Booth sparks Villanova’s comeback over Creighton
OMAHA, NEB. >> Villanova called on Phil Booth again. As usual, he delivered.
Booth scored 19 of his 28 points after halftime to ignite the Wildcats’ surge as they came from behind to beat Creighton 90-78 on Sunday.
“He’s got an incredible humility about him where when you need him, he’s there,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “If you don’t need him, he’s doing all the little things and he’s not complaining. It’s what makes him a great leader and great player.”
Booth made all four of his 3-pointers in the second half and scored eight straight points early in a 26-6 spurt that turned Villanova’s 47-38 deficit into a 64-53 lead with 9½ minutes left. The Bluejays had two scoring droughts of more than 4 minutes as Villanova (13-4, 4-0 Big East) pulled away.
The defending champion Wildcats came back from sizeable deficits for the third time in four games. They trailed by 13 before beating No. 24 St. John’s on Tuesday and by 14 in a win over DePaul on Jan. 2. Booth hit the go-ahead 3-pointer late and scored 23 points against St. John’s.