Wednesday, December 7
Lincoln, Neb.
8:00 PM
Creighton University
9-0
77
at
62
Nebraska
5-4
1
2
F
Creighton
31
46
77
Nebraska
30
32
62
Toby Hegner
Photo by: A.J. Olnes
Second Half Surge Lifts Men's Basketball To 77-62 Win Over Nebraska
12/7/2016 7:37:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Bluejays use runs ealry in both halves to win first true road game of 2016-17
Lincoln, Neb. -- After a back-and-forth battle in the first half, the 10th-ranked Creighton men's basketball team imposed their will in the second half to best Nebraska, 77-62, on Wednesday, Dec. 7.
The victory moved the Bluejays to 9-0 on the season, while the Huskers dropped to 5-4 overall. It is Creighton's sixth consecutive win over Nebraska and head coach Greg McDermott's 13th win without a loss against his counterpart in Lincoln, Tim Miles. It also evened the series at 25-all in the 50th all-time meeting between the in-state rivals that are separated by about an hour.
Leading 39-37 with just over 16 minutes left in the second half, the Bluejays took over with 12 straight points. Lay-ups from senior Maurice Watson Jr., sophomore Khyri Thomas and junior Toby Hegner got the run started, while trifectas from senior Cole Huff and Thomas capped it to push Creighton up 51-37 with 9:54 left
Leading 55-43 moments later (6:55), the Bluejays put the game away with an 11-2 spurt. Once more the offense came from Watson and Hegner supplied all the offense. Hegner notched five on two dunks and a free throw, while Watson six came on two layups and a mid-range jumper to make it 66-55 with 2:54 remaining.
Early in the battle both teams put their mark on the first half. Creighton got going first as the Bluejays seized control with a 14-0 run in the opening moments. Freshman Justin Patton and Watson got things started as Thomas found Patton open on the right block for an uncontested layup. Following a stop, Watson used a Patton screen to deliver another open layup. Senior Cole Huff followed with a historic three-pointer as the California native crossed the 1,000-point threshold in his collegiate career.
Creighton's defense was the difference over the opening eight minutes as the Bluejays forced the Nebraska into 11 consecutive missed field goals, allowing Creighton to build an 18-6 edge with 11:48 remaining in the opening period. Nebraska answered with an extended run of its to knot the game at 25-25 (3:18), but Creighton scored the ensuing five points and took a slim 31-30 lead in at the half.
The Bluejays shot 61% from the field in the second half, to finish their ninth game of the season shooting at least 50% from the field, as Creighton closed the contest 30-of-59 for 51%.
Watson led the Bluejays with a season-high 25 points, while Huff also reached double figures with 13. Nebraska got 20 points from Tai Webster in the loss.
Creighton returns to action on Friday, Dec. 9 as the Bluejays host Longwood at 6:30 pm in the CenturyLink Center in Omaha. The Lancers enter Friday's battle at 2-4 after dropping a 71-59 home game to James Madison on Saturday, Dec. 3.
Creighton Head Coach Greg McDermott
On what he learned about team while playing tough game on the road:
"We had to win kind of an ugly game. They're trying to make us play that way. This is probably the fewest fast-break points we've had on the season, but we still got twelve of them. And some of them, and some of them come at key times. I like to think that our pace wears on you over time. We had a hard time of it in the first half because we had to play guys extended minutes because of foul trouble. We were able to save Marcus (Foster) and Justin (Patton) and some of those guys the first half. It was a 'grind it out' game. It was an ugly game, and I anticipated that it would be. It's never easy to come in here and play."
On Creighton's ability to pull away and Maurice Watson Jr.'s ability to control game:
"I knew this was going to be difficult, and it proved to be the first half. Tim's (Miles) team didn't quit when got them down early. I thought we really had a chance to maybe create some separation once we got it to 18-4 to maybe put them away. To their credit, they got us taking a lot of 'first side' shots and then continued to grind it offensively where there were some long possessions. The reality of it is, Maurice (Watson Jr.) is one of the best point guards in the country. He can control a game. He's controlled games this year where he's scored eight points, and he's controlled games where he's scored twenty-five like tonight. He impacts the game in so many ways. We had to survive some foul trouble. And in the second half we got into the teeth of their defense and shot a really good percentage against very good defensive team."
On Nebraska's defensive plan and how Creighton countered:
"I had a sense they tried to do something. We've gotten so many of those to Justin (Patton) through eight games. Obviously that takes the life out of the building when you're at home if guys are alley-oop dunking. We saw early that they committed to that and we told Maurice (Watson Jr.), 'They're not going to leave the shooter and they're not going to leave the roll guy—that means you are open going to the rim, and you have to go attack and score until they do something different.' That's what makes us hard to guard when you have a guy like Maurice's (Watson Jr.) ability that can make those decisions and a guy like Justin's (Patton) length and athletic ability attacking the rim. Then you got good shooters surrounding them."
On where he sees Nebraska's season going moving forward:
"I've said leading up to the game: I think that that freshman class from last year has made incredible strides. (Michael) Jacobson, (Ed) Morrow, (Glynn) Watson Jr. have really, really improved. (Jack) McVeigh's had some games where he's shot the basketball well. (Tai) Webster, I don't know in my twenty-eight years of coaching if I've ever seen a guy who's improved from his sophomore to his junior, he improved his scoring average by seven points, and then he did it again from his junior year to his senior year. That's almost unheard of, so obviously he's spent an incredible amount of time in the gym working on his game. I think with his leadership they're going to have a chance to be in games. Then it's just a matter of young guys figuring out how to win close games. Tim (Miles) will keep them going the right direction. They'll be competitive to the end."
The victory moved the Bluejays to 9-0 on the season, while the Huskers dropped to 5-4 overall. It is Creighton's sixth consecutive win over Nebraska and head coach Greg McDermott's 13th win without a loss against his counterpart in Lincoln, Tim Miles. It also evened the series at 25-all in the 50th all-time meeting between the in-state rivals that are separated by about an hour.
Leading 39-37 with just over 16 minutes left in the second half, the Bluejays took over with 12 straight points. Lay-ups from senior Maurice Watson Jr., sophomore Khyri Thomas and junior Toby Hegner got the run started, while trifectas from senior Cole Huff and Thomas capped it to push Creighton up 51-37 with 9:54 left
Leading 55-43 moments later (6:55), the Bluejays put the game away with an 11-2 spurt. Once more the offense came from Watson and Hegner supplied all the offense. Hegner notched five on two dunks and a free throw, while Watson six came on two layups and a mid-range jumper to make it 66-55 with 2:54 remaining.
Early in the battle both teams put their mark on the first half. Creighton got going first as the Bluejays seized control with a 14-0 run in the opening moments. Freshman Justin Patton and Watson got things started as Thomas found Patton open on the right block for an uncontested layup. Following a stop, Watson used a Patton screen to deliver another open layup. Senior Cole Huff followed with a historic three-pointer as the California native crossed the 1,000-point threshold in his collegiate career.
Creighton's defense was the difference over the opening eight minutes as the Bluejays forced the Nebraska into 11 consecutive missed field goals, allowing Creighton to build an 18-6 edge with 11:48 remaining in the opening period. Nebraska answered with an extended run of its to knot the game at 25-25 (3:18), but Creighton scored the ensuing five points and took a slim 31-30 lead in at the half.
The Bluejays shot 61% from the field in the second half, to finish their ninth game of the season shooting at least 50% from the field, as Creighton closed the contest 30-of-59 for 51%.
Watson led the Bluejays with a season-high 25 points, while Huff also reached double figures with 13. Nebraska got 20 points from Tai Webster in the loss.
Creighton returns to action on Friday, Dec. 9 as the Bluejays host Longwood at 6:30 pm in the CenturyLink Center in Omaha. The Lancers enter Friday's battle at 2-4 after dropping a 71-59 home game to James Madison on Saturday, Dec. 3.
Creighton Head Coach Greg McDermott
On what he learned about team while playing tough game on the road:
"We had to win kind of an ugly game. They're trying to make us play that way. This is probably the fewest fast-break points we've had on the season, but we still got twelve of them. And some of them, and some of them come at key times. I like to think that our pace wears on you over time. We had a hard time of it in the first half because we had to play guys extended minutes because of foul trouble. We were able to save Marcus (Foster) and Justin (Patton) and some of those guys the first half. It was a 'grind it out' game. It was an ugly game, and I anticipated that it would be. It's never easy to come in here and play."
On Creighton's ability to pull away and Maurice Watson Jr.'s ability to control game:
"I knew this was going to be difficult, and it proved to be the first half. Tim's (Miles) team didn't quit when got them down early. I thought we really had a chance to maybe create some separation once we got it to 18-4 to maybe put them away. To their credit, they got us taking a lot of 'first side' shots and then continued to grind it offensively where there were some long possessions. The reality of it is, Maurice (Watson Jr.) is one of the best point guards in the country. He can control a game. He's controlled games this year where he's scored eight points, and he's controlled games where he's scored twenty-five like tonight. He impacts the game in so many ways. We had to survive some foul trouble. And in the second half we got into the teeth of their defense and shot a really good percentage against very good defensive team."
On Nebraska's defensive plan and how Creighton countered:
"I had a sense they tried to do something. We've gotten so many of those to Justin (Patton) through eight games. Obviously that takes the life out of the building when you're at home if guys are alley-oop dunking. We saw early that they committed to that and we told Maurice (Watson Jr.), 'They're not going to leave the shooter and they're not going to leave the roll guy—that means you are open going to the rim, and you have to go attack and score until they do something different.' That's what makes us hard to guard when you have a guy like Maurice's (Watson Jr.) ability that can make those decisions and a guy like Justin's (Patton) length and athletic ability attacking the rim. Then you got good shooters surrounding them."
On where he sees Nebraska's season going moving forward:
"I've said leading up to the game: I think that that freshman class from last year has made incredible strides. (Michael) Jacobson, (Ed) Morrow, (Glynn) Watson Jr. have really, really improved. (Jack) McVeigh's had some games where he's shot the basketball well. (Tai) Webster, I don't know in my twenty-eight years of coaching if I've ever seen a guy who's improved from his sophomore to his junior, he improved his scoring average by seven points, and then he did it again from his junior year to his senior year. That's almost unheard of, so obviously he's spent an incredible amount of time in the gym working on his game. I think with his leadership they're going to have a chance to be in games. Then it's just a matter of young guys figuring out how to win close games. Tim (Miles) will keep them going the right direction. They'll be competitive to the end."
Team Stats
CU
NEB
FG%
.508
.324
3FG%
.333
.136
FT%
.522
.813
RB
43
42
TO
13
13
STL
5
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
25
FGM
10
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
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