No. 15 Creighton shoots its way past rival Nebraska

Dec 3, 2023; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Creighton Bluejays guard Steven Ashworth (1) turns after getting a rebound against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

Baylor Scheierman had 20 of his 24 points in the first half and No. 15 Creighton handed host Nebraska its first loss of the season as the Bluejays won 89-60 in a nonconference rivalry game on Sunday afternoon in Lincoln, Neb.

Creighton (7-1) hit 14 3-pointers, making 10 in the first half, with Scheierman making six of those. The fifth-year senior guard was 8-of-22 from the field and added 10 rebounds.

Crieghton center Ryan Kalkbrenner had 13 points and 12 rebounds, and Trey Alexander and Steven Ashworth each added 13 points.

Nebraska (7-1) got 20 points from Keisei Tominaga — 16 in the first half — but shot only 33.8 percent, including 2-of-22 from 3. The Cornhuskers were off to their best start since 1991-92 and had won every game by double digits.

Creighton led 52-37 at the half. Ashworth made 4 of 5 free throws with 0.2 seconds left before the break after being fouled on a 3-point attempt and Tominaga getting called for a technical for throwing the ball against the basket stanchion.

A layup by Kalkbrenner built the Bluejays’ lead to 62-41 with 15:43 left, and an 11-0 run gave them an 80-50 advantage with 6:26 to go.

Nebraska led for most of the first 10 minutes before Creighton got hot from deep, making 9 of 15 outside shots after a 1-for-8 start. Back-to-back 3s from Scheierman gave the Blue Jays a 33-25 lead with 6:56 left, and a 13-5 run to end the half grew the margin to 15.

Creighton improved to 30-27 in the in-state rivalry, winning the last two meetings in Lincoln. The 29-point margin of victory matched the Bluejays’ largest in series history.

Nebraska plays its first true road game Wednesday when it opens Big Ten Conference play at Minnesota, while Creighton is off until hosting Central Michigan on Saturday.

–Field Level Media

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