National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Villanova 83, Creighton 58
When: 8:00 PM ET, Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Where: The Pavilion, Villanova, Pennsylvania
Officials: # Roger Ayers, # Evan Burroughs, # Les Jones
Attendance: 6500

VILLANOVA, Pa. -- Villanova's first 15 points on Wednesday night against Creighton came behind the 3-point arc. It was a sign of things to come.

The No. 3 Wildcats rolled to an 83-58 victory at the Pavilion, hitting 16 of 29 3-pointers (55.2 percent).

Junior guard Kris Jenkins led all scorers with 22 points for Villanova (19-3, 9-1 Big East). He was also a part of the 3-point bombardment, hitting 4 of 6 from beyond the arc.

Villanova averaged 8.2 made 3-pointers per game and 31.9 percent entering the game. The Wildcats blew past both marks out of the water.

"It's nice to be home in the Pavilion," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "We've been out of sync a little bit. And if you're a good shooting team and you're not making shots, it's not just because you're off, you're not getting the right shots, you're not in rhythm.

"We just moved the ball well, we took the right shots, we made the extra pass tonight. The last four of five games we were not doing that well. Tonight, we really did."

Jenkins scored 22 points after finishing with 14 points and 11 rebounds against St. John’s on Sunday for his first career double-double. He leads the Wildcats with 46 made 3-pointers this season.

"I have to credit my teammates. They do a good job of making plays and making the right play," Jenkins said. "And today the right play just so happened to be for me to shoot the ball, and it went in."

Jenkins was one of four Villanova players to score in double figures. Freshman point guard Jalen Brunson had 16 points and also was 4 of 6 on 3-pointers.

Jenkins and junior forward Darryl Reynolds helped fill the void left by starting center Daniel Ochefu, who missed his second consecutive game because of a concussion. While Reynolds had only four points on 2-of-5 shooting from the field, he grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds (six offensive) and helped Villanova to a 38-27 advantage on the glass.

It was the third consecutive loss for the Bluejays, the team's longest skid of the season. Creighton shot 40 percent from the field and struggled from the foul line, hitting just 6 of 13.

Creighton finished 8 of 25 on 3-pointers but was just 1 of 6 from long range in the second half -- a noticeable contrast to Villanova's 9-of-13 3-point effort in the final 20 minutes.

"I didn't think defensively we competed at a level we're capable at competing at," Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. "Villanova can make you feel that way because you can defend them pretty well for 20 or 23 seconds and they get loose late in the shot clock. Of the seven guys that played a majority of the minutes, I think six of them hit a 3. We didn't have an answer for any one of them."

Creighton did match Villanova shot for shot in the early going, connecting on four 3-pointers. The Bluejays took a 24-20 lead in the first half in large part because of point guard Maurice Watson Jr's play.

A Philadelphia native, Watson Jr. scored 14 points in the first half and hit three 3-pointers. But the junior was limited to two points after the break.

Watson Jr. also had five assists but was the only Creighton player to score more than seven points.

Villanova got some separation by the end of the first half, ending it on a 25-8 run. Creighton scored 24 points in the first 12 minutes by just 34 points in the last 28 minutes.

"They hit some tough shots, Watson banked one in and he hit a couple of tough ones," Wright said. "We know they're capable of that, but I liked the way we stayed consistent. Toward the end of the first half we kept defending, we rushed their shots a little bit.

"And in the second half, I thought we did a really good job of containing Watson and not over-helping on him."

McDermott said, "It was 24-23 and I think they scored on nine of their last 11 possessions heading into halftime and that really flipped the momentum for the game."

NOTES: Villanova was without senior C Daniel Ochefu, who missed his second consecutive game because of a concussion. Ochefu, the Wildcats' primary big man, averages 9.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game this season. Junior Darryl Reynolds got the start in Ochefu's place. ... Villanova played its first game as the third-ranked team in the AP poll. The Wildcats were behind Oklahoma and North Carolina in the rankings that came out Monday. ... The win kept Villanova in sole possession of first place in the Big East, one game ahead of Xavier. The Wildcats will have a chance to avenge their only conference loss in their next game as they travel to face Providence on Saturday afternoon.
Top Game Performances
 
Creighton   Villanova
Mo Watson Jr. 16 Scoring Kris Jenkins 22
Mo Watson Jr. 5 Assists Phil Booth 6
Isaiah Zierden 6 Rebounds Darryl Reynolds 13
Mo Watson Jr. 3 Free Throws Made Mikal Bridges 4
Malik Albert 1 Steals Phil Booth 3
Malik Albert 1 Blocks Darryl Reynolds 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Creighton 58 40.0 8-25 6-13 13 24 3 4 10
Villanova 83 48.1 16-29 15-17 19 36 1 7 12