Villanova didn’t play its best basketball Wednesday night but was able to tough out an ugly 66-59 win over Creighton. The victory moved the ‘Cats to 19-4 overall and 10-0 in the Big East, putting them in an excellent position. Let’s look at the key numbers that defined the win.

17: Points for Saddiq Bey

With the Bluejays selling out to prevent Phil Booth and Eric Paschall from beating them, and the ‘Nova offense struggling in general, the ‘Cats desperately needed someone to step up. That someone ended up being Saddiq Bey.

The freshman posted a career-high 17 points, taking advantage of Creighton’s strategy to focus on Booth and Paschall and making it pay. He added five rebounds and three steals, giving the Wildcats a huge, much-needed boost.

We'll dig a little deeper into Bey’s night in our key takeaways from the game.

10: Made 3’s for Villanova

The Wildcats weren’t having their usual offensive night and shot just 29.4 percent from long range, but they still managed to knock down 10 3’s and that proved to be a huge difference in the game. Creighton managed just five makes from beyond the arc, giving ‘Nova a 15-point advantage from deep.

14: Made free throws for Villanova

The ‘Cats were also able to turn the charity stripe into an advantage despite shooting 63.6 percent. Much like the 3-pointers, volume was key, as ‘Nova went 14-22 from the line while limiting Creighton to just six makes in nine attempts. The advantage from 3 and from the line provided just enough offense to overcome the overall struggles offensively.

It wasn’t pretty, but at the end of the day a win is a win and ‘Nova will certainly take it. Jay Wright mentioned after the game that he thinks there’s a lot the ‘Cats can learn from this game and that it’s a positive to be able to learn from a win rather than a loss. Hopefully, they can apply those lessons in time for Saturday’s big matchup with Marquette.