No. 21 Xavier came back from a 17-point halftime deficit to stun host Creighton 74-64 in Omaha, Neb., on Saturday.
Paul Scruggs led Xavier (15-5, 5-4 Big East) with 18 points and Zach Freemantle added 16 points and pulled down eight rebounds.
Xavier tried to match up inside with the Bluejays in the first half and was held to 19 points. In the second half, the Musketeers relied on their perimeter game to open up the lanes for scoring opportunities
The Musketeers used a barrage of 3-pointers to go on a 19-0 run to open the second half. After only shooting 22.9 percent from the field and 1 of 7 from beyond the arc in the opening half, the Musketeers made 9 of 12 3’s and shot 65.5 percent in the final 20 minutes.
Jack Nunge, who was scoreless in the first half, ignited the Musketeers with four treys, and 16 points. While Nate Johnson, who came into the game 1 of 15 from the 3-point line in his previous three games, scored 15 points and was 5 of 7 from the 3-point line.
Freshman Ryan Nembhard led Creighton (12-7, 4-4) with 23 points. He was 3 of 6 on 3-pointers.
Creighton opened the game with Ryan Kalkbrenner and Ryan Hawkins contesting Xavier’s rim, blocking shots, and altering many more.
The Bluejays ran out to a 36-19 halftime lead on three consecutive 3-pointers from Alex O’Connell and Nembhard. The Blue Jays made 5 of 10 shots from the 3-point line and shot 51.7 percent from the field.
Creighton cooled off fast, shooting a dismal 29.6 percent from the field and only making 1 of 11 shots from the 3-point line in the second half.
The Bluejays shot 41.1 percent for the game, while the Musketeers made 42.2 percent.
Kalkbrenner scored 13 points, pulled down eight rebounds, and blocked a pair of shots for Creighton. O’Connell added 11 points.
Xavier controlled the boards 42-33, with 21 of those boards coming in the second half.
Creighton lost its second consecutive game while Xavier snapped a two-game skid.
–Field Level Media
