Jamiya Neal scores career-high 24 to lead Creighton over No. 14 UConn 68-63

Posted 2:41PM on Saturday 18th January 2025 ( 10 hours ago )

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Jamiya Neal had a career-high 24 points to lead Creighton to a 68-63 win over No. 14 UConn on Saturday.

Ryan Kalkbrenner had 16 points and Steven Ashworth scored 12 for the Bluejays (12-6, 5-2 Big East).

Hassan Diarra and Solo Ball each had 15 points for UConn (13-5, 5-2). The Huskies’ loss snapped a 28-game home winning streak.

Four consecutive points from Alex Karaban capped a 12-2 run early in the second half to put the Huskies up 43-41. Creighton answered with a pair of dunks in a 6-0 run to regain the lead.

After missing its first three 3-pointers, Creighton hit four in a row with Isaac Traudt giving the Bluejays their first lead midway through the first half. The Huskies regained the lead twice in the first, but Creighton scored 10 of the last 12 points of the half to take a 35-28 lead into the locker room.

Takeaways

Creighton: The Bluejays won the battle of the teams picked to finish first and second in the Big East preseason poll as players other than Kalkbrenner and Ashworth stepped up to make big plays.

UConn: The Huskies lost another winnable game while star freshman Liam McNeeley works his way back from a high-ankle sprain.

Key moment

UConn had just regained the lead on a pair of Samson Johnson free throws with about 3 1/2 minutes to go when Kalkbrenner scored the next three points and forced a miss in the lane by Diarra to give Creighton a lead it would not relinquish.

Key stat

Creighton outscored UConn 14-5 at the foul line, including four consecutive free throws to ice the game.

Up next

Creighton plays at DePaul on Tuesday. UConn hosts Butler on Tuesday at the XL Center.

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Creighton guard Jamiya Neal (5) is guarded by UConn forward Jaylin Stewart in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Storrs, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner (11) reacts toward UConn guard Aidan Mahaney after making a basket in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Storrs, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Creighton guard Steven Ashworth, bottom, and UConn guard Hassan Diarra chase after the ball in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Storrs, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

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