Creighton Men Down Butler, 89-85
OMAHA, Neb. -- Staked to a double-digit advantage in the opening moments of the game, Creighton Men's Basketball held off charge after charge from visiting Butler to earn an 89-85 win on Tuesday, Dec. 30. The victory pushed the Bluejays to 9-5 on the season and 3-0 in BIG EAST action, while Butler fell to 10-4 overall and 1-2 in conference contests.
A steep launch by the Bluejays set Creighton up with a 12-2 edge just four minutes in. Butler dropped in the first bucket of the contest, while Creighton connected of five of its first seven shots to deliver a 12-0 run, capped by three pointers from Austin Swartz and Josh Dix as well as a driving layup from Dix.
As the game moved into the middle of the opening half, Butler clawed back within five at 19-14 (11:43) to draw a Bluejay timeout from Creighton head coach Greg McDermott. Following some motivational words, the Bluejays responded with a 10-4 run to claim a 29-18 edge (9:10). This surge was powered by a pair of treys from Isaac Traudt. Over the next four minutes the Bulldogs imposed their will on the offensive glass to go on a 10-0 run, pulling withing one point at 29-28 (5:36).
Creighton refused to surrender the lead as Swartz and Traudt combined for a trio of trifectas to help the Bluejays reclaim a double-digit edge at 44-33 (1:27) and hold a 44-35 lead at halftime. The Bluejays dominated the long-range game in the first 20 minutes, hitting eight shots from beyond the arc, while Butler connected just twice. Butler, however, remained within striking distance with 12 offensive rebounds and nine second chance points.
The Bulldogs physicality and tenacity on the glass helped Butler chip away through the first 10 minutes of the second half, drawing as close as three at 59-56 (11:51) and again at 65-62 (8:53). Each time Bluejay transfer Nik Graves answered with a trey, the second time converting a four-point play.
Creighton pushed their edge back out to double-digits at 82-71 with 3:14 remaining, holding off one final charge (four Bulldog treys in the final two minutes) to claim the victory.
Jasen Green led Creighton with career-highs of 23 points and five assists, hitting six critical free throws down the stretch. Swartz and Traudt closed the game with 22 and 16 points respectively, and Graves closed the game with 11 points. Creighton shot 49.2 percent for the game and made 13-of-32 three-pointers. The Jays also owned a 12-5 lead in fast break points.
Butler got a season-high 20 points from SMU transfer Yohan Traore as well as 16 points from Michael Ajayi and Jamie Kaiser Jr. to guide the Bulldogs. Ajayi also grabbed 13 rebounds for his nation-leading 12th double-double, but fouled out with just under five minutes left. The Bulldogs shot 41.3 percent from the field (31-75), 30.8 percent from deep (8-26) and won the rebound battle 42-35. The Bulldog bench scored 35 points.
The Bluejays return to the court on Sunday, Jan. 4 as Creighton travels to Newark, N.J., to face Seton Hall. The contest is slated to begin at 11:00 a.m. (CT) on Peacock.