OMAHA, Nebraska — Creighton came into its game against UConn having lost its previous six meetings with No. 1-ranked teams and never getting closer than 10 points.
The No. 15 Bluejays finally broke through on their seventh try, building a double-digit first-half lead and defeating the Huskies 85-66 on Tuesday night.
“It's a historic game for our program,” Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. “I told the team in the locker room, it's really the culmination of a lot of work by a lot of people over a long period of time to give these guys the opportunity to wear this uniform and play in front of the crowd that we could. to play in front of this evening.
“We played a really good game and beat an incredible team, a team that has a legitimate chance to win a national championship. But we're also pretty good.”
Creighton (20-7, 10-6 Big East) led by 23 points with 10 minutes remaining, but saw its lead cut to 10 before holding the defending national champions scoreless on five straight possessions, rebuilding its cushion and causing the students left their seats to prepare to storm the court, which they did as soon as the bell rang.
UConn (24-3, 14-2) saw its 14-game winning streak, the longest active streak in Division I, end three days after beating then-No. 4 Marquette by 28 points for one of the most impressive victories. of the season, and a day after he was voted the first unanimous number one this season in the AP poll.
“It felt like we ran into a buzz saw there,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said.
Steven Ashworth scored 16 of his 20 points in the first half, Trey Alexander finished with 16 points and Ryan Kalkbrenner added 15. The Bluejays made 14 of 28 3-pointers on their second-best shooting night from beyond the arc this season. Creighton made just 6 of 26 3-pointers in its 62-48 loss at UConn last month.
“When I watched the Marquette-UConn game, I have to admit I wasn't excited about our chances,” McDermott said.
Conditions seemed right for the Bluejays. They came into the game with a pair of 22-point wins and a three-game winning streak. McDermott said his team's offensive flow has been as good as it has been all season, and there was a loud, sold-out crowd.
The Huskies were playing their third game in seven days, and Hurley said his players' body language was not good in team meetings once the Bluejays took the lead and took advantage of it.
“I think we did a bad job of coaching tonight, our players did a bad job of playing, I did a bad job of coaching,” Hurley said. “Your plays aren't going to have a lot of energy when you haven't lost in over two months… We were definitely stunned. This wasn't the game we expected, we knew it was a dangerous game and a quality opponent and one of the best teams of the country. But we didn't expect this to happen.
It was the Huskies' 19th consecutive road loss to a ranked opponent; his last such win was at No. 19 Memphis on March 13, 2014.
UConn's Tristen Newton scored 17 of his 27 points in the second half, including 10 during the 18-5 run that helped bring the Huskies within 74-64.
The Huskies made three 3-pointers in a season-low 16 attempts in their most lopsided loss since Houston beat them 84-45 in the AAC tournament on March 15, 2019. They had entered the game with a record of three in a row in the Big East. win by at least 25 points.
The Bluejays made just two of their first nine shots, trailed by eight points early and had leading scorer Baylor Scheierman on the bench for eight minutes in the first half after committing two fouls. Scheierman finished with 12 points.
“Even when we got off to that bad start, I didn't see any fear or worry on our faces, we just kept playing,” McDermott said.
The Huskies had their own problems. Donovan Clingan, their 7-foot-2, 280-pound center, was called for two quick fouls and played just 11 minutes in the half, and UConn went through a 2-for-10 stretch as Creighton found its rhythm.
A few big shots from reserves Francisco Farabello and Jasen Green sparked an 18-2 run. Farabello hit two straight 3-pointers and Green hit one from the corner to end the Huskies' lead.
Ashworth then scored from 30 feet out to start a career-high 13-point streak for the Bluejays, who hit 14 of their final 19 shots of the half and went into the locker room with a 43-29 lead.
“When you're in your home gym, there's a sense of confidence, and the fans were a big part of that,” Ashworth said. “Definitely a home field advantage, and in that first half we got a little nervous.”
Creighton entered Tuesday with three of the Big East's six leading scorers (Scheierman, Alexander and Kalkbrenner), but it was Ashworth who faced the No. 1 team in the country, with 20 points that nearly doubled his season average. 10.6.
The Bluejays, who have now beaten a top-10 team in nine straight years and posted a 20-win season for the ninth consecutive year, also notably gave McDermott his 600th career victory.
“First of all, I'm old, you have to be in this a long time to coach enough games to do that, and I've coached in some good places, I've had some really good players playing for me,” McDermott. said to reach the milestone. “This is something I'll never forget because of how it happened and how good the team we were playing was. One of the best crowds we've ever had here, but like I said before, there's a lot of guys that have played.” For me, that has put us in a position to win many games, because they make sacrifices.
“Not everyone wants to play like we do, selflessly and selflessly, but we have a group here that is pretty convinced of that.”
ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
