LDN - Sports

No. 8 Creighton topples No. 12 Butler

[January 12, 2017] OMAHA, Neb. -- Another efficient performance from the field, paired with a better-than-usual showing at the defensive end, led No. 8 Creighton to a 75-64 Big East Conference basketball victory over No. 12 Butler on Wednesday.

The Bluejays (16-1, 4-1 Big East) are enjoying a historic week. On Monday, they moved up to No. 8 in both the Associated Press and USA Today coaches polls, the highest rating in school history.

Winning 16 of their first 17 games also matches the best start to a season in school history, first done by Creighton's 1942-43 team. The Bluejays are tied for first in the conference with No. 3 Villanova.

Point guard Maurice Watson led Creighton with 21 points Wednesday. Sophomore guard Khyri Thomas scored 14 points and pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds. Cole Huff and Justin Patton both finished with 10 points.

"We beat a really good basketball team, plain and simple," Bluejays coach Greg McDermott said. "The first half was our best defensive half of the season. I thought we really executed our plan as well as we have all season in the first 20 minutes."

The Bulldogs (14-3, 3-2) needed nearly 39 minutes to get one player into double figures. A pair of 3-pointers near the end of the game got Avery Woodson to that milestone with 14 points.

"Give Creighton a lot of credit, they were outstanding tonight," Butler coach Chris Holtmann said. "We have a lot of work ahead of us. Right now we're not good enough to play a team like that on the road."

After Butler opened the scoring with a 3-pointer by Tyler Lewis, Creighton scored the next seven points and stayed hot the rest of the first half on the way to a 47-27 halftime lead.

It was one of the Bluejays' most complete 20-minute stretches of the season. Though at times they had a stronger motion offense, they were their usual selves from the field. The Bluejays made 18 of 30 field goal attempts (60 percent) and were 6 of 14 from 3-point range (42.9 percent) before the break.

The most pleasant surprise -- Creighton had a 20-16 edge on the glass with Thomas pulling down a half-high six rebounds. Both teams pulled down 14 rebounds in the second half, which meant Creighton's 34-30 advantage was the first time in Big East play the Bluejays had outrebounded their opponent.

Butler's shooting woes were more prevalent than ever in the first half as the Bulldogs made just 12 of 35 (34.3 percent) and were a woeful 2 of 11 (18.2 percent) from behind the arc. Leading scorer Kelan Martin, who averages nearly 18 points per game, was 0 of 8 in the first half. He finished 3 of 14 for seven points.

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Creighton Bluejays guard Maurice Watson Jr. (10) attempts a shot over Butler Bulldogs guard Kethan Savage (11) at CenturyLink Center Omaha. Creighton defeated Butler 75-64. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

Thanks primarily to the fearless Watson driving the lane and scooting around Butler's big men, the Bluejays maintained at least a 15-point lead until the final minutes. Watson scored 11 of his 21 points in the second half.

McDermott wasn't thrilled that the Bluejays lost a bit of their edge in the second half. When Creighton was still up 18 points late in the second half, the Bluejays intentionally slowed the pace but also got a bit sloppy.

"Once we get inside eight minutes and we still have a 17-, 18-point lead, we're not going to push it. Butler has too many weapons for us to give them more chances if we play faster."

Creighton wound up outshooting Butler 55.4 percent to 41.3 percent.

NOTES: Thursday is the 100th anniversary of the first recorded game in Creighton men's basketball history. The Bluejays topped Peru (Neb.) State 30-17 in Omaha. The Jays finished that season 17-3 despite never scoring more than 40 points. ... The Big East tournament championship trophy was on display Wednesday at CenturyLink Center. The trophy tour is part of the 35th anniversary celebration of the inaugural Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden. ... G Maurice Watson moved into Creighton's all-time top 10 for assists in just 52 games. The senior from Philadelphia now has 382 after getting seven against the Bulldogs. Duan Cole had 382 in four seasons (1987-92).

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