Creighton 67, PC 65: Bishop's last-second slam wins it
Bill Koch
It seemingly wouldn't be a Big East game for Providence this season without last-second drama, and this time the Friars were on the wrong end of the celebrations.
Overtime beckoned on Saturday afternoon at PC's Alumni Hall until No. 11 Creighton abruptly slammed the door shut. Providence was left without a sweep on its three-game homestand and missing out on what would have been a stolen victory down the stretch.
Christian Bishop's two-hand dunk with 0.8 seconds left snapped the second half's only tie. It canceled out Noah Horchler's driving layup at the other end and gave the Bluejays a 67-65 triumph, one that appeared rather safe until a wild final minute.
Bishop was the inbounder after Horchler's hard take out of the left corner with 7.1 seconds to play. Marcus Zegarowski pulled up at the right elbow, pivoted and spotted the trailer making a late entry onto the scene. Bishop took flight and hammered down what proved to be the winning slam.
"It was a really good basketball play," Providence coach Ed Cooley said. "You've got to give them credit. I don't know if that's something you prepare for under that level of stress and anxiety during the game."
David Duke's desperation 50-footer fell short at the horn, and the Friars saw their five-game winning streak against ranked opponents snapped in disappointing fashion. Providence never led in the second half and only pulled even late when Creighton committed a series of gaffes that placed the final result in jeopardy.
"We contained the ball and got [Zegarowski] to pick his dribble up," Duke said. "It's just tough finding in transition. I think we lacked awareness in those last couple of seconds with a big coming right down the middle."
Denzel Mahoney missed a pair of front ends on 1-and-1 chances at the line, and Horchler knocked down a pair of free throws with 15.9 seconds left to make it 65-63. The Bluejays threw a poor inbounds pass from under their own basket, as Alyn Breed's pressure helped force a turnover that gave the Friars a chance to tie or take the lead. Horchler did the honors on a pair of power dribbles and a tough finish in traffic, squaring the game at 65-65.
"Great play by Noah," Duke said. "We called his number and he delivered for us. Then, coming down, it was tough."
Providence trailed by 13 with 7:14 to play and didn't look all that likely to make a closing run. Mitch Ballock's jumper from the right corner was a continuation of what seemed to be a finishing kick by Creighton, which ultimately secured its fourth straight win. The Friars stiffened from there, allowing just two more field goals until Bishop turned up with the winner.
"I didn't think we played well for 30 minutes," Cooley said. "But we had a 10-minute stretch — the beginning of the game and the end of the game — where I thought we played really well."
Providence (7-4, 3-2 Big East) took good care of the ball early and forced the Bluejays into a field goal drought that lasted 3:09. The Friars enjoyed their largest lead at 22-15 when Creighton was whistled for a shot clock violation and Horchler knocked down a 3-pointer at the other end. Providence's bench enjoyed an 8-3 advantage through the opening 20 minutes.
Carelessness hurt the Friars from there, as turnovers on five straight first-half possessions helped fuel an 18-2 run by the Bluejays (8-2, 4-1). Damien Jefferson pulled up for a jumper at the foul line to give Creighton a 33-24 cushion with 3:27 to play, and Providence went 5:23 without a basket. Ballock's 40-footer to beat the halftime buzzer handed the Bluejays a 40-32 lead into the break.
"I think they're tough for a lot of teams to match up with," Cooley said. "We tried to go man and zone and I thought we did the right thing. I wouldn't change much of what I did in our game preparation."
No Creighton player outside of Zegarowski, Ballock and Jefferson notched a field goal until Bishop's opening bucket with 12:37 left in the game. That trio finished with a combined 52 points on 21-for-37 shooting. Zegarowski, the preseason conference Player of the Year, closed 6-for-11 from 3-point range while racking up 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
"Give Zegarowski a lot of credit – I give him the game ball," Cooley said. "A lot of what they do runs through him. He made six threes, and that's the best he's ever played against us."
Duke and Nate Watson shared team-high honors for the Friars with 13 points apiece, but they struggled to a combined 9-for-30 from the field. Providence ended at a season-low 33.8% from the floor, including 13-for-42 from 2-point range. That's the worst performance for the Friars inside the arc since a loss to Virginia during the 2016-17 season.
"They made a good play, good pass and good finish," Duke said. "Credit to them for executing late. We just couldn't execute defensively in those last couple of seconds."
bkoch@providencejournal.com
On Twitter: @BillKoch25
CREIGHTON (67): Bishop 2-5 1-2 5, Jefferson 9-13 0-0 18, Ballock 5-11 0-0 14, Zegarowski 7-13 0-0 20, Mahoney 2-12 0-2 4, Kalkbrenner 1-2 2-4 4, Mitchell 0-2 0-0 0, Jones 0-1 2-2 2, O'Connell 0-2 0-0 0; totals 26-61 5-10 67.
PROVIDENCE (65): Nichols 3-6 0-0 6, Watson 4-11 5-7 13, Bynum 0-1 0-0 0, Duke 5-19 0-0 13, Reeves 3-10 2-2 10, Gantt 3-5 1-2 9, Horchler 3-7 4-4 12, Croswell 1-4 0-2 2, Breed 0-0 0-0 0, Goodine 0-2 0-0 0; totals 22-65 12-17 65.
Halftime — Creighton 40-32. 3-pt. goals — Creighton 10-29 (Zegarowski 6-11, Ballock 4-9, Mitchell 0-1, O'Connell 0-1, Mahoney 0-7), Providence 9-23 (Duke 3-7, Gantt 2-2, Horchler 2-3, Reeves 2-7, Goodine 0-2, Nichols 0-2). Rebounds — Creighton 31 (Jefferson 8), Providence 38 (Watson 8). Assists — Creighton 14 (Zegarowski 4), Providence 10 (Duke 4). Total Fouls — Creighton 15, Providence 13. Records — C 8-2 (4-1 BE), PC 7-4 (3-2 BE).