The Bulldogs got the stop they needed in the closing minute, but couldn't secure the loose rebound as Creighton was able to convert the second-chance opportunity and take a 54-52 win Tuesday night in Omaha.
Ryan Nembhard's driving lay-up with 32 seconds remaining gave the home Bluejays a 53-52 lead, just seconds after the Bluejays were able to grab an offensive rebound at the top of the key. Butler had two contested looks in the closing seconds sandwiched around a made Creighton free throw.
With the win, Creighton improves to 14-8 and 6-5 in BIG EAST play. Butler falls to 11-13 (4-9).
This is Butler's third consecutive loss, all by three points or less.
Freshman Jayden Taylor's 13th point of the game gave Butler a 52-51 lead with 1:04 to play. That was Butler's first lead since two Bryce Nze free throws gave the Bulldogs a 35-34 lead with 15:48 remaining in the game. Creighton quickly followed that with a 14-5 spurt that gave the Bluejays their largest lead of the game at 48-40 with 9:17 to play. That is when Butler would claw back into the contest.
Arthur Kaluma (16) and Ryan Hawkins (15) combined for 31 of Creighton's points.
Both teams made 19 field goals and went matching 4-of-17s from behind the arc in the contest.
Taylor's 13 points led Butler, while Bo Hodges had 10 points and nine rebounds. Bryce Golden had nine points and nine rebounds. Aaron Thompson added nine points and three steals, which moved him into tenth on Butler's career list.
The momentum swings began in the first half. Following a Bryce Golden three-point play with 9:27 remaining in the first half, the Bulldogs owned a 21-12 advantage. Butler then missed its next 10 shots in going scoreless over nearly the next eight minutes. During that time, Creighton re-took the lead with an 11-0 run. Butler closed the first half by scoring nine of the final 11 points in taking a 30-26 lead into the locker room. All 10 of Hodges' points came in the first half, including a three-pointer at the horn.
Butler won the first match-up between the two teams by a score of 72-55. That game was played Jan. 26 in Indianapolis.
The Bulldogs return to action and Hinkle Fieldhouse for a Saturday 4:30 p.m. tip against No. 18 Marquette.
