Creighton deals first loss to Xavier
TOP 25 MEN NO. 13 CREIGHTON 66, NO. 22 XAVIER 61
OMAHA, Neb. — Antwann Jones and Denzel Mahoney scored 13 points each to lead No. 13 Creighton to a 66-61 win over No. 22 Xavier on Wednesday, handing the Musketeers their first loss of the season.
The Bluejays used an 8-0 run to start the second half to open up a 44-34 lead before the Musketeers (8-1, 1-1 Big East) cut it to 64-61 with 10 seconds left on Paul Scruggs’ three-pointer. Creighton inbounded the ball to Jones, but the sophomore transfer from Memphis made an ill-advised decision to throw the basketball away after getting trapped along the baseline.
Adam Kunkel ran it down for Xavier, but his three-pointer from the left wing was long off the back of the rim and bounced around a crowd of players before landing in Jones’ hands for Creighton. He stepped to the free-throw line and made both shots as the Bluejays (7-2, 3-1) prevailed.
For the second game in a row, Creighton struggled from the three-point line. They went 7 of 27 on Sunday against Connecticut and 8 of 28 against the Musketeers. Yet still they found a way to win both games late.
“It’s two games in a row — last game Marcus [Zegarowski] and Denzel struggled to shoot the ball, and today Marcus and Mitch [Ballock] struggled to shoot the ball, and in the past we haven’t been able to figure out ways to win when that happened,” Creighton Coach Greg McDermott said.
Xavier opened the game with 22-9 run after knocking down 9 of their first 13 shots. The Musketeers eventually cooled off and the second unit gave the Bluejays enough of a spark to pull ahead 36-34 at halftime.
Jones got Creighton’s offense rolling with 11 points and two assists in nine minutes off the bench in the first half.
“Our bench really ignited us in the first half and got us back in the game,” McDermott said. “The starters threw early in the (second) half to create some separation, which proved to be really important.”
Xavier leading scorer Zach Freemantle was held to seven points on 3-of-9 shooting. He fouled out with 2:38 remaining in the game.
“The foul trouble threw him out of rhythm,” Xavier Coach Travis Steele said. “When he picked up two early and was out for a long time it’s hard to sometimes get back going.”
NO. 5 VILLANOVA 85, MARQUETTE 68
MILWAUKEE — Collin Gillespie scored 22 points and made six three-pointers as No. 5 Villanova routed Marquette for its sixth consecutive victory.
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Justin Moore had 13 points each, and Caleb Daniels added 10 to help the Wildcats (8-1, 3-0 Big East) overpower Marquette (5-5, 1-3), which lost its third straight. Gillespie shot 6 of 11 from three-point range.
NO. 8 TENNESSEE 80, S.C. UPSTATE 60
KNOXVILLE. Tenn. — Victor Bailey scored 18 points as No. 8 Tennessee struggled before beating South Carolina Upstate.
It wasn’t until a 12-2 run midway through the second half that the Volunteers (6-0) finally pulled away. Bailey had four points in that burst. Josiah-Jordan James added 11 points and eight rebounds. John Fulkerson scored 10.
The Spartans (0-8) were led by Tommy Brunner with 18 points.
NO. 23 OHIO STATE 80, NO. 11 RUTGERS 68
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Duane Washington Jr. scored 22 points and No. 23 Ohio State rallied from a 16-point second-half deficit to beat No. 11 Rutgers.
E.J. Liddell had 21 points, and Kyle Young added 17 points and 12 rebounds for Ohio State (7-1, 1-1 Big Ten), which trailed 48-32 with 15 minutes left in the game. The Buckeyes went on a 20-1 run late in the second half to seize control and hand Rutgers (6-1, 2-1) its first loss.
NO. 18 ILLINOIS 98, PENN STATE 81
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Ayo Dosunmu scored 21 of his 30 points in the second half to lead No. 18 Illinois past Penn State.
Kofi Cockburn added 23 points, and Andre Curbelo had 15 points and 8 assists for the Illini (6-3, 2-1 Big Ten), who won their second straight at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Penn State (3-3, 0-2) opened up a 19-4 lead over the first five minutes. The Illini used the remainder of the half to claw back, tying the game at 43-43 at halftime. Illinois took over midway through the second half, outrebounding Penn State 24-11 after the break. Dosunmu and Cockburn combined for 28 second-half points.