Tuesday, February 8
Omaha, Neb.
8:00 PM
Creighton University
14-8,6-5Big East
54
vs
52
Butler
11-13,4-9Big East
1
2
F
Butler
30
22
52
Creighton
26
28
54
Photo by: Catherine Grosdidier
Last Minute Comeback Sees Men's Basketball Rally For Gritty 54-52 Win Over Butler
2/8/2022 11:01:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Bluejays improve to 5-0 when trailing at halftime this season in home games
OMAHA, Neb. -- Freshman Ryan Nembhard scored three points in the final 32 seconds to lead the Creighton men's basketball team to a 54-52 win over Butler at CHI Health Center Omaha on Feb. 8.
Nembhard, who scored just two points in the game's first 39 minutes gave CU a 53-52 lead on a driving lay-up with 32.0 seconds left, then added an insurance point when he split two free throws with 8.1 seconds left. CU then came up with a defensive stand as Butler guard Aaron Thompson lost control of the ball before attempting a game-tying shot in the waning seconds.
The win lifted Creighton to 14-8 on the season and 6-5 in BIG EAST action, while Butler fell to 11-13 overall and 4-9 in conference play. The home team has now won the last 10 regular-season meetings.
Freshman Arthur Kaluma and sixth-year senior Ryan Hawkins combined for 31 points to lead the Bluejays. Kaluma scored 16 to lead CU in scoring for the second straight time against Butler, while Hawkins added 13 of his 15 points after halftime, when he made 5-of-6 shots.
The Bulldog defense dictated play in the opening 10 minutes, limiting the Bluejays to a 3-of-10 start from the field as Creighton trailed 16-10 with 10:36 remaining in the first half.
Down 21-12 with just under eight minutes remaining, Kaluma began a Bluejay rally with a traditional three-point play via a dunk and the bonus free throw. Moments later the Arizona native converted a driving layup to make it 21-17. Following another defensive stop the Bluejays knocked down their first trey of the game as senior Alex O'Connell connected from the right wing, bringing Creighton within one at 21-20 and forcing Butler head coach LaVall Jordan to use a timeout. Creighton's run extended to 11-0 as the Bluejays' seized their first lead since the 17-minute mark with 3:06 showing on the clock when freshman Trey Alexander knocked down three free throws.
Butler went scoreless for better than seven minutes (7:41) in the opening stanza, going from 9:27 to 1:46, yet the final 106 seconds went the Bulldogs way. Butler got nine points down the stretch to take a 30-26 edge into the locker room.
A unique end to the first half also saw Creighton head coach Greg McDermott hit with a technical foul after the clock had run out. The resulting free throws were carried over to open the second half. The Bulldogs split the two free throws, but it seemed to inspire Creighton and the crowd of 15,375. The Bluejays responded with the next six points to recapture a 32-31 lead with 17:47 to play.
Knotted at 35-35, Kaluma turned the momentum Creighton's way once more by driving for another three-point play, getting a late shot clock layup and the free throw. Hawkins converted a short jumper on the Bluejays' next possession, which kicked the Iowa native's motor into high gear. Hawkins went on to score 10 straight for the Bluejays, connecting twice from long range to push Creighton advantage to its largest margin at 48-40 with 9:17 remaining.
With the game in the balance the defense for both teams rose up. Butler held Creighton to just three points and took the lead with 1:05 left on a lay-up in transition by Jayden Taylor to give Butler a 52-51 lead, its first advantage since its was 35-34.
That set the stage for Nembhard's heroics, which began after Alexander grabbed an offensive rebound after a missed three-point try from Bluejay senior Alex O'Connell.
Kaluma led all scorers with 16 points, while Hawkins finished with 15 points. O'Connell guided Creighton on the glass, grabbing 10 rebounds to tie his career-high. Creighton shot 38.8 percent for the game and made 12-of-16 free throws while outscoring BU 12-4 in transition.
Butler also had two players reach double figures, getting 13 from Taylor and 10 points by Bo Hodges. The Bulldogs shot 34.5 percent for the game and just 25 percent after the break. BU won the rebound battle 37-34 and converted nine offensive rebounds into 14 points.
The Bluejays hit the road for their next contest, playing their first of two consecutive games with Georgetown on Saturday, Feb. 12 in Washington, D.C at 11:00 a.m. Central on FS1. The two teams will travel to Omaha to face off on Monday, Feb. 14 at CHI Health Center Omaha at 8 p.m.
NOTES: Ryan Kalkbrenner had a block in his 20th straight game (CU's longest streak since Benoit Benjamin in 1984-85) and ended the night with 101 career swats. He reached the century mark in blocks in 53 career games, third-fastest in program history behind only Benjamin (31 games) and Doug Swenson (47) ... Creighton improved to 5-0 in home games this season when trailing at halftime ... Creighton is now 8-3 at home this year, including a 4-1 mark in BIG EAST action ... Butler has not swept Creighton since the 2014-15 season ... Creighton has won seven straight games on CBS Sports Network and improved to 19-14 on the network since joining the BIG EAST ... Greg McDermott improved to 267-133 after 400 games on the Creighton sideline ... Greg McDermott's technical foul was his first since Dec. 8, 2018 ... Creighton has made a three-pointer in 935 straight games and a trey before half in 306 games in a row ... The 14 lead changes were a season-high for a Creighton game.
Nembhard, who scored just two points in the game's first 39 minutes gave CU a 53-52 lead on a driving lay-up with 32.0 seconds left, then added an insurance point when he split two free throws with 8.1 seconds left. CU then came up with a defensive stand as Butler guard Aaron Thompson lost control of the ball before attempting a game-tying shot in the waning seconds.
The win lifted Creighton to 14-8 on the season and 6-5 in BIG EAST action, while Butler fell to 11-13 overall and 4-9 in conference play. The home team has now won the last 10 regular-season meetings.
Freshman Arthur Kaluma and sixth-year senior Ryan Hawkins combined for 31 points to lead the Bluejays. Kaluma scored 16 to lead CU in scoring for the second straight time against Butler, while Hawkins added 13 of his 15 points after halftime, when he made 5-of-6 shots.
The Bulldog defense dictated play in the opening 10 minutes, limiting the Bluejays to a 3-of-10 start from the field as Creighton trailed 16-10 with 10:36 remaining in the first half.
Down 21-12 with just under eight minutes remaining, Kaluma began a Bluejay rally with a traditional three-point play via a dunk and the bonus free throw. Moments later the Arizona native converted a driving layup to make it 21-17. Following another defensive stop the Bluejays knocked down their first trey of the game as senior Alex O'Connell connected from the right wing, bringing Creighton within one at 21-20 and forcing Butler head coach LaVall Jordan to use a timeout. Creighton's run extended to 11-0 as the Bluejays' seized their first lead since the 17-minute mark with 3:06 showing on the clock when freshman Trey Alexander knocked down three free throws.
Butler went scoreless for better than seven minutes (7:41) in the opening stanza, going from 9:27 to 1:46, yet the final 106 seconds went the Bulldogs way. Butler got nine points down the stretch to take a 30-26 edge into the locker room.
A unique end to the first half also saw Creighton head coach Greg McDermott hit with a technical foul after the clock had run out. The resulting free throws were carried over to open the second half. The Bulldogs split the two free throws, but it seemed to inspire Creighton and the crowd of 15,375. The Bluejays responded with the next six points to recapture a 32-31 lead with 17:47 to play.
Knotted at 35-35, Kaluma turned the momentum Creighton's way once more by driving for another three-point play, getting a late shot clock layup and the free throw. Hawkins converted a short jumper on the Bluejays' next possession, which kicked the Iowa native's motor into high gear. Hawkins went on to score 10 straight for the Bluejays, connecting twice from long range to push Creighton advantage to its largest margin at 48-40 with 9:17 remaining.
With the game in the balance the defense for both teams rose up. Butler held Creighton to just three points and took the lead with 1:05 left on a lay-up in transition by Jayden Taylor to give Butler a 52-51 lead, its first advantage since its was 35-34.
That set the stage for Nembhard's heroics, which began after Alexander grabbed an offensive rebound after a missed three-point try from Bluejay senior Alex O'Connell.
Kaluma led all scorers with 16 points, while Hawkins finished with 15 points. O'Connell guided Creighton on the glass, grabbing 10 rebounds to tie his career-high. Creighton shot 38.8 percent for the game and made 12-of-16 free throws while outscoring BU 12-4 in transition.
Butler also had two players reach double figures, getting 13 from Taylor and 10 points by Bo Hodges. The Bulldogs shot 34.5 percent for the game and just 25 percent after the break. BU won the rebound battle 37-34 and converted nine offensive rebounds into 14 points.
The Bluejays hit the road for their next contest, playing their first of two consecutive games with Georgetown on Saturday, Feb. 12 in Washington, D.C at 11:00 a.m. Central on FS1. The two teams will travel to Omaha to face off on Monday, Feb. 14 at CHI Health Center Omaha at 8 p.m.
NOTES: Ryan Kalkbrenner had a block in his 20th straight game (CU's longest streak since Benoit Benjamin in 1984-85) and ended the night with 101 career swats. He reached the century mark in blocks in 53 career games, third-fastest in program history behind only Benjamin (31 games) and Doug Swenson (47) ... Creighton improved to 5-0 in home games this season when trailing at halftime ... Creighton is now 8-3 at home this year, including a 4-1 mark in BIG EAST action ... Butler has not swept Creighton since the 2014-15 season ... Creighton has won seven straight games on CBS Sports Network and improved to 19-14 on the network since joining the BIG EAST ... Greg McDermott improved to 267-133 after 400 games on the Creighton sideline ... Greg McDermott's technical foul was his first since Dec. 8, 2018 ... Creighton has made a three-pointer in 935 straight games and a trey before half in 306 games in a row ... The 14 lead changes were a season-high for a Creighton game.
Team Stats
Butler
CU
FG%
.345
.388
3FG%
.235
.235
FT%
.625
.750
RB
37
34
TO
11
12
STL
5
3
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
16
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
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