Steven Ashworth and Creighton stun Villanova in South Philly | Villanova vs. Creighton Recap + Key Takeaways

PHILADELPHIA, PA—On Saturday afternoon, Villanova suffered its tenth loss of the season against Creighton at the Wells Fargo Center. Despite a strong defensive performance, the Wildcats failed to make clutch shots down the stretch yet again.

Creighton (16-6, 9-2 Big East) defeated Villanova (12-10, 5-6), 62-60, on Saturday in South Philadelphia. Wooga Poplar finished the game with 24 points, four rebounds, and five steals. Eric Dixon was five-for-14 from the field with 17 points in 38 minutes. Villanova converted 40% of its field goals. However, the Wildcats were just three-for-17 (17%) from behind the arc.

Steven Ashworth knocked down the game-winning three from the corner with five seconds remaining in the game. He scored 13 points and added seven assists. Ryan Kalkbrenner, a fifth-year center from Florissant, MO, led the Bluejays with 22 points. Jamiya Neal also accumulated 13 points and nine rebounds for Creighton.

Villanova battles Creighton at the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday afternoon.

Creighton made 47% of its field goals but only 23% of its three-point attempts. The Bluejays were one-for-14 (7%) from behind the arc in the first twenty minutes. Their struggles from three-point range allowed Villanova to recover from an early eight-point deficit in the first half.

Creighton dominated the rebounding battle, 40-28. Villanova was without freshman forward Josiah Moseley, who missed yesterday’s contest due to an illness. The Wildcats finished the game with only three offensive rebounds. It was the first time Villanova had fewer than 30 rebounds since January 11^th against St. John’s.

Despite the rebounding struggles, Villanova won the turnover battle. The Wildcats forced 18 turnovers and 13 steals. They scored 25 points off turnovers. Villanova only committed six turnovers against Creighton. With the turnovers, Villanova’s defense limited its opponent to 62 points for the first time since January 4^th against DePaul.

Villanova’s head coach, Kyle Neptune, discussed the Wildcats’ strong defensive effort against Creighton.

“I’m really proud of our guys, especially defensively,” Neptune said. “I thought we played hard the entire game. Unfortunately, we ended up on the other side of where we wanted to end up but really proud of our guys effort.”

Key Takeaways

Villanova’s Inability to Close Out Games

Villanova’s late-game struggles persisted Saturday in South Philly. The Wildcats scored only six points in the game’s final three minutes. Villanova’s defense played well, but the Wildcats left Ashworth wide open at the perimeter on the game’s most important play. Eric Dixon committed a turnover with one second remaining, securing Creighton’s victory.

Eric Dixon’s 2,000 Points

Dixon’s 17-point performance against the Bluejays pushed him over the 2,000-point mark in his college career. He became the 12^th player in school history, across both men’s and women’s programs, to reach 2,000 career points.

Dixon currently stands at 2,008 points, ranking him ninth in program scoring history. He is just 16 points away from tying John Pinone for eighth place.

Poplar Bounces Back

Wooga Poplar, a senior guard from Philadelphia, PA, delivered the best performance of any player on the court yesterday. He led all scorers with 24 points. Poplar bounced back after scoring only eight points against Marquette on Friday.

Wooga Poplar attempts a free throw in the second half of Saturday’s contest against Creighton.

In addition to his offensive production, Poplar also finished the contest with four rebounds and five steals.

Dumont’s Career-High 14 Minutes

Jordann Dumont, a redshirt freshman forward from Montreal, Canada, played a career-high 14 minutes against Creighton. He was one-for-three from the field with three points. He also added five rebounds. Dumont played well in the absence of Moseley.

“I thought he [Dumont] was good,” Neptune said. “I thought he brought some energy.”

Three-Point Shooting

Villanova’s three-point shooting was highly inefficient on Saturday. No Wildcats made more than one three-pointer. Villanova converted only three of its 17 attempts, resulting in a 17% success rate. This marked the first time this season that the Wildcats made less than 20% of their three-point attempts.

Villanova vs. DePaul on Wednesday

Villanova’s next Big East battle will be on Wednesday in Chicago against DePaul (10-12, 1-10). Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m., and the game can be watched on CBS Sports Network.