No. 8 Creighton uses 2nd-half surge, puts away Huskers 98-74
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Marcus Zegarowski scored 22 points, Denzel Mahoney had 20 and No. 8 Creighton used a big run in the second half to pull away and beat Nebraska 98-74 Friday night.
The Bluejays (4-1) weren’t sharp early but went on a powerful dunk- and 3-pointer-filled 30-7 surge after halftime to bounce back from their one-point loss at No. 5 Kansas on Tuesday.
Creighton has won eight of nine against the Cornhuskers (3-3) and lead the series 28-26. The Bluejays have won 13 straight regular-season home games against their in-state rival since losing in Omaha in 1995.
Teddy Allen led Nebraska with 26 points, Trey McGowens had 15 and Dalano Banton added 12.
The Huskers committed 25 turnovers, and Creighton converted them into 38 points.
Unlike last year, when Nebraska fell behind 31-7 and lost 95-76, the Huskers hung tough with Creighton for a half.
The Bluejays unleashed their big run after Trey McGowens’ dunk pulled Nebraska to 48-46. Eight Creighton combined to make 11 of 14 shots during the decisive run.
Creighton scored 15 points in a row before Allen made a layup to end the spurt. Then Christian Bishop got things started again with a giant windmill dunk on the other end for Creighton.
The Huskers came into the game averaging 12 turnovers per game and had that many in the first half. The Bluejays finished the half with 14 points off turnovers and led 44-40 at the break.
BIG PICTURE
Nebraska: Fred Hoiberg can take heart this is a better team than the one he put on the floor a year ago against Creighton. Allen and Banton have been huge additions, and Hoiberg can feel comfortable playing an eight-man rotation. The turnovers must be cleaned up, though.
Creighton: The Bluejays were a bit sluggish to start but finished with a flurry. Mahoney has picked up the scoring slack with 3-point specialist Ballock struggling to get shots, and 7-foot freshman Ryan Kalkbrenner continues to make a good early impression.
UP NEXT
Nebraska opens Big Ten play at No. 13 Wisconsin on Dec. 21.
Creighton hosts Marquette in its Big East opener Monday.
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