STORRS, Conn. — Jamiya Neal delivered an outstanding performance, scoring a personal-best 24 points, which guided Creighton to a 68-63 victory over UConn, ending the Huskies’ impressive 28-game home win streak on Saturday.
The 14th-ranked UConn team had not faced defeat on their home court since January 25, 2023, when they lost 82-79 to then-No. 13 Xavier.
In support of Neal, Ryan Kalkbrenner contributed 16 points, while Steven Ashworth added 12 for the Bluejays, who now hold a record of 12-6 and 5-2 in the Big East.
For UConn, Hassan Diarra and Solo Ball each tallied 15 points in a competitive match, bringing their season record to 13-5, also 5-2 in their conference.
The game featured notable back-and-forth momentum; a 12-2 run early in the second half put the Huskies momentarily ahead by two points, spurred on by four swift points from Alex Karaban. However, Creighton quickly responded with momentum-shifting consecutive dunks that helped them regain the lead.
After initially missing their first three attempts from beyond the arc, Creighton found their rhythm and sank four straight three-pointers, resulting in Isaac Traudt giving the Bluejays their lead for the first time during the game in the first half. UConn managed to briefly reclaim the lead twice in that half, but Creighton closed strong, scoring 10 of the last 12 points before halftime, leading 35-28 as they headed into the locker room.
Key observations revealed that Creitghon emerged victorious in this matchup of the teams projected to finish at the top of the Big East standings, with contributions coming from players beyond their stars, Kalkbrenner and Ashworth. On the other hand, UConn faced another missed opportunity while awaiting the return of standout freshman Liam McNeeley, who is recovering from a high-ankle sprain.
A pivotal moment in the game came when UConn had recently regained the lead through a couple of free throws from Samson Johnson, about 3 and a half minutes from the end. Kalkbrenner responded by scoring the next three points, coupled with an important defensive play where he forced Diarra to miss a shot in the lane, securing a lead for Creighton that they did not surrender again.
Statistically, Creighton held an advantage over UConn at the free-throw line, outscoring them 14-5 in that area, which included four crucial free throws to seal their victory.
Looking ahead, Creighton will be facing DePaul on Tuesday, while UConn prepares to host Butler at the XL Center on the same day.
