Creighton Drains 21 3-Pointers, Blows Out (4) Villanova
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Eric Francis/Getty Images(PHILADELPHIA) — Ethan Wragge tied a school record with nine made three-pointers while the Creighton Blue Jays set a new Big East record with 21 treys in their 96-68 dismantiling of No. 4 Villanova on Monday. It was the first win over a top-5 team for Creighton since 1970.
The barrage began early as the Blue Jays (16-3, 6-1 Big East) hit their first nine attempts from distance and led 30-12 before Doug McDermott sank the first basket from inside the arc with 11:52 to play in the first half. Villanova (16-2, 5-1 Big East) would made a run before the break, outscoring Creighton 20-7 over the final six minutes of the first and trailed 54-41 at halftime.
In the second half, Creighton’s offense did not let up and the defense clamped down. The Wildcats had no answer as they watched the Blue Jays increase their lead to as many as 41 and empty out their own arena. Creighton was 21-for-35 (60%) from downtown and held Villanova to just 27 second half points.
With 13:59 to play in the second, Wragge hit his ninth three of the game tying Kyle Korver’s school record. The senior finished with 27 points while McDermott added 23 in the win. Jahenns Manigat buried home the record-breaking three with 7:33 left, giving Creighton an 88-50 lead.
It was the worst loss in the 13 seasons of Villanova head coach Jay Wright. James Bell paced the squad with 19 points as the Wildcats were playing with their highest ranking since being No. 3 in 2010.
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