Xavier Upends Creighton Men's Basketball

CINCINNATI, Ohio – Ryan Kalkbrenner had 23 points and 12 rebounds but it wasn't enough as Creighton men's basketball fell at Xavier, 83-61 in front of a sellout crowd of 10,674 at Cintas Center on Saturday, March 1st.

The Musketeers improved to 19-10 on the season and are 11-7 in BIG EAST action, while Creighton fell to 20-9 and are 13-5 in league play.

Zach Freemantle led Xavier with 23 points while making 10-of-14 shots. The senior was one of four Musketeers to score in double-figures, joining Ryan Conwell (20), Dante Maddox Jr. (16) and Dailyn Swain.

A pair of three-pointers by freshman Jackson McAndrew helped Creighton take. an early 11-6 lead before Xavier made six straight shots during a 15-5 run to take its first comfortable lead of the day. The Musketeers would never trail again, taking a double-digit lead on a mid-range floater from Dailyn Swain to go ahead 30-19. A step-back three-pointer by Ryan Conwell put the hosts ahead 40-22 late in the first half, and XU led 42-27 at the half.

Kalkbrenner had seven points, seven rebounds and three assists to lead CU at the break, while the Musketeers were paced by 10 points each from Conwell and Maddox.

After just four points in the first 20 minutes, Freemantle scored on five consecutive possessions early in the second half to spearhead an 11-4 run and help the Musketeers build a 53-31 lead. Creighton responded with its best spurt of the day, compiling a 12-0 run that featured three Kalkbrenner baskets and a pair of Steven Ashworth three-pointers that narrowed the deficit to 55-43 with 11:50 left. CU drew as close as eight (57-49) before a Conwell steal and three-pointer with just over 9:29 to play that initiated an 14-0 run that helped Xavier regain the momentum and end any hopes of CU's third win this season after overcoming a double-figure deficit.

Xavier shot 55.0 percent from the field and made 52.4 percent of its three-point shots while dishing assists on 24-of-33 baskets.

Creighton shot 44.8 percent for the game but just 25.0 percent from downtown. CU won the rebound battle 33-32 but were outscored 18-9 off the bench and 16-7 off turnovers.
 
Creighton will remain on the road until playing at Seton Hall on Tuesday at 6 p.m. Central.