Saturday, January 2
CenturyLink Center Omaha
9:01 PM
Creighton University
10-5, 1-1BE
71
vs
85
Villanova
12-2, 2-0BE
1
2
F
#16 Villanova
40
45
85
Creighton
35
36
71
James Milliken
Photo by: Corey Solotorovsky
Men's Basketball Falls Before Sellout Crowd Against #16 Villanova
1/2/2016 10:53:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Creighton falls to 10-5 on the year after a rare home loss
OMAHA, Neb. -- It wasn't quite the school-record 78.6 percent that it shot its memorable 1985 NCAA Tournament finals win over Georgetown, but No. 16 Villanova shot 68 percent from the field in an 85-71 win over host Creighton on Saturday night before a sellout crowd of 17,375 at CenturyLink Center Omaha. The Wildcats sank 28-of-32 shots from two-point range on the night in the victory.
Villanova improved to 12-2 (2-0 BIG EAST), while Creighton dropped to 10-5 (1-1 BIG EAST). The contest started at 9 pm Central time and was the fifth and final FS1 broadcast of the day as part of the annual BIG EAST Marathon that featured all 10 league teams.
Villanova led nearly the entire first half, going up by as much as 10 points (31-21) before settling for a 40-35 halftime lead. Creighton missed its first 11 shots from three-point range before Isaiah Zierden and James Milliken connected on three-pointers late in the half. Daniel Ochefu made all seven attempts and had 15 points in 10 minutes at the half, while teammate Josh Hart was 6-for-7 and had 13 points in the opening 20 minutes. CU was paced by 10 points from Cole Huff in the first half, while Maurice Watson Jr. picked up two early fouls and was limited to just 10 minutes before the break.
Creighton never got closer than five in the second half, as Nova pulled away each time the hosts crept closer and the spirited crowd was on the verge of pandemonium.
Hart had 25 points for VU, while Ochefu (19), Jalen Brunson (15) and Ryan Arcidiacono (10) also scored in double-figures. Kris Jenkins set a career-high with five assists by the first media timeout and finished with six assists, while Hart and Ochefu's point totals were both two shy of their career-highs. The Wildcats shot 68 percent on the night, sinking 34-of-50 shots, for the best performance by a Creighton opponent since Jan. 22, 1987 when Bradley shot 68.5 percent (37-54). Per KenPom.com, the Wildcats had the nation's best two-point shooting percentage (.875) since Jan. 9, 2007.
Watson had 15 points, Isaiah Zierden added 14 and Huff recorded 13 points overall for CU.
Creighton hosts Georgetown on Tuesday night at 8:15 pm.
NOTES: Villanova is shooting 65.4 percent in two league wins, as it had made 63.2 percent (36-of-57 shots) in Thursday's 95-64 win over No. 6 Xavier ... Sixteenth-ranked Xavier was the 10th ranked foe for Creighton in the past 365 days ... Villanova have won 40 of its last 41 games when scoring 70 or more points ... Geoffrey Groselle took just one field goal attempt, and made it, and has now made 26-of-28 field goal attempts in the last four games ... Creighton's streak of eight straight home games shooting 50 percent or better at home was snapped, as CU shot 45.5 percent on the evening ... Creighton finished 5-of-23 from downtown and has now made at least one three-pointer in 728 straight games ... Villanova did not have an offensive rebound on the night.
Villanova improved to 12-2 (2-0 BIG EAST), while Creighton dropped to 10-5 (1-1 BIG EAST). The contest started at 9 pm Central time and was the fifth and final FS1 broadcast of the day as part of the annual BIG EAST Marathon that featured all 10 league teams.
Villanova led nearly the entire first half, going up by as much as 10 points (31-21) before settling for a 40-35 halftime lead. Creighton missed its first 11 shots from three-point range before Isaiah Zierden and James Milliken connected on three-pointers late in the half. Daniel Ochefu made all seven attempts and had 15 points in 10 minutes at the half, while teammate Josh Hart was 6-for-7 and had 13 points in the opening 20 minutes. CU was paced by 10 points from Cole Huff in the first half, while Maurice Watson Jr. picked up two early fouls and was limited to just 10 minutes before the break.
Creighton never got closer than five in the second half, as Nova pulled away each time the hosts crept closer and the spirited crowd was on the verge of pandemonium.
Hart had 25 points for VU, while Ochefu (19), Jalen Brunson (15) and Ryan Arcidiacono (10) also scored in double-figures. Kris Jenkins set a career-high with five assists by the first media timeout and finished with six assists, while Hart and Ochefu's point totals were both two shy of their career-highs. The Wildcats shot 68 percent on the night, sinking 34-of-50 shots, for the best performance by a Creighton opponent since Jan. 22, 1987 when Bradley shot 68.5 percent (37-54). Per KenPom.com, the Wildcats had the nation's best two-point shooting percentage (.875) since Jan. 9, 2007.
Watson had 15 points, Isaiah Zierden added 14 and Huff recorded 13 points overall for CU.
Creighton hosts Georgetown on Tuesday night at 8:15 pm.
NOTES: Villanova is shooting 65.4 percent in two league wins, as it had made 63.2 percent (36-of-57 shots) in Thursday's 95-64 win over No. 6 Xavier ... Sixteenth-ranked Xavier was the 10th ranked foe for Creighton in the past 365 days ... Villanova have won 40 of its last 41 games when scoring 70 or more points ... Geoffrey Groselle took just one field goal attempt, and made it, and has now made 26-of-28 field goal attempts in the last four games ... Creighton's streak of eight straight home games shooting 50 percent or better at home was snapped, as CU shot 45.5 percent on the evening ... Creighton finished 5-of-23 from downtown and has now made at least one three-pointer in 728 straight games ... Villanova did not have an offensive rebound on the night.
Team Stats
VU
CU
FG%
.680
.455
3FG%
.333
.217
FT%
.688
.800
RB
29
24
TO
14
9
STL
7
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
C
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