Connecticut Huskies vs Creighton Bluejays Match Player Stats On Mar 12, 2021

Damien Jefferson's 14 points and 12 rebounds and a clutch defensive stand on Connecticut's final possession lifted No. 17 Creighton to a 59-56 win Friday night in the Big East Conference tournament semifinals in New York City.

Marcus Zegarowski added 13 points for the second-seeded Bluejays (20-7), who will meet eighth-seeded Georgetown in the championship game Saturday night. Christian Bishop scored 11 as Creighton survived a slow start and 37.1 percent shooting overall.

The Bluejays used defense and rebounding to get the job done. They held the third-seeded Huskies (15-7) to 32.8 percent shooting from the field and dominated the glass 50-33, grabbing 17 offensive rebounds.

James Bouknight scored 14 points for Connecticut, while Adama Sanogo and Isaiah Whaley added 13 apiece. The Huskies should advance to the NCAA Tournament when that field is announced on Sunday.

Bouknight missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer on a frantic final possession which saw Connecticut try two other shots.

Bouknight also missed a driving layup in the lane and Tyler Polley clanged a clean look at a 3-pointer in the last five seconds. Denzel Mahoney finally secured the rebound for Creighton just before time expired.

Connecticut got off to a fast start, opening up a 13-2 lead at the 14:31 mark when Sanogo converted a jump hook in the paint. But the Huskies' offense sputtered from that point. They needed the rest of the half to score their next 13 points.

Meanwhile, Creighton finally found traction with a 9-2 spurt that Jefferson capped with a driving layup with 11:28 left, cutting the UConn margin to four. Mitch Ballock tied the score at 19 with a rare venture inside the arc for a jump hook with 6:06 remaining.

The Bluejays rattled off eight points in just 70 seconds late in the first half to take their first lead of the night, going up 30-24 when Ballock hit one of his trademark 3-pointers. RJ Cole's short jumper narrowed the advantage to four at intermission.

--Field Level Media