Arthur Kaluma single-handedly fueled a decisive run for No. 18 Creighton by hitting three 3-pointers late in the second half Saturday night as the Bluejays overcame a lengthy shooting drought to beat St. John’s 77-67 in a Big East matchup in New York.
The Bluejays (18-9, 12-4 Big East) missed 13 straight shots, going more than seven minutes between field goals during a cold spell that started early in the second half.
They shot just 38.7 percent — their fourth-lowest percentage in a conference game this season — but earned their ninth win in their last 10 games to remain in a three-way tie with Xavier and Providence for second place in the Big East, one game behind Marquette.
Kaluma was just 2 of 8 from the field and 0-for-3 from 3-point land before he sank three consecutive shots from beyond the arc in a span of 2:26 to extend Creighton’s lead to 67-57. He finished with 13 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Ryan Nembhard had 16 points, including the free throw that put Creighton ahead for good with 11:28 remaining, while Ryan Kalkbrenner added 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Joel Soriano had team highs of 15 points and eight rebounds for St. John’s (16-12, 6-11), which had its two-game winning streak snapped. David Jones scored 14 points off the bench.
Creighton led 42-32 at the half. The teams scored six points apiece in the first 2:32 of the second half before the Bluejays went cold and St. John’s went on an 11-0 run to take a 49-48 lead on a layup by Kolby King with under 12 minutes left.
Nembhard drained a pair of free throws on the next possession to give Creighton the lead for good. The Bluejays missed two more shots before Nembhard ended the drought with a layup to extend the lead to 52-49 with 9:54 left.
St. John’s got within one point two more times, the last at 58-57 on a layup by Soriano with 6:39 left. But Jones and Soriano each missed potential go-ahead baskets and the Red Storm turned the ball over twice before Kaluma sank a 3-pointer with 4:54 left to begin his 9-0 run. The Bluejays iced the win by hitting their final eight free throws.
–Field Level Media
