Saturday, January 15
Cincinnati, Ohio
11:00 AM
Creighton University
10-5,2-2Big East
73
at
80
#17 Xavier
13-3,3-2Big East
1
2
F
Creighton
34
39
73
Xavier
29
51
80
Arthur Kaluma
Photo by: Mitchell Layton
Men's Basketball Falls at No. 17 Xavier, 80-73
1/15/2022 1:19:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Bluejays look to regroup with two home games next week
CINCINNATI, Ohio -- No. 17 Xavier forced 21 turnovers and used a 19-4 run in the second half to earn an 80-73 win over visiting Creighton on Saturday, Jan. 15.
The Musketeers improved to 13-3 (3-2 BIG EAST) with the victory while Creighton fell to 10-5 (2-2 BIG EAST) with the setback.
The game got off to a frenzied start, with Xavier scoring on its first three trips to bolt to a 7-0 lead after 81 seconds. Creighton answered with an 11-0 run of its own as all five starters had a basket in the burst.
Despite 13 turnovers in the first half, Creighton still took a 34-29 lead into the break, with Alex O'Connell (10) and Ryan Nembhard (8) leading the way. Ryan Hawkins added six points and had nine rebounds as the Bluejays owned the glass to the tune of 20-10 in the first half, and Nembhard had five assists and three Bluejay steals before half. Creighton shot 60 percent (15-25) in the opening stanza, with Arthur Kaluma tipping in one of the misses just before the halftime buzzer.
Xavier was led by eight points from Jerome Hunter while Zach Freemantle contributed seven points before the break. Preseason All-BIG EAST guard Paul Scruggs was scoreless at the break, though he did dish four of XU's six assists.
The Bluejays held onto their lead for the first nine minutes of the second half until a 7-0 Xavier run gave the Musketeers its first lead since 7-5 at 51-49 with 9:13 remaining. That spurt turned into the game-deciding 19-4 surge that included eight points by Colby Jones.
Creighton drew within four (77-73) on a Trey Alexander triple with 33 seconds left, but got no closer.
O'Connell had a career-high 22 points to lead CU, with Nembhard (18) and Hawkins (13) also scoring in double-figures. Hawkins also added a season-high 13 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season.
Xavier was paced by 16 points from Jones, while Freemantle (13), Hunter (10), Scruggs (13), Adam Kunkel (12) and Jack Nunge (12) also reached double-figures. The Musketeers scored 19 points off CU turnovers.
Creighton is scheduled to return home for a pair of games next week, starting with Wednesday's 6 p.m. game vs. St. John's.
NOTES: Creighton has made a three-pointer in 928 straight games, including 299 games in a row before halftime ... Ryan Kalkbrenner had a career-high five blocked shots and moved into a tie for ninth in CU history in career blocked shots, passing Adam Reid (79) and tying Christian Bishop (82) ... Ryan Kalkbrenner had a career-high four assists ... Ryan Hawkins had his seventh game this season and 42nd career game with 10 or more rebounds, collecting a season-high 13 rebounds ... Hawkins became the fifth different Bluejay with at least 13 points and 13 rebounds in a game under Greg McDermott, joining Kenny Lawson Jr., Doug McDermott, Gregory Echenique and Martin Krampelj ... Alex O'Connell had his sixth straight game with 11 points or more ... 23 of the 35 all-time meetings involving Creighton and Xavier have been within five points in the final minute ... Creighton fell to 2-3 this season vs. top-25 teams, 26-38 all-time under Greg McDermott, and 43-153 in program history overall ... Teams with Ryan Hawkins dropped to 169-13 in his career, as he suffered consecutive losses for the first time at the collegiate level ... Creighton fell to 9-13 all-time on FOX since joining the BIG EAST ... Creighton fell to 6-1 this season when blocking six or more shots ... Creighton was playing its third straight game away from home.
The Musketeers improved to 13-3 (3-2 BIG EAST) with the victory while Creighton fell to 10-5 (2-2 BIG EAST) with the setback.
The game got off to a frenzied start, with Xavier scoring on its first three trips to bolt to a 7-0 lead after 81 seconds. Creighton answered with an 11-0 run of its own as all five starters had a basket in the burst.
Despite 13 turnovers in the first half, Creighton still took a 34-29 lead into the break, with Alex O'Connell (10) and Ryan Nembhard (8) leading the way. Ryan Hawkins added six points and had nine rebounds as the Bluejays owned the glass to the tune of 20-10 in the first half, and Nembhard had five assists and three Bluejay steals before half. Creighton shot 60 percent (15-25) in the opening stanza, with Arthur Kaluma tipping in one of the misses just before the halftime buzzer.
Xavier was led by eight points from Jerome Hunter while Zach Freemantle contributed seven points before the break. Preseason All-BIG EAST guard Paul Scruggs was scoreless at the break, though he did dish four of XU's six assists.
The Bluejays held onto their lead for the first nine minutes of the second half until a 7-0 Xavier run gave the Musketeers its first lead since 7-5 at 51-49 with 9:13 remaining. That spurt turned into the game-deciding 19-4 surge that included eight points by Colby Jones.
Creighton drew within four (77-73) on a Trey Alexander triple with 33 seconds left, but got no closer.
O'Connell had a career-high 22 points to lead CU, with Nembhard (18) and Hawkins (13) also scoring in double-figures. Hawkins also added a season-high 13 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season.
Xavier was paced by 16 points from Jones, while Freemantle (13), Hunter (10), Scruggs (13), Adam Kunkel (12) and Jack Nunge (12) also reached double-figures. The Musketeers scored 19 points off CU turnovers.
Creighton is scheduled to return home for a pair of games next week, starting with Wednesday's 6 p.m. game vs. St. John's.
NOTES: Creighton has made a three-pointer in 928 straight games, including 299 games in a row before halftime ... Ryan Kalkbrenner had a career-high five blocked shots and moved into a tie for ninth in CU history in career blocked shots, passing Adam Reid (79) and tying Christian Bishop (82) ... Ryan Kalkbrenner had a career-high four assists ... Ryan Hawkins had his seventh game this season and 42nd career game with 10 or more rebounds, collecting a season-high 13 rebounds ... Hawkins became the fifth different Bluejay with at least 13 points and 13 rebounds in a game under Greg McDermott, joining Kenny Lawson Jr., Doug McDermott, Gregory Echenique and Martin Krampelj ... Alex O'Connell had his sixth straight game with 11 points or more ... 23 of the 35 all-time meetings involving Creighton and Xavier have been within five points in the final minute ... Creighton fell to 2-3 this season vs. top-25 teams, 26-38 all-time under Greg McDermott, and 43-153 in program history overall ... Teams with Ryan Hawkins dropped to 169-13 in his career, as he suffered consecutive losses for the first time at the collegiate level ... Creighton fell to 9-13 all-time on FOX since joining the BIG EAST ... Creighton fell to 6-1 this season when blocking six or more shots ... Creighton was playing its third straight game away from home.
Team Stats
CU
XU
FG%
.500
.431
3FG%
.429
.313
FT%
.800
.655
RB
36
35
TO
21
9
STL
5
11
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
22
FGM
7
3FGM
4
FTM
4
Pts
18
FGM
8
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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