Tuesday, January 12
CenturyLink Center Omaha
7:45 PM
Creighton University
12-6, 3-2BE
48
vs
50
Providence
15-2, 3-1BE
1
2
F
#12 Providence
18
32
50
Creighton
25
23
48
Toby Hegner
Photo by: Corey Solotorovsky
Dunn's Buzzer-Beater Leads #12 Providence Past Men's Basketball
1/12/2016 9:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Kris Dunn drains game-winner at the buzzer
OMAHA, Neb. -- National Player of the Year candidate Kris Dunn's jumper rolled in as time expired as No. 12 Providence defeated Creighton 50-48 before 17,073 fans at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
Providence improved to 15-2 (3-1 BIG EAST), while Creighton dropped to 12-6 (3-2 BIG EAST).
Dunn had 16 of his 20 points after halftime and also finished with eight rebounds to tie Ben Bentil for the team-lead on the glass. Bentil, the league's leading scorer, finished with 13 points.
After Maurice Watson Jr. tied the game with 11.9 seconds left, Dunn brought the ball up against token pressure for his game-winner. He went 1-on-1 against Bluejay defender Khyri Thomas, faked towards the basket around the free throw line, and hit a step-back jumper from 17 feet just past the left elbow. The shot hit the flat part on the back of the rim, then the front of the rim, before falling through as it hit the back rim as the clock went to zeroes. The mandatory review of the game-winner was brief, as Providence topped the Bluejays for the fourth straight meeting.
Toby Hegner led Creighton with 11 points off the bench, part of a 27-11 advantage by the Bluejay reserves on the evening.
Creighton led 25-18 at half and Providence didn't take its first lead until two Dunn free throws made it 45-43 with 4:13 left. The Friars stretched the lead to three points late, only to see James Milliken split two foul shots with 45.1 ticks left to make it a two-point game. Creighton elected to defend, and Watson forced a steal of Dunn with 23 seconds left. He would later score on a reverse lay-up to tie the score with 11.9 left to precede Dunn's heroics.
Providence shot 29.6 percent in the victory, sinking 16-of-54 shots overall, including a 5-for-28 first half. The Friars made 4-of-24 three-point shots, 14-of-19 free throws and had 15 turnovers against just eight assists.
Creighton shot a season-low 25.8 percent in the game, while draining 17-of-66 attempts. The Bluejays were 5-of-23 from downtown and 9-of-13 at the line. Hegner was the lone player in double-figures, while Watson had nine points and a season-high nine rebounds. Bluejay big man Geoffrey Groselle was limited to four points and four rebounds in 14 minutes before fouling out, though he did tie a career-high with two steals, as both teams battled foul trouble throughout the evening.
Creighton returns to action on Sunday at 12:01 pm when it visits DePaul (6-11, 0-5 BIG EAST).
NOTES: The game-winning shot by Kris Dunn was the first against Creighton as time expired in the second half or overtime in its 13-year history at CenturyLink Center Omaha, and just the second in the building's history. Creighton's Anthony Tolliver hit a shot to beat Wichita State as time expired on Jan. 28, 2006 ... Creighton had not lost on a game-winning shot with no time left since UNI's Anthony James' game-winning three-pointer on Feb. 4, 2012, in Cedar Falls ... The 12-point deficit overcome by Providence was the largest in a victory over Creighton at CenturyLink Center Omaha in history, one more than margins done by Drexel (2/17/07) and Missouri State (1/4/11). Kansas also overcame an 11-point deficit in the NCAA Tournament against Purdue (3/18/12) ... Creighton entered the game ranked 12th nationally in scoring offense (85.2 ppg.) and was averaging 90.0 points per home game entering Tuesday ... Creighton was held without a fast break point after entering the game averaging 11.1 points per game in transition.
Providence improved to 15-2 (3-1 BIG EAST), while Creighton dropped to 12-6 (3-2 BIG EAST).
Dunn had 16 of his 20 points after halftime and also finished with eight rebounds to tie Ben Bentil for the team-lead on the glass. Bentil, the league's leading scorer, finished with 13 points.
After Maurice Watson Jr. tied the game with 11.9 seconds left, Dunn brought the ball up against token pressure for his game-winner. He went 1-on-1 against Bluejay defender Khyri Thomas, faked towards the basket around the free throw line, and hit a step-back jumper from 17 feet just past the left elbow. The shot hit the flat part on the back of the rim, then the front of the rim, before falling through as it hit the back rim as the clock went to zeroes. The mandatory review of the game-winner was brief, as Providence topped the Bluejays for the fourth straight meeting.
Toby Hegner led Creighton with 11 points off the bench, part of a 27-11 advantage by the Bluejay reserves on the evening.
Creighton led 25-18 at half and Providence didn't take its first lead until two Dunn free throws made it 45-43 with 4:13 left. The Friars stretched the lead to three points late, only to see James Milliken split two foul shots with 45.1 ticks left to make it a two-point game. Creighton elected to defend, and Watson forced a steal of Dunn with 23 seconds left. He would later score on a reverse lay-up to tie the score with 11.9 left to precede Dunn's heroics.
Providence shot 29.6 percent in the victory, sinking 16-of-54 shots overall, including a 5-for-28 first half. The Friars made 4-of-24 three-point shots, 14-of-19 free throws and had 15 turnovers against just eight assists.
Creighton shot a season-low 25.8 percent in the game, while draining 17-of-66 attempts. The Bluejays were 5-of-23 from downtown and 9-of-13 at the line. Hegner was the lone player in double-figures, while Watson had nine points and a season-high nine rebounds. Bluejay big man Geoffrey Groselle was limited to four points and four rebounds in 14 minutes before fouling out, though he did tie a career-high with two steals, as both teams battled foul trouble throughout the evening.
Creighton returns to action on Sunday at 12:01 pm when it visits DePaul (6-11, 0-5 BIG EAST).
NOTES: The game-winning shot by Kris Dunn was the first against Creighton as time expired in the second half or overtime in its 13-year history at CenturyLink Center Omaha, and just the second in the building's history. Creighton's Anthony Tolliver hit a shot to beat Wichita State as time expired on Jan. 28, 2006 ... Creighton had not lost on a game-winning shot with no time left since UNI's Anthony James' game-winning three-pointer on Feb. 4, 2012, in Cedar Falls ... The 12-point deficit overcome by Providence was the largest in a victory over Creighton at CenturyLink Center Omaha in history, one more than margins done by Drexel (2/17/07) and Missouri State (1/4/11). Kansas also overcame an 11-point deficit in the NCAA Tournament against Purdue (3/18/12) ... Creighton entered the game ranked 12th nationally in scoring offense (85.2 ppg.) and was averaging 90.0 points per home game entering Tuesday ... Creighton was held without a fast break point after entering the game averaging 11.1 points per game in transition.
Team Stats
PC
CU
FG%
.296
.258
3FG%
.167
.217
FT%
.737
.692
RB
43
46
TO
15
11
STL
6
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
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