Creighton Men's Basketball Stuns Pirates To Earn 69-68 Win

OMAHA, Neb. -- Trailing 67-58 with just 1:27 remaining, Creighton Men's Basketball closed the game on an 11-1 run to earn a 69-68 win over Seton Hall on Saturday, February 7. Nik Graves punctuated the comeback by draining the game-winning trey with 2.5 seconds on the clock to cap an emotional week following the loss of Kelly Dix, mother to CU guard Josh Dix.

The win lifted the Bluejays' record to 13-11 on the season and 7-6 in BIG EAST action. Seton Hall, meanwhile, fell to 16-8 overall and 6-7 in conference contest. Both teams entered the game tied for fourth place in the BIG EAST, but having lost five of its past seven games

The comeback began saw Fedor Zugic bookend a tip-in from Jasen Green with a pair of three-pointers to draw the Bluejays within striking distance at 67-66 with 20.3 seconds remaining. Creighton fouled Pirates guard Trey Parker, and the sophomore hit one of two with 17.2 seconds remaining to set the stage for Graves.

Creighton got the ball into the frontcourt quickly allowing time for Graves to find space along the left side for his first three-pointer of the contest. and his first buzzer-beater at the collegiate level.
 
The first half belonged to Isaac Traudt as the Grand Island native delivered 15 points and five rebounds in the opening stanza. Traudt connected on four treys in the first five minutes, helping the Bluejays grab a 22-15 advantage with 11:22 left in the frame. Seton Hall used its stifling pressure in the back court to force Creighton into 12 first half turnovers, leading to 14 Pirate points. Seton Hall held a 34-32 edge at the break.

Traudt led Creighton by tying his career-high with 18 points, while Josh Dix contributed 16 points and Zugic closed with a career-high 13. Creighton made 13 three-pointers in 30 attempts despite playing without the BIG EAST leader in three-pointers made in league action, Austin Swartz.

Seton Hall got a game-high 20 points from Adam "Budd" Clark to go with 11 from A.J. Staton-McCrary and 10 from Elijah Fisher. The PIrates made 5-of-9 three-pointers, including three by Clark after the diminutive guard entered the game having made just five triples all year. Seton Hall shot 50 percent from the field overall (27-54) and turned 18 Bluejay turnovers into 23 points.

The Bluejays return to the court on Wednesday, February 11 in a road contest at DePaul. The game is scheduled for an 8:00 p.m. tip on Peacock and NBC Sports Network.