Wilson shines as No. 5 Kansas barely holds off No. 8 Creighton
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Jalen Wilson hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 42 seconds remaining, then watched as Marcus Zegarowski missed the last of three free throws after fouling him with 1.1 seconds left, allowing fifth-ranked Kansas to escape with a 73-72 victory over No. 8 Creighton on Tuesday night.
Wilson finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Christian Braun scored 14 points, missing a foul shot that could have clinched the game with 12.5 seconds to go, and David McCormack contributed 13 points as the Jayhawks (5-1) won their fifth straight against the Bluejays.
Denzel Mahoney gave Creighton (3-1) a chance down the stretch. He hit a 3-pointer with 1:22 left to get the Bluejays within 70-68, then picked the pocket of Bryce Thompson and coasted for the tying layup with just over a minute to go.
Wilson drilled a 3-pointer off a nifty kick-out from McCormack at the other end, and Zegarowski missed an answering 3 as Braun gathered the rebound and was fouled. But when he was fouled and went to the line, the sharpshooter missed his free throw, and Zegarowski unloaded another 3-point attempt from the corner as Wilson got a piece of his arm.
The preseason Big East player of the year hit the first two free throws. He missed the last one.
Zegarowski finished with 16 points, though he was hounded all night by defensive whiz Marcus Garrett and was 5 of 14 from the floor. Mahoney led the Bluejays with 19 points while Christian Bishop and Damien Jefferson had 13 apiece.
The Bluejays survived an early 11-0 run by the Jayhawks, and they in turn dealt with an 0-for-8 slump midway through the first half. By the time it ended, Kansas had forged a 39-35 lead in a game that — at least compared two the fan-less first two games at Allen Fieldhouse — had the electricity of March.
It took less than two minutes for Creighton to take the lead.
Despite the experience of four returning starters, the Bluejays began to have turnover problems midway through the second half, and that allowed Kansas to begin edging ahead. Thompson hit a 3-pointer that tied the game, and Braun added another a few minutes later as the shot clock expired to give the Jayhawks a 58-50 lead.
Creighton went nearly four minutes without scoring later in the half, but the Jayhawks failed to capitalize, and they were left clinging to a 68-63 lead when Mahoney began his late takeover attempt that gave the Bluejays a chance.
PHOG FANS
After attendance was limited to about 100 close friends and family for its first two home games, Kansas had about 2,500 fans in the building. They were required to wear masks and there were two empty rows and 6 feet between each group.
BIG PICTURE
Creighton was dominated on the glass, particularly the defensive end, where the bigger Jayhawks pulled down 13 offensive rebounds and turned them into 11 second-chance points. Some of the biggest came with the game on the line.
Kansas got little offensive production from Garrett and fellow starter Ochai Agbaji. Garrett was 3 of 10 from the floor and had nine points, and Agbaji was 0 for 6 and failed to score.
UP NEXT
Creighton returns home to face Nebraska on Friday. Kansas faces Omaha the same night.
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