OMAHA, Neb. _ Another road game, another half-crazed sellout crowd, and another chance to grind out a win in a tough environment was the task Saturday for third-ranked Villanova.
But it wasn't to be for the Wildcats. They gave up an eight-point lead in the final 4{ minutes of regulation as Creighton forced overtime, then went on an extended dry spell in the extra period to drop an 89-83 decision to the Bluejays before 18,321 at CenturyLink Center.
The loss dropped the Wildcats (25-4, 12-4) one game behind Xavier in the battle for first place in the Big East with two games remaining in the regular season.
Jalen Brunson led Villanova with 22 points and Mikal Bridges added 18 for the Cats, who shot 41.1 percent in the game and 30.8 percent (12 of 39) from 3-point range. Marcus Foster led the Bluejays (20-9, 9-7) with 28 points and Khyri Thomas contributed 24.
The Wildcats led 68-60 with 4 minutes, 32 seconds to play following an 8-0 run in which Brunson accounted for all eight points. But they missed their next six shots and Creighton scored nine straight and took the lead, 69-68, on two free throws by Mitch Ballock with 1:19 remaining.
Brunson then converted a conventional three-point play with 52.1 seconds left to give Villanova a two-point lead but Ballock answered with a 3-ball at the 32-second mark to put the Bluejays back in front. After Bridges missed a 3-point attempt, Thomas went to the line but missed the front end of a one-and-one.
Donte DiVincenzo rebounded, was fouled, and made one of two free throws with 9.3 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 72 and Bridges blocked a layup attempt by Marcus Foster to force overtime.
Eric Paschall scored on each of Villanova's first two possessions of the extra period for a 76-76 tie but the Wildcats didn't score again for close to 2{ minutes after that. The Bluejays scored five straight points and led 81-76 on Foster's free throw with 1:22 to play.
After Brunson scored for the Cats, Thomas was fouled by Phil Booth, a foul that was ruled a Flagrant 1. Thomas made a free throw and Ballock sank a layup on the ensuing possession to give Creighton an 84-78 lead with 1:02 to play. Foster then hit three free throws to ice the game.
Brunson ended the first half with 8 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists to help Villanova take a 40-38 lead at the half, a period in which its largest lead was five points.
The Wildcats matched that margin in the early part of the second half, then later led 49-45 on Bridges' second four-point play of the game with 15:46 to play. But they went without a field goal for the next 5:44 and the Bluejays capitalized with an 11-1 run that featured three baskets from 6-11 backup center Jacob Epperson.
Villanova answered with a 10-2 run that included 3-point baskets by Omari Spellman and DiVincenzo that helped them regain the advantage at 60-58 with 8:32 remaining.
Both teams were on fire at the start of the game, with each knocking down four 3-point baskets in the opening four minutes of the game for a 15-15 tie. A trey by Thomas, his fifth of the game, gave the Bluejays a 25-24 lead with 9:54 left in the half.
The Wildcats scored the next five points on a 3 by Bridges and Paschall's layup before Creighton went on an 8-0 run sparked by a 3-ball from Foster to go up 33-29 with 5:39 left in the half.
Villanova, however, held the Bluejays scoreless on the next seven possessions and went on a 9-0 spurt of its own, with a conventional three-point play from Brunson, followed by a 3-point basket from Booth, giving them a 38-33 lead _ their largest of the first half _ with 2:20 left.
But Foster reduced the deficit with a dunk and a 3-pointer at the buzzer, the latter despite the best defensive efforts of Booth, and the Cats held a 40-38 advantage at the break.
