Trey Alexander scored 17 points while battling foul trouble as No. 23 Creighton extended its winning streak to eight games by squeaking out a 56-53 victory over No. 21 UConn on Saturday afternoon in Omaha, Neb.
Down three in the closing seconds, the Huskies (19-7, 8-7 Big East) appeared to tie the game on Jordan Hawkins’ 3-pointer, but a review showed that his foot was on the line. Ryan Kalkbrenner then sank a pair of free throws to seal the victory.
Alexander led the Bluejays (17-8, 11-3) while Kalkbrenner added 12 points to go along with six rebounds. Baylor Scheierman chipped in 11 points and nine rebounds for Creighton, which shot 19 of 48 (39.6 percent) from the field.
Adama Sanogo paced UConn with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Hawkins (11 points) was the only other scorer in double figures for the Huskies, who won the rebounding battle 40-34 thanks to 18 offensive boards.
Creighton used a 6-0 spurt to take a 52-46 lead with 4:32 remaining, but Alex Karaban connected from beyond the arc to halve the Huskies’ deficit.
UConn was still within three at 54-51, and Hawkins missed a layup with 39 seconds left that could have made it a one-point game. Alexander then missed a free throw on the other end ahead of the game-ending sequence.
By the 18:33 mark of the second half, the Huskies moved in front for the first time since leading 3-2. The teams were soon tied at 40 before Alexander scored five answered points to give the Bluejays a bit of breathing room.
The Bluejays went into the break with a narrow 31-29 edge after Sanogo drained a 3-pointer as time expired in the opening half. Sanogo led all scorers with 13 points through the first 20 minutes, while Alexander had eight for Creighton.
Neither team was particularly efficient in the first half, as both shot under 45 percent from the field.
UConn’s offense was stagnant in the early going, making just 2 of 14 shots and scoring five points over the game’s first eight-plus minutes. The Bluejays took advantage, getting six points from Alexander during a 12-2 run that forged a nine-point lead.
–Field Level Media
