OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Trey Alexander scored 17 points to lead No. 23 Creighton, UConn had what would have been a tying 3-pointer erased on video review in the final seconds, and the Bluejays held off the 21st-ranked Huskies 56-53 on Saturday.
Creighton (17-8, 11-3) is a half-game behind Big East-leading Marquette with its eighth straight win. The Huskies (19-7, 8-7) lost for the first time in four games.
Alexander, who went to the bench after committing his fourth foul with 7:08 to play, returned four minutes later with his team ahead 52-49. Alexander scored inside to make it a five-point game, but Jordan Hawkins’ second-chance basket pulled the Huskies within three with a minute left.
Alexander missed the front end of a one-and-one, giving UConn another chance with 21 seconds left. Sanogo missed a 3, Hawkins got the rebound and made a shot from the top of the key with 2.7 seconds left.
The basket originally was ruled a 3, which would have tied the game at 54, but officials changed it to a two-pointer when the video review showed Hawkins’ right foot was on the line.
Kalkbrenner was fouled after catching the long inbounds pass and made the free throws for the final margin.
The game was advertised as Round Two between big men Sanogo and Kalkbrenner. Sanogo had gotten the better of Creighton’s 7-footer in the first meeting, scoring 26 points in the Huskies’ 69-60 win in Storrs on Jan. 7.
Sanogo finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season in that game and made a career-high three 3-pointers, while Kalkbrenner was just 3 of 11 from the field and had 12 points and six rebounds.
Fans expecting to see Sanogo and Kalkbrenner battle in the paint on Saturday were in for a surprise in the first half. The 6-9, 240-pound Sanogo’s expanded offensive game allowed the Huskies to keep things close as he made 3 of 5 3s.
Sanogo came into the season having attempted just one 3 in 52 career games. He showed up in Omaha 13 of 33 from distance this season but opened the Huskies’ scoring with a 3 from above the key and ended the half with another from the same spot to cut Creighton’s lead to 31-29.
Kalkbrenner was mostly quiet other than a spurt in the second half when he dunked Ryan Nembhard’s fast-break lob and then set up perfectly in the lane on the other end to take a charge from Sanogo.
Sanogo's backup, the 7-foot-2 Donovan Clingan, scored to pull the Huskies within 45-44. UConn missed its next seven shots over three possessions before Sanogo backed in Kalkbrenner for a basket to tie it at 46.
Kalkbrenner and Arthur Kaluma hit two free throws apiece and Kalkbrenner laid in a shot to give the Bluejays a six-point lead before Alex Karaban's 3 quieted the crowd.
BIG PICTURE
UConn: The Huskies never established any rhythm offensively and ended up shooting 32.3% for the game.
Creighton: The Bluejays are one of the hottest teams in the country and that six-game losing streak in December is a distant memory.
UP NEXT
UConn: Looks to split the season series with Seton Hall when it hosts the Pirates on Feb. 18.
Creighton: Goes for the season sweep against Providence when it visits the Friars on Tuesday.
___
AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
