HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Ryan Hawkins scored 23 points and Creighton upset No. 17 UConn 59-55 on Tuesday night.
Hawkins hit eight of his 12 shots, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range for the Bluejays (13-7, 5-4 Big East), who moved over .500 in conference play and snapped a two-game losing streak.
Isaiah Whaley had a career-high 20-points for UConn (15-5, 6-3), which had won five in a row and was looking for its first six-game win streak since the NCAA Tournament run in 2014 that brought the Huskies their fourth national title.
Creighton led by 10 points at halftime and scored the first bucket of the second half.
But the Huskies used a 15-3 run to erase that deficit. A 3-pointer from Whaley tied the game at 37 and a turnaround shot in the lane from Adama Sanago gave the Huskies their first lead since 2-0 at 41-39.
But Creighton held UConn without a field goal for over 7 minutes after Whaley’s 3-pointer tied the game at 46 with 7:15 left.
Andre Jackson's 3-pointer with 5 seconds left, brought the Huskies to within two at 57-55, but Trey Alexander hit two free throws with 2.5 seconds left to seal it.
Hawkins had the first five Creighton points and the Bluejays jumped out to an early 19-11 lead.
Whaley hit four of his first five shots while the rest of the Huskies were going 0-10.
A step-back 3-pointer from Arthur Kaluma gave Creighton its first 10-point lead at 25-15, and a 3-pointer from Hawkins that bounced high off the back of the rim and back through the net, sent the Bluejays into the half up 32-22.
The Huskies shot just 30% from the floor (20 of 67) and Creighton's bench outscored the Huskies 13-2.
BIG PICTURE
Creighton: With the win, Creighton improves to 3-4 this season against ranked opponents. The Bluejays also beat then No. 9 Villanova, 79-59, and then-No. 21 BYU 83-71. ... The Bluejays improved to 4-0 against UConn, the first three, including a Big East tournament victory, came last season.
UConn: The game was the first of nine Big East games in 26 days for the Huskies, five of which will come against teams currently in the Top 25, including two each against No. 12 Villanova and No. 21 Xavier.
UP NEXT
Creighton: The Bluejays visit Seton Hall on Friday
UConn: The Huskies travel to Philadelphia on Saturday to take on No. 12 Villanova.
