LINCOLN, Neb. – So much for Nebraska ending three years of frustration against in-state rival Creighton.
The Cornhuskers, with almost everybody back from their NCAA tournament team and a rocking full house at Pinnacle Bank Arena, figured this was their time to beat a Creighton team that’s still breaking in four new starters.
Well, there’s always next year.
Austin Chatman scored 16 points, Isiah Zierden hit three big 3-pointers in the second half and Creighton defeated the Huskers 65-55 Sunday night.
The fans wearing red started heading for the exits a minute before the Bluejays (7-2) finished their fourth straight double-digit win over the Huskers (5-2) and became the second team to win on Nebraska’s home court in 21 games.
“We emptied our own gym. That’s the first time that’s happened. That’s a low point for any coach,” third-year Huskers coach Tim Miles said.
Zierden had all 13 of his points in the second half, and Chatman added seven rebounds and six assists.
“It’s always significant when you beat Nebraska because they are our rival,” Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. “I think it is the one game that all fans mark on their calendar. So that makes it fun.
“We hadn’t found a way to get a win against a quality opponent on the road, and we needed to check that off our list. I think there is something in the belief that you can actually do it. And had we lost a close game after how we played defensively, that would have been a tough pill to swallow.”
Terran Petteway had 21 points to lead Nebraska, which shot 37.7 percent.
Creighton, down by 10 points late in the first half, was within 28-27 at half and then hit 3 of 4 3-pointers in the middle of the second half to go ahead.
Zierden’s 3 from in front of his bench broke a 39-39 tie, and the Bluejays were up five when Will Artino, after having a shot blocked by Tarin Smith, got the ball right back and flipped it in with his left hand.
Petteway’s fast-break dunk off Benny Parker’s pass got the Huskers within 51-49, but another Zierden 3 and Artino’s scoop shot gave the Bluejays a seven-point lead with under 3 minutes left.
Chatman said winning in front of a large and noisy crowd made the accomplishment all the better.
“It felt like my freshman year when we played at San Diego State,” he said. “Everybody was jumping around, the floor was shaking a little bit, it was loud. We couldn’t really hear Mac trying to call plays as much. It was a pretty tough environment.”
TIP INS
Creighton: Creighton has played the Huskers every year since 1977, making it by far the Bluejays’ longest-running non-conference series. … The Bluejays, who shot 47.1 percent, came in shooting just 42.3 percent in their previous three games.
Nebraska: Shavon Shields, averaging 20 points a game, was held scoreless until his layups on two straight possessions early in the second half. He finished with seven points.
SENIORS MOMENT
Creighton’s three seniors finished 4-0 against the Huskers. “I am really proud of them given what we lost last year,” McDermott said. “This is their team now, and our preparation this week was really, really good.”
Likewise, the three seniors who have been at Nebraska for their entire careers never beat the team from Omaha.
“It’s bad,” David Rivers said. “We didn’t execute well offensively or defensively. They made all the right plays. It’s unfortunate. We have to learn from this and get better.”
UP NEXT
Creighton hosts South Dakota on Tuesday.
Nebraska hosts Incarnate Word on Wednesday.
Leave a Reply