INDIANAPOLIS — Baylor Scheierman finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds, his sixth consecutive double-double, and Ryan Kalkbrenner added 21 points as No. 17 Creighton rolled past Butler 79-57 on Saturday.
Trey Alexander contributed 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists, while Steven Ashworth had 12 points, eight assists and five boards for the Bluejays (19-7, 10-5 Big East).
Jalen Thomas scored 18 points for Butler (16-10, 7-8). Posh Alexander added 13 and DJ Davis 12 for the Bulldogs, who shot 40% from the field to Creighton’s 52%.
After trailing by eight midway through the first half, Creighton cut its deficit to 35-34 at halftime. Creighton’s offense, which entered 20th in the nation in field-goal percentage, overwhelmed Butler after the break. The Bluejays scored on 12 of their first 19 second-half possessions and went ahead 62-46 on Scheierman’s basket in the lane with 10:38 left.
BIG PICTURE
Creighton: Often known for offense under coach Greg McDermott, the Bluejays’ defense made the proper adjustments on Saturday. Following a 99-98 home loss to Butler on Feb. 2, Creighton won the second meeting by shutting down Butler forwards Pierre Brooks II and Jahmyl Telfort. The duo entered averaging 30.1 points but combined for just six points on 3-of-18 shooting.
Butler: This game took on added importance after a competitive home loss to No. 4 Marquette on Tuesday. The Bulldogs don’t have any bad losses, and they boast road wins over Marquette and Creighton. Butler can't afford an extended losing streak down the stretch if the Bulldogs hope to get a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
UP NEXT
Creighton: The Bluejays return home to face No. 1 Connecticut on Tuesday night.
Butler: The Bulldogs play Tuesday night at Villanova.
No. 17 Creighton 79, Butler 57
CREIGHTON (19-7) — Miller 1-3 2-2 4, Kalkbrenner 8-14 2-2 21, T.Alexander 7-15 1-2 15, Ashworth 5-11 0-0 12, Scheierman 10-14 4-4 27, Farabello 0-2 0-0 0, Green 0-0 0-0 0, Traudt 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 31-60 9-10 79.
BUTLER (16-10) — Telfort 2-12 0-0 4, J.Thomas 7-11 2-2 18, P.Alexander 6-11 0-0 13, Davis 5-13 1-1 12, Brooks 1-6 0-0 2, Bizjack 2-4 0-0 5, Moore 0-1 0-0 0, Screen 0-0 0-0 0, Kapke 1-1 0-0 3, Cassia 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 24-60 3-3 57.
Halftime—Butler 35-34. 3-Point Goals—Creighton 8-25 (Scheierman 3-5, Kalkbrenner 3-6, Ashworth 2-7, Farabello 0-2, Miller 0-2, T.Alexander 0-3), Butler 6-22 (J.Thomas 2-4, Kapke 1-1, Bizjack 1-2, P.Alexander 1-3, Davis 1-7, Brooks 0-1, Telfort 0-4). Rebounds—Creighton 35 (Scheierman 10), Butler 24 (J.Thomas 5). Assists—Creighton 19 (Ashworth 8), Butler 12 (P.Alexander 4). Total Fouls—Creighton 8, Butler 8. A—9,176 (9,100).
