How Creighton Managed to Withstand Multiple Friar Runs in Their 73-67 Win on Saturday
Providence walked into a dangerous situation when they traveled to Omaha to take on a Creighton team desperate for a win.
Picked to win the league by the league’s coaches in October, the Bluejays entered Saturday’s game with a 9-8 overall record and a 3-3 mark in Big East play after dropping a pair of difficult road games against top 15 competition in Connecticut and Xavier.
If Providence were to win on Saturday, Ed Cooley was going to have to piece something special together. The Friars are still down starting point guard Jared Bynum, who got hurt in a victory against UConn ten days ago, while backup point guard Jayden Pierre hadn’t stepped on a court since last Saturday’s win against St. John’s due to an illness. Corey Floyd Jr. was also limited with an illness.
The Friars certainly seemed to be in trouble heading into the halftime break trailing 41-29. The momentum in first half swung following an outstanding sequence by Devin Carter in which he pinned a Ryan Nembhard transition layup off the glass and then knocked down a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to tie the game at 21.
Cooley had to have been feeling good at that point. His Friars withstood Creighton scoring its first eight points on dunks and layups and Baylor Scheierman knocking down four consecutive shots.
But following Carter’s big-time plays the tenor of the first half change in a hurry.
Cooley was irritated after Carter was buried by a Kalkbrenner screen on a timeout, which led to Scheierman’s fifth straight make — a three to give Creighton a 24-21 edge.
On the other end, Bryce Hopkins slipped and was called for an offensive foul, to which Cooley instantly picked up a technical.
Creighton made two free throws, then drew Hopkins’ second foul on the next possession.
When the Providence star went to the bench, PC trailed 26-21 with 7:32 on the clock.
Over the next five minutes, PC scored just four points, and watched as the Jays ripped off a 13-4 spurt to push ahead, 39-25. Providence went to Ed Croswell three times in the post when Hopkins was out, but he was swallowed up by the Big East’s best defensive big in the 7’1 Ryan Kalkbrenner. Down Bynum and Hopkins, PC struggled to figure out how to attack Creighton, and it felt like they had dug themselves too great a hole to come back.
That was partly because of how easily things were coming the Jays over the game’s first 20 minutes. Creighton was getting Scheierman looks on switches, and getting to the rim with consistency.
After Scheierman waltzed through the lane for a dunk to put the Jays up 45-29 with 17:56 on the clock, it seemed like it might soon be time to look ahead toward Marquette.
But Cooley made two critical changes, and a pair of fouls on Scheierman on consecutive possessions dramatically changed the course of the second half.
Providence began picking up Creighton full court and brought in Jayden Pierre (who had a brief cameo in the first half). Shortly after the lineup change, Carter drew a charge on Scheierman (his second foul) then Hopkins finished an and-1 to send Scheierman to the bench with his third. The Friars were within striking distance at 47-37.
PC ripped off a 15-3 run, highlighted by a trio of jumpers by Noah Locke, a pretty finish from Pierre, and Hopkins scoring in transition after breaking up a lob to Kalkbrenner to make it 48-44.
Creighton head man Greg McDermott had seen enough. Scheierman and Arthur Kaluma returned to the lineup and they seemed to reestablish order after pushing ahead 54-47.
Yet, when Kalkbrenner went to the bench, Providence made its next push. Alyn Breed knocked down a pull-up 15 footer, Croswell put back a miss, then Hopkins tied the game with a 3-point to cap a 25-9 Friar run.
The lack of point guard play, and some ticky-tack fouls hurt Providence from there.
Kaluma scored on an and-1, Scheiermann found Kalkbrenner on a great look that led to free throws, while PC air-balled a pair of threes on the other end.
Then came a killer sequence for Providence. Breed was called for a phantom bump on Nembhard with two seconds on the shot clock, and Kalkbrenner was fouled when jostling for possession with Croswell. He hit both freebies at the 5:10 mark to put Creighton up, 62-56, and then on the next possession Croswell was called for another bump. Kalkbrenner made one and it was 63-58 Jays.
PC had a chance to cut the lead to three, but Croswell lost control going up for a put-back which led to a Kalkbrenner layup on the other end.
The Friars went down nine after Breed was called for a trip late in the shot clock. They cut the lead to five with under two minutes to play and had a chance to make it a one possession game, but Breed’s fadeaway hit the front rim with 1:20 left.
Kaluma scored on a drive on the ensuing possession and it was over from there.
Providence had a chance in this one, despite shooting 4-19 from three and being outscored 46-32 in the paint. PC has won this year at the free throw line, on the offensive glass, and being opportunistic in transition.
They did pummel Creighton the glass (44-29), but finished with two fast break points, and they lost the battle at the free throw line (13-15 vs. 18-23).
Cooley likely would have loved his chances with Creighton shooting just 3-16 from long distance, but ultimately the first half stretch without Hopkins and some inefficient offense led to Providence’s first conference loss of the season.