Nebraska had its chances Tuesday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
The Huskers (1-2) clawed back from a 19-point first-half deficit. They got the game down to a point early in the second-half, then back to a single possession again with 8:37 to go in the game, but each time couldn’t get completely over the hump as Creighton (3-0) grabbed the 77-69 win.
“We lost that game in the first eight to 10 minutes,” NU coach Fred Hoiberg said. “(Creighton) got anything they wanted in transition and just built that lead.”
The Bluejays, a revamped unit this season of five new starters but still with coach Greg McDermott, stayed true to who they were no matter how the game was going. Creighton utilized team basketball to get the lead, didn’t get down on themselves when Nebraska got back in it, then stayed steady to pull away for their third straight victory in the series.
Creighton owns a 29-26 lead in the all-time series, including 10 of the last 11.
The Huskers struggled with ball movement for the first 10 minutes of the game, standing around and seeing if someone would take over. That was when Kobe Webster made his first appearance of the season that Nebraska looked as good as they have all season.
Webster scored 11 points by halftime, finishing with a team-high 20.
Nebraska showed the potential to be an NCAA tournament team with how they fought back and were dominant for the final 10 minutes of the first half. But how they got into that hole and the critical errors in the second half have them looking more like a team that will miss the NIT.
CJ Wilcher (15) and Alonzo Verge Jr. (10) also notched double-digit scoring efforts. Verge added four assists on the night.
After totalling 16 assists through the first two games, Nebraska had 15 against Creighton.
Nebraska shot just 37 percent for the game, including 10-of-26 from 3. Creighton, meanwhile, made 10-of-23 3s as part of their 46.7 percent shooting.
As has been, and will continue to be, an issue so far this season, Creighton grabbed 13 rebounds and turned that into 12 points.
The Huskers were without Trey McGowens for the second-half. He came out of the locker room on crutches with a boot on his right foot. Hoiberg confirmed after the game that McGowens’s foot was broken.
“Just devastating, with everything Trey has done for us with his leadership,” Hoiberg said. “That’s gonna be a huge loss.”
Nebraska stays home Friday hosting Idaho State.