SIU Edwardsville Cougars vs Creighton Bluejays Match Player Stats On Nov 27, 2021

Four Creighton players scored in double figures Saturday night as the Bluejays rallied from a 16-point second-half deficit to stop visiting SIU Edwardsville, 70-65 in Omaha, Neb.

Ryan Hawkins led the balanced attack with 14 points and seven rebounds, while Ryan Kalkbrenner added 13 points. Arthur Kaluma hit for 12 and Alex O'Connell chipped in 11 points as Creighton improved to 6-1.

Ray'Sean Taylor stuffed the stat sheet for the Cougars (2-5) with 17 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, although he made only 8 of 23 shots from the field. DeeJuan Pruitt and Shamar Wright each scored 13 points, and Lamar Wright added 10.

Trailing 65-59 after Shamar Wright converted a layup with 5:07 left in the game, the Bluejays dominated the endgame. Hawkins started the comeback with a putback at the 4:03 mark, followed by a 3-pointer and driving layup by Trey Alexander that put them ahead 66-65 with 2:10 left.

Kalkbrenner hit a layup with 1:21 remaining for a three-point lead, and Ryan Nembhard clinched the win by sinking two free throws with 13.8 seconds on the clock.

SIU Edwardsville missed its last seven shots from the field and managed only two points over the game's last 6:05. That canceled out a solid effort that saw it outrebound a taller foe 39-35 and enjoy a 44-40 advantage in points in the paint.

Taylor converted a transition layup to give the Cougars their first lead at 11-10 with 13:34 left in the half. Hawkins sank a 3-pointer at the 8:52 mark to regain the lead for Creighton at 24-21.

But SIU Edwardsville controlled the half's last eight minutes and kept that roll going into the early part of the second half. It outscored the Bluejays 21-6 over the final 7:54 of the half, Taylor converting a turnover into a layup for a 42-30 halftime lead.

Shaun Doss hit a turnaround jumper with 15:33 left in the game to give the Cougars a 56-40 cushion, but they couldn't hold Creighton off.

--Field Level Media