Ahead of their second meeting in three weeks on Dev. 4, the 12-10 Bluejay men’s basketball team and 12-10 Georgetown Hoyas were at very different places.
Creighton found itself on a two game losing streak, dropping a road battle to Marquette, 86-62, on Jan. 27 and following it up with an emotional Pink Out loss to No. 2 UConn, 85-58, on Jan. 31. The Bluejays’ 3-point shooting percentage dropped to a combined 22.2% over those two games, a sharp decline from 54.2% 3-point shooting versus Xavier on Jan. 21.
The Bluejays were in need of a win on Feb. 4 to keep morale up and ready themselves for the gauntlet of the top three teams they would face after: Georgetown, Seton Hall and Villanova at home, and DePaul and UConn on the road.
Meanwhile, since falling in overtime to the Bluejays on Jan. 13, Georgetown’s grit took it to just a two point loss to UConn at home and loss to Villanova by 15 on the road, followed by three consecutive wins at Providence, versus DePaul and at Butler.
With a rematch with the Bluejays on the horizon, the game felt more personal for the Hoyas. How could it not, when head coach Ed Cooley felt his team got robbed the first time around? In other words, the Hoyas needed a win to right what they felt had gone wrong three weeks ago and keep the winning momentum — and accompanying confidence — strong.
The stage was set for a battle where both teams wouldn’t go down without a fight. Neither squad could afford to, especially with the Big East standings — minus UConn’s one loss record — so close.
But while Creighton rallied for a two-point lead at halftime, Georgetown wasn’t going to be denied by the Bluejays a second time, performing better in all the right ways to emerge with their fourth win in a row, routing the visiting team, 76-68.
The game started in much the same way as previous Creighton games had: slow. Neither team really found their stride until minutes after the first whistle, a scoreless stint defining nearly three minutes before Georgetown scored with 14:26 in the first half to trail by just two, 6-4.
These scoreless stretches proved the narrative for most of the first half. Small breaks for the scoreless action allowed the score to climb, but for the most part, Creighton and Georgetown were in a deadlock.
With 3:24 left in the half, the Hoyas had managed a slight 24-20 lead over the Bluejays. For the first time all half, though, the Bluejays were able to respond in a sustained manner, coming up with a quick seven point run over one minute to take the lead 27-24.
This run came together thanks to a dunk from junior forward Jasen Green, sandwiched between two shots from freshman guard Hudson Greer: a three and fastbreak dunk.
Georgetown followed the run up with a well-timed triple to tie the score at 27 apiece with 1:24 left in the half, but Creighton stole much-needed momentum back with one second left before the break on a jumper in the paint from none other than senior guard Nik Graves.
That shot gave the Bluejays a narrow 29-27 edge at halftime, though the team’s 3-point shooting percentage wouldn’t suggest that score. The Bluejays converted on just one of 11 attempts from beyond the arch, though a combined 48.28% from the field kept them in the game.
“I thought we had some good looks. We’ve had some guys out sick that haven’t practiced for a couple days, and obviously their legs weren’t certainly there. But I felt good with where we were at halftime given we couldn’t make a shot,” head coach Greg McDermott said.
The battle on the defensive glass, which did not go in favor of the Bluejays, had a surprising lack of harmful consequences, as the Hoyas collected nine offensive rebounds but managed no second chance points. McDermott’s response to his team about this fortune was simple.
“That’s fool’s gold,” he said.
The keys to the second half also seemed simple. The Bluejays hadn’t shot well from the field but they had the lead, meaning that maintaining whatever physicality they mustered in the first half was a must. Creighton would also need to see more shooters get in a rhythm, like senior guard Josh Dix, sophomore guard Austin Swartz and sophomore guard Blake Harper.
But the most obvious key to the second half was rebounding. Creighton couldn’t allow the lucky fortune they had received from offensive rebounds to let it become complacent. Winning this game would require limiting Georgetown’s offense to one shot and boxing out.
Unfortunately for the Bluejays, the Hoyas had no intention of letting the Bluejays beat them a second time this season. The Hoyas came out as the better team out of the break.
“We fought. We didn’t quit. Georgetown obviously got on quite a run to start the second half, which ended up being the difference in the game and some miscues on our part that certainly led to that, but they were the better team the second half,” McDermott said.
Just 10 seconds into the half, the Hoyas put the first points on the board with a triple, retaking the lead 30-29.
Three minutes later, when the score shone in favor of the home team 36-24, Georgetown began a 9-2 run that extended its lead to nine with 15:13 left to play. Despite slight pushback from Graves in the form of a triple, the Hoyas returned the favor a minute later, taking their first double-digit lead of the game, 49-39.
Down by 10-plus points and in need of a solution, Creighton did anything but find one, committing a series of untimely turnovers that multiplied its shooting woes and put the game nearly out of reach.
In less than 30 seconds, the Bluejays turned the ball over three times. Two of those three turnovers ended in a foul called on Green on the other end and subsequent free throw attempts.
The first of three on the turnover spree was arguably the most detrimental. With six and change left to play, a perfect opportunity and the chance to get the score back in single digits, a turnover from Harper instead helped Georgetown extend the lead.
“We had a great opportunity there … [because] Blake Harper had it in the middle [and] we were going to get a dunk by Hudson Greer, and he lost the ball and instead of cutting it to eight … they go up [11]. Those kind of momentum swings … make it difficult on the road,” McDermott said.
By the end of the game, Creighton accumulated 16 turnovers. They haven’t collected that many turnovers since 18 at Gonzaga in their second game of the year and 17 versus Iowa State.
“While we only lost the second chance battle 7-11, the 16 turnovers for us is so out of character for us. A lot of them were just foolish turnovers,” McDermott said.
Blessed with help from Creighton’s unfortunate turnover count, the Hoyas extended their lead as high as 15, 67-52, with four minutes remaining.
Vincent Iwuchukwu also helped ignite the Hoyas in the second half, coming alive in the paint scoring a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. He was an integral part of both building and sustaining Georgetown’s second half lead — supplemented by points off turnovers.
“I thought we met [Iwuchukwu] with some good verticality in the first half. [In] the second half, we weren’t quite as good,” McDermott said. “As I told Coach Cooley, you look at how Georgetown played before [Iwuchukwu] went out and how they’ve played since he’s been back, it’s a totally different team. He impacts the game so much on both ends of the floor.”
Even as Iwuchukwu and the Hoya offense continued to berate the visiting team, a late push — much like the one at Providence — closed the gap to as few as six points with 36 seconds remaining, thanks to a contested triple, and-one from Zugic. But a barrage of shots that wouldn’t fall for the Bluejays ultimately decided the game in favor of the Hoyas.
Creighton’s second half shooting was improved, if not by much, shooting 38.24% from the field and an improved 31.82% from three (7-22). In total, the Bluejays made 42.9% of their field goals but just 24.2% — or eight — threes on 33 attempts.
The Bluejays had three players in double figures on the night. Green led with 12 points, Graves had 11 points and five assists, and Fedor Zugic managed 11 on 12 minutes on the floor. Josh Dix went just 4-12 from the field and 1-6 from three for 9 points.
Thus, in the end, it was the emerging Georgetown threat that met the challenge and extended its win streak, leaving the Bluejays searching for their next step forward. With only eight games left in the regular season, time is of the essence for Creighton to put some tallies in the win column — even if only to end their season on a high note.
The next challenge awaits them back at CHI Health Center against Seton Hall today. After the first meeting saw Creighton holding the lead for 37 minutes before giving up the win in the final minutes, Saturday’s contest will be a test to see how much the Bluejays have grown. That, and whether any of the Bluejay shooters can find their rhythm.