No. 2 UConn pulls away late in 1st half on way to 85-58 rout of struggling Creighton
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Braylon Mullins scored 16 points and Alex Karaban and Silas Demary Jr. had 15 apiece to lead No. 2 UConn in an 85-58 rout of Creighton on Saturday night.
The Huskies (21-1, 11-0 Big East) won their 17th straight game and posted their biggest winning margin in a conference road game in two years.
Creighton (12-10, 6-5) has dropped two straight games by a total of 51 points. The 27-point loss to the Huskies matched the most lopsided at home in coach Greg McDermott’s 16 seasons at Creighton, according to Sportradar.
The Huskies had won five of their previous six games by six points or less, but this turned into a blowout after Creighton went into an offensive lull late in the first half and never recovered. The Huskies shot 54.1% from the field, their best mark in a Big East game this season, and turned 13 offensive rebounds into 23 points. They were 16 of 31 from 3-point range (52%).
Mullins returned to the lineup after sustaining a concussion a week ago against Villanova and missing Tuesday’s game against Providence. He made a couple of early 3s and finished with four in 29 minutes.
Nik Graves and Blake Harper made their first starts since Dec. 7 after McDermott revamped his lineup following a 24-point loss at Marquette. Graves led the Bluejays with 17 points and Harper added 11.
Creighton played on even terms with the Huskies for most of the first half. But the Bluejays went the last 4:41 without a field goal and UConn’s 14-3 spurt to close the period made it 41-30 at the break. The Huskies led by as many as 30 in the second half.
Up next
UConn hosts Xavier on Tuesday.
Creighton visits Georgetown on Wednesday.
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