Saturday, January 23
CenturyLink Center Omaha
6:37 PM
Creighton University
14-6, 5-2BE
72
vs
64
Butler
13-6, 2-5BE
1
2
F
#18 Butler
34
30
64
Creighton
29
43
72
Maurice Watson Jr. helped lift Geoffrey Groselle and Creighton to victory on Saturday.
Photo by: David Cao
Men's Basketball Takes Down #18 Butler, 72-64
1/23/2016 8:25:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Watson scores 18 of his 20 points in the second half
OMAHA, Neb. -- Maurice Watson Jr. had 18 of his 20 points after halftime as Creighton upended No. 18 Butler, 72-64, before a sellout crowd of 17,677 at CenturyLink Center Omaha on Saturday night.
Creighton improved to 14-6 with the year, matching last season's win total, while also moving to 5-2 in BIG EAST play. Butler fell to 13-6 on the year (2-5 BIG EAST) with its first loss this winter to a team that is not currently ranked in the top-16 of the AP rankings.
Creighton snapped an 11-game losing streak against top-25 teams with the win in notching its first victory against a top-25 opponent since a triumph over No. 18 Oklahoma on Nov. 19, 2014. Creighton is now 22-130 all-time against ranked teams, including a 4-15 mark under Greg McDermott and a 5-8 mark at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
Creighton led most of the first half, including a margin as large as 22-15, before Butler embarked on a 12-2 run to retake the lead after four three-pointers in a span of five trips. Paced by 17 points off the bench from Kelan Martin, BU led 34-29 at the intermission. Butler scored nearly half its points (16 of 34) following its six offensive rebounds in the opening 20 minutes.
Creighton scored the first 11 points of the second half and never looked back. Butler would get within four points at 40-36 and 45-41, but each time Creighton extended the lead back to eight points a short time later. Butler whittled its deficit to 53-50 with 6:28 left on a shot by Martin, but Watson quickly answered with one of his five baskets after half.
Creighton made 10-of-12 free throws in the final minute to maintain its lead, as BU never got closer than four.
Watson paced CU with 20 points and six assists, extending his team lead in both categories. Isaiah Zierden followed up his 31-point outburst last Sunday at DePaul with 13 points while playing all 40 minutes, and Toby Hegner and Geoffrey Groselle each added 10 points. Creighton shot 41.8 percent for the game and made 20-of-33 free throws while turning the ball over just nine times on the evening.
Butler was paced by 22 points and 11 rebounds from Martin, who launched a career-high 23 field goal attempts. He played 35 minutes off the bench, entering quickly in both halves and providing instant offense. Kellen Dunham had 20 points on 7-of-14 marksmanship, while Roosevelt Jones had 11 points and 10 rebounds despite being saddled much of the second half with four personal fouls. Tyler Wideman also had 10 rebounds but was one of three Bulldogs to foul out. Butler shot 32.8 percent overall and and outrebounded CU 44-39 on the night. The Bulldogs outscored CU 27-17 off the bench and 20-8 in second-chance points.
Creighton returns to action on Tuesday at Georgetown for a game scheduled to tip-off at 5:31 pm Central on FS1 from the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
NOTES: Butler played without starting point guard Tyler Lewis, who did not make the trip due to a concussion suffered in practice ... Butler head coach Chris Holtmann earned a technical foul early in the second half for approaching midcourt while disputing a foul call ... The crowd of 17,677 was Creighton's fourth sellout crowd of the season ... Greg McDermott improved to 82-18 while coaching his 100th home game as Creighton head coach ... The win was Creighton's first all season when scoring less than 79 points, and also its first by single-digits ... Creighton surpassed 200,000 home fans for the 11th straight season ... Maurice Watson Jr. was presented a ball in a pregame ceremony to commemorate surpassing 1,000 career points earlier in the month ... With a 14-6 record, Creighton is now 13-7 or better after 20 games for the 17th time in the last 19 seasons ... Creighton has won its last three meetings against teams ranked exactly 18th overall ... Creighton improved to 2-4 this season when trailing at halftime ... Creighton's Pink Out auction was extended until Monday evening, with bidding taking place at http://www.cancer.org/ebay. Proceeds aid in the fight against cancer.
Creighton improved to 14-6 with the year, matching last season's win total, while also moving to 5-2 in BIG EAST play. Butler fell to 13-6 on the year (2-5 BIG EAST) with its first loss this winter to a team that is not currently ranked in the top-16 of the AP rankings.
Creighton snapped an 11-game losing streak against top-25 teams with the win in notching its first victory against a top-25 opponent since a triumph over No. 18 Oklahoma on Nov. 19, 2014. Creighton is now 22-130 all-time against ranked teams, including a 4-15 mark under Greg McDermott and a 5-8 mark at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
Creighton led most of the first half, including a margin as large as 22-15, before Butler embarked on a 12-2 run to retake the lead after four three-pointers in a span of five trips. Paced by 17 points off the bench from Kelan Martin, BU led 34-29 at the intermission. Butler scored nearly half its points (16 of 34) following its six offensive rebounds in the opening 20 minutes.
Creighton scored the first 11 points of the second half and never looked back. Butler would get within four points at 40-36 and 45-41, but each time Creighton extended the lead back to eight points a short time later. Butler whittled its deficit to 53-50 with 6:28 left on a shot by Martin, but Watson quickly answered with one of his five baskets after half.
Creighton made 10-of-12 free throws in the final minute to maintain its lead, as BU never got closer than four.
Watson paced CU with 20 points and six assists, extending his team lead in both categories. Isaiah Zierden followed up his 31-point outburst last Sunday at DePaul with 13 points while playing all 40 minutes, and Toby Hegner and Geoffrey Groselle each added 10 points. Creighton shot 41.8 percent for the game and made 20-of-33 free throws while turning the ball over just nine times on the evening.
Butler was paced by 22 points and 11 rebounds from Martin, who launched a career-high 23 field goal attempts. He played 35 minutes off the bench, entering quickly in both halves and providing instant offense. Kellen Dunham had 20 points on 7-of-14 marksmanship, while Roosevelt Jones had 11 points and 10 rebounds despite being saddled much of the second half with four personal fouls. Tyler Wideman also had 10 rebounds but was one of three Bulldogs to foul out. Butler shot 32.8 percent overall and and outrebounded CU 44-39 on the night. The Bulldogs outscored CU 27-17 off the bench and 20-8 in second-chance points.
Creighton returns to action on Tuesday at Georgetown for a game scheduled to tip-off at 5:31 pm Central on FS1 from the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
NOTES: Butler played without starting point guard Tyler Lewis, who did not make the trip due to a concussion suffered in practice ... Butler head coach Chris Holtmann earned a technical foul early in the second half for approaching midcourt while disputing a foul call ... The crowd of 17,677 was Creighton's fourth sellout crowd of the season ... Greg McDermott improved to 82-18 while coaching his 100th home game as Creighton head coach ... The win was Creighton's first all season when scoring less than 79 points, and also its first by single-digits ... Creighton surpassed 200,000 home fans for the 11th straight season ... Maurice Watson Jr. was presented a ball in a pregame ceremony to commemorate surpassing 1,000 career points earlier in the month ... With a 14-6 record, Creighton is now 13-7 or better after 20 games for the 17th time in the last 19 seasons ... Creighton has won its last three meetings against teams ranked exactly 18th overall ... Creighton improved to 2-4 this season when trailing at halftime ... Creighton's Pink Out auction was extended until Monday evening, with bidding taking place at http://www.cancer.org/ebay. Proceeds aid in the fight against cancer.
Team Stats
BUTLER
CU
FG%
.328
.418
3FG%
.438
.250
FT%
.750
.606
RB
44
39
TO
11
9
STL
6
3
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
8
Pts
13
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
5
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
C
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