Creighton men’s basketball dominated the last 25 minutes on Sunday to hand Georgetown an 80-69 loss at CHI Health Center Omaha.
The win guarantees the second-place Bluejays (19-8, 12-3) at least a split with every team in the conference as the Jays avenged an 81-57 loss to the Hoyas from Dec. 18.
“It was basically a reverse of the game in D.C.,” Coach Greg McDermott said. “I think we were ahead with four or five minutes left in the first half and they went on a great run to end the half and start the second half and created separation. We did exactly the same today. I think they only scored on two of their last 10 possessions and we rattled off eight out of 10 to end the half. That was a really critical part of the game, and then I think we scored 10 of 11 possessions to start the second half and created the separation that we needed.”
Here are three takeaways from the win.
Shutting off Peavy’s Water
Micah Peavy had been playing as well as any player in the country heading into Sunday’s meeting, averaging 23.8 points on 51% from the field (42.9% from 3), 6.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 3.4 steals per game over his past five.
Creighton looked like the latest victim in the 6-foot-8 TCU transfer’s tear early as he scored 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting including 4-of-5 from 3 in the first 12 minutes of the game. He got a few clean looks but also hit a few tough ones, and it looked like he was in line for a monster night.
From that point on, however, he only made one more shot, missing 10 straight before finally scoring at the rim late after Creighton had already established firm control. He finished with 20 points on 8-of-21 shooting, only attempting two more 3s in the last 28 minutes of the game.
“It looked like it was going to be the Micah Peavy show there for a while,” McDermott said. “We went under a few screens early; he made us pay. And then a couple scramble situations, he hit some shots. Then we decided to put Jamiya [Neal] on him with a little bit more quickness and I thought he did a really good job from that point forward.”
Neal did a great job on Peavy, but he wasn’t alone. Ryan Kalkbrenner’s presence at the rim played a significant part on the Hoya wing’s inefficient day. Kalkbrenner finished with four blocks, three of which came on Peavy attempts at the rim. Kalkbrenner also drew an offensive foul on Peavy, who tried to clear out with the off arm to create space. Kalkbrenner got a piece of the shot anyway, a fifth block that didn’t make it into the box score.
“Anyone who challenges Kalk at the rim is going to have a pretty tough time and I feel like that could have gotten in his head a little bit, maybe,” Green said. “We had to switch the matchups a little bit and we had Jamiya on him for a while, and I think he did a really good job containing him.”
Kalkbrenner added 19 points and eight rebounds to his line, taking advantage of Georgetown being without talented freshman center Thomas Sorber.
Georgetown hit eight of its first 14 3s to build a 10-point lead in the first half before Creighton responded with a 34-10 run in a 12-minute span. The Hoyas shot 4-for-19 from deep after that hot start and Creighton held them to 12-of-32 (37.5%) inside the arc overall.
Dicing ‘Em Up
Georgetown boasts a top-40 defense nationally and gave Creighton fits with ball pressure in the first meeting, forcing 16 turnovers and converting them into 20 points on the other end. Twelve of those turnovers were steals, giving the Hoyas plenty of breakaway opportunities.
On Sunday, Creighton only turned the ball over nine times including five Georgetown steals. The Hoyas scored eight points off those takeaways.
Creighton’s primary ball-handlers, Steven Ashworth and Jamiya Neal, did not shoot well (5-of-19 from 3 combined) but picked the Georgetown defense apart otherwise, combining for 16 assists and just three turnovers.
“They handled it much better,” McDermott said. “I think Peavy probably surprised us in D.C. with his anticipation skills and his physicality on ball screens and handoffs. I think we were a little bit more prepared this time for what he’s elite at.”
Neal fell one assist shy of the program’s second traditional triple-double, finishing with 13 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists. His teammates tried to get him his 10th assist down the stretch but couldn’t get the shots to fall. Well, everyone but Kalkbrenner, who turned down a 3-point look off a Neal dish with 1:15 remaining to make an extra pass to the corner.
“I feel so bad, man,” Kalkbrenner said. “I had no idea. I had no idea. If I had known that I would have absolutely shot it. I had no idea. I’m sorry, Jamiya.”
Ashworth led Creighton with 20 points, dished out seven assists and corralled six rebounds. He played all but 18 seconds while Neal played the full 40 minutes.
Creighton finished with 17 assists on 28 buckets as four players scored in double figures and Isaac Traudt chipped in eight off the bench, showcasing the team’s growth from the start of conference play to now.
“I think we’re just a completely different team in terms of how we play with each other and how we just make things happen for each other,” Kalkbrenner said. “We always believed in each other from the beginning of the year, it was just a somewhat different group. So just finding that chemistry and working together and staying with it — it’s come a long way.”
Green Light
Jasen Green has been an important piece of Creighton’s defense all season. Over the last four games, however, his offensive box score production has begun to match the intangible impact he had during Creighton’s nine-game winning streak.
That run culminated in a career-high 14 points against the Hoyas on Sunday, and he did it in a variety of ways — 3-of-4 at the foul line, 1-of-2 from 3, two dunks, a layup and a mid-post jumper. He came out firing early, knocking down a no-hesitation corner 3 to get Creighton on the board and scoring seven of the team’s nine points.
“I saw opportunities there and I knew that I could take them, especially at this stage,” Green said. “I’m feeling really confident right now. My confidence has been increasing, and I just feel like whenever there’s an open opportunity for me, I’m going to be able to take those shots and make those shots.”
Green averaged 2.8 points on 48.3% from the field and 28% from 3 with 16 free-throw attempts in his first 23 games this season. Over the past four, Green is averaging 10.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.0 block per game while shooting 68.2% from the field with a pair of 3s and at least one trip to the foul line each game (14 attempts in all).
“We need him,” McDermott said. “It’s four games in a row we haven’t shot the 3 very well … We need another scorer when we’re not shooting it as well. Jasen can score in different ways. He’s getting out in transition, really putting pressure on the rim in transition, he’s posting a little and he’s picking his spots on when to shoot the 3-point shot.
“His statistics defensively don’t jump off the page at you, but when you watch him, rewatch the film, he’s in the right spot, his shot challenges are really good, and he does a good job cleaning his guy up and making sure he doesn’t get offensive rebounds.”
What makes Green’s recent run more impressive is that Creighton has played the top three defensive teams in the Big East during that stretch in St. John’s, Marquette and Georgetown, and Green has still produced.
