Comeback Falls Short for No. 5/4 Xavier at Creighton

Tuesday, February 9

Omaha, Neb.

8 P.M.

Xavier University

21-3, 9-3BE

Creighton University

16-9, 7-5BE

#5 Xavier

Creighton

Comeback Falls Short for No. 5/4 Xavier at Creighton

02.09.16 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Reynolds leads team with 17 after 13-point second half

By: Hayley Schletker, Xavier Athletic Communications

OMAHA, Neb. – After falling behind early, No. 5/4 Xavier posted a second half run but were unable to close the gap, falling at 70-56 at Creighton on Tuesday. The Musketeers move to 21-3 on the season and 9-3 in BIG EAST play.

Jalen Reynolds finished with 17 points, just one point off his season high of 18, set against Auburn. Reynolds posted 13 points in the second half, including going a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line. Reynolds also finished with a team-high nine rebounds.

James Farr added 14 for the Musketeers and Edmond Sumner finished with 10 points.

Creighton jumped out to a 21-4 lead after the Musketeers opened the game 2-of-15 from the floor

Xavier's bench provided a spark, answering with an 11-2 run. The run, featuring baskets from five different Musketeer reserves, cut the lead down to eight, 23-15, with eight minutes remaining in the first half.

CU extended the lead back to 13 before a basket from Farr and four-straight for Sumner cut the Bluejay lead down to seven, 32-30, the closest the Musketeers had been since trailing 11-4 at the 15:50 mark.

Xavier would get as close as seven in the final five minutes of the half before going into the locker room trailing, 37-27.

Farr's eight points led the Musketeers in the first half, and Sumner added six. Xavier struggled from outside the arc in the first half, hitting on just one of 12 from beyond the arc.

The Bluejays opened the game hitting 9-of-15 from the floor, but closed the half shooting 3-of-14 as the Musketeers closed the gap.

Sumner led the Musketeers with four rebounds as the Bluejays owned a 25-18 advantage on the boards in the first half.

The Musketeers forced 10 turnovers, leading to eight points in the first half, compared to two points off turnovers for the Bluejays.

Creighton opened the half with an 8-0 run to extend the lead out to, 45-27, before Xavier looked inside to climb back into a game. Six points for Farr and five for Reynolds combined for an 11-3 run. The Musketeers held the Bluejays scoreless from the floor for over five minutes as they cut the lead to 10, 48-38, with 12 minutes remaining in the game.

Four quick points for Macura helped the Musketeers chip away at the Bluejay lead, getting as close as five, 55-50, before the Bluejays pushed the lead back out to 13 with under two minutes remaining.

The Bluejays closed the game shooting 4-of-6 six from the line in the final two minutes to set the final score at 70-56 in favor of Creighton.

Xavier owned a 38-24 advantage on points in the paint, but hit on only one of 21 shots from outside to finish shooting 30 percent from the floor.

The Musketeers finished with a 46-44 advantage on the boards, including grabbing 16 offensive boards for 22 second-chance points to 12 second-chance points for the Bluejays.

Xavier stays on the road for its next match-up, traveling to Indianapolis on Feb. 13 to face Butler. The Musketeers and the Bulldogs are set to tip at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

POSTGAME