Ryan Kalkbrenner scored 28 points and Trey Alexander capped his 23-point performance with a go-ahead 3-pointer in triple overtime as No. 18 Creighton pulled out a wild 97-94 victory over host Seton Hall on Saturday in Newark, N.J.
Kalkbrenner added nine rebounds and a career-high seven blocks, Baylor Scheierman had 20 points and 10 rebounds and Creighton (14-5, 5-3 Big East) absorbed punch after punch by the pesky Pirates to win after a meager 48-point showing earlier in the week at No. 1 UConn.
Kadary Richmond tallied 21 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his first career triple-double for Seton Hall (13-6, 6-2). Al-Amir Dawes scored all 21 of his points after halftime and Dre Davis made his first six shots before finishing with 21 as well.
Creighton trailed by four in the third OT when Steven Ashworth buried an open 3-pointer, then drew an offensive foul on Dawes. Alexander made a fadeaway jumper for a 90-89 lead.
Richmond sank two free throws to push Seton Hall ahead, but Alexander responded with his third 3-pointer of the day, and the Bluejays were able to seal the win at the foul line.
Ashworth finished with 11 points and eight assists.
Jaden Bediako had 15 points and 10 boards for the Pirates, who rallied to tie the game in the second half and each of the first two overtime periods.
With Seton Hall down two late in the second half, Bediako rolled to the hoop to tie the game at 65.
After a stop, Richmond went one-on-one to the basket. Alexander blocked his shot twice in a row, but Richmond tipped in his own rebound for a 67-65 Pirates lead with 21 seconds left in regulation.
Ashworth forced overtime with a layup high off the glass with 3 seconds left.
Kalkbrenner was on the finishing end of an alley-oop dunk and a layup to push Creighton ahead 73-69. Seton Hall scored six of the final eight points of the first overtime, with Davis’ jumper with 12 seconds left tying it at 75.
The Pirates took two two-point leads early in the second OT before Alexander tied it and Miller knocked down the go-ahead triple.
But Dawes drew a foul on a 3-point try and made all three free throws, and Richmond batted down the inbound pass and got fouled. He made one of two foul shots to make it 83-83, necessitating the third overtime.
Seton Hall led by nine with 13:16 in the second half before the Bluejays heated up from long range. Ashworth, Francisco Farabello, Scheierman and Alexander made four straight 3-pointers for Creighton to cut the margin to 52-51.
Kalkbrenner’s two-handed jam restored Creighton’s lead, and a 7-0 run made it 60-54 Bluejays with 6:21 to go.
–Field Level Media
