Austin Swartz went for 20 points, Josh Dix and Blake Harper added 17 apiece and Creighton caught fire in the second half to defeat host Villanova 76-72 on Wednesday.
The Bluejays (10-6, 4-1 Big East) shot an overwhelming 66.7% (18 of 27) after halftime while making enough plays to defuse some of the Wildcats’ weapons and hand the hosts their first loss in conference play. Creighton finished 50% for the game despite a 10-for-30 start.
Jasen Green, the Bluejays’ second-leading scorer (10.4 ppg) and top rebounder (5.4 per game), went down with a left shoulder injury 95 seconds into the game. But he was able to return to the game and compile 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
Green made a crucial offensive board with 1:18 left, giving Creighton an extra possession. The Bluejays didn’t score but they burned enough clock to put the game out of reach.
Acaden Lewis carried Villanova (12-3, 3-1) with 20 points and seven assists. Tyler Perkins had 18 points and Duke Brennan racked up 16 and 12 rebounds, but leading scorer Bryce Lindsay (16.9 ppg) was held to four points on 2-of-10 shooting, just his second game failing to reach double figures this season.
Creighton dug out of a 25-15 first-half deficit after allowing the Wildcats to make 11 of 19 shots to open the game. Triples by Green and Harper powered a 10-2 run that brought Creighton within 29-28 before Villanova took a 34-30 lead into halftime.
Swartz knocked down jumpers on three straight possessions to get Creighton going in the second. After Perkins made a pair of free throws, Dix drilled a game-tying triple.
The Bluejays knotted it twice more but could not get past Villanova until the 13-2 run that swung the game. Swartz’s game-tying 3-pointer was the first of five straight buckets without a miss for Creighton, as Blake Harper’s jumper gave the Bluejays their first lead of the game at 55-53.
Creighton plowed ahead by seven while Villanova missed eight shots in a row. Harper’s jumper gave the Bluejays their largest lead at 64-57.
Lewis made a clutch 3-pointer in the final second of the shot clock to bring Villanova within 66-62, but the Wildcats could get no closer than four points down the stretch.
–Field Level Media
