Nebraska Defense Leads To Win At Creighton 74-63

Juwan Gary and Brice Williams had 16 points apiece, as Nebraska shut down No. 14 Creighton, 74-63, Friday night. 

Nebraska (4-1) put five in double figures and held Creighton to a season-low 63 points, 25 points below its average entering Friday’s contest, as the Bluejays were held to 32.7 percent shooting. 

Gary, who was a starter on the 2022 team that won in Omaha over No. 7 Creighton, shared team-high honors with 16 points with Brice Williams. 

Connor Essegian came off the bench for 15 points while Berke Büyüktuncel (12) and Rollie Worster (11) finished in double figures for Nebraska, which won back-to-back games at Creighton for the first time since the early 1990s.

Nebraska shot 41 percent and went 22-of-30 from the line against a Creighton team that entered the game leading the nation in fewest fouls committed.

Nebraska’s defense blanked Big East preseason Player-of-the-Year Ryan Kalkbrenner to four points on 0-of-1 shooting in 38 minutes. Kalkbrenner entered Friday’s game with 25.8 points per game on 89 percent shooting. Nebraska forced Creighton (4-1) into a school-record 42 3-point attempts, going 12-of-42 from 3-point range.

Nebraska, which never trailed, controlled the pace, committing a season-low seven turnovers, while forcing Creighton into 17 turnovers which led to 22 Husker points.

The Huskers put together their best defensive half of the season to take a 35-24 lead into the locker room. NU held Creighton to 28 percent shooting in the opening 20 minutes and converted eight Bluejay turnovers into 12 points.

Nebraska got the quick start it needed as Gary scored five early points as the Huskers got off to an 8-3 lead and led 12-8 at the media timeout. Essegian then came with six key points in an 8-3 run, taking a 20-11 lead on a basket from Büyüktuncel with 9:26 left in the half. 
Leading 20-13, Gary keyed an 11-0 Husker run over the next five-plus minutes with six points, as his two free throws gave the Huskers a 31-13 lead with 2:53 left in the half. 

Creighton got to within 33-24 after Pop Isaac’s 3-pointer with 36 seconds left, but the Huskers would answer back as Williams hit a jumper in the final seconds of the half to give NU an 11-point lead heading into the locker room. 
Isaacs led Creighton with 25 points while Steven Ashworth added 16 markers. 

Crieghton closed to within 35-26 after a Jamiya Neal dunk, but a basket from Büyüktuncel and a 3-point from Gary stretched the lead back to 14. The Bluejays cut the deficit to 42-35 after a Neal basket, but Nebraska had an answer with six straight points to push the lead to 48-35 after a Essegian basket. 

Nebraska eventually built the lead to 16 with 7:45 left before Creighton made one last run, getting to within 61-53 with 5:47 but could get no closer, as a Büyüktuncel layup started a 9-1 run that put the game out of reach. 

The Huskers return to action on Wednesday, Nov. 27, as the Huskers host South Dakota. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. and tickets are available by visiting Huskers.com/Tickets. 

Nebraska Notes
*-Nebraska picks up its second straight win at Creighton, both by double-figures (63-53 in 2022; 74-63 tonight).
*-The win marks the second straight Husker win in Omaha, the first time that has occurred since winning three straight times in Omaha between 1991 and 1995
*-Tonight marks the third time NU has beaten a ranked Creighton team, as the Bluejays were ranked 14th in the AP poll entering today. The others were in 2006 (No. 20) and 2022 (No. 7)
*-Nebraska improves to 28-30 all-time against Creighton. The Huskers have now won three of the past seven meetings after Creighton won seven straight meetings between 2011 and 2017,
*-Nebraska held Creighton to 63 points, 25 points under its season average (88.0). NU held the Bluejays to 32.7 percent shooting.
*-Nebraska put a season-high five players in double figures in the win, including a team-high 16 points from Juwan Gary. Gary is 2-0 in CHI Health Center in his career.
*-Nebraska committed a season-low seven turnovers in the win, while forcing 17 turnovers. NU had a 22-7 advantage on points off turnovers.
*-Nebraska never trailed and led for 38:11 of the night.
*-Nebraska held Ryan Kalkbrenner to four points on 0-of-1 shooting in 38:37 of action. He entered tonight averaging 25.8 ppg on .891 shooting. His only attempt was a 3-pointer in the first half.
*- Nebraska had an 11-0 run from 7:40-2:37 in the first half, the fourth double-digit run this season for NU.
*-Brice Williams reach double figures for the ninth straight game dating back to last season with his 16-point effort. It matches the longest stretch of his career.
*-Nebraska held Creighton to a season low 24 points in the first half. CU scored 39 or more points in the first half of each of its first four games.
*-Connor Essegian finished with 15 points off the bench, the fourth double-figure effort from a Husker reserve this season.
*-Büyüktuncel grabbed a career-high nine rebounds, the fourth time in five games he tied or set a career best in rebounds.