the Wildcats’ best shooter, making 8 of 10 from the field, 4 of 5 from 3-point range. His teammates were a combined 15 for 51, including 2 of 28 on 3s. Bey had 11 points, Jermaine Samuels added 10 and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl had 14 rebounds.

Christian Bishop led the Bluejays with 16 points and nine rebounds.

The Bluejays. who led by as many as 14 points in the first half, missed eight of their last nine shots while Villanova stormed back.

Gillespie’s 3-pointer from the right wing put the Wildcats up 55-54 with 3:37 left, their first lead since it was 1-0. Mitch Ballock answered with a 3 on the other end for Creighton, but Bey then hit the same spot as Gillespie to give Villanova the lead for good.

Bey blocked a Marcus Zegarowski shot before Gillespie scored inside the lane, and the Wildcats finished off Creighton at the free-throw line.

Creighton. which averages 25 3-point attempts per game and hadn’t launched fewer than 20 in a previous game this season; put up only 14, making just three.

BIG PICTURE

Villanova: The Wildcats are playing three freshmen and three sophomores in their rotation and are still developing their identity. This was a gritty road win, the product of a strong defensive effort. The shooting still needs work.

Creighton: The Bluejays are tough at home, and they’ll be kicking themselves for letting this one slip away.

BAD OMEN?

Sorry, Creighton. Since the reconfiguration of the Big East in 2013, none of the six regular-season conference champions have dropped below .500 at any point in league play.

UP NEXT

Villanova hosts Georgetown on Saturday.

Creighton visits Xavier on Saturday, continuing a stretch in which it plays three of four on the road.