Marcus Zegarowski scored 25 points and made all seven of his attempts from 3-point range as No. 15 Creighton coasted past No. 21 Butler, 81-59, on Sunday in Omaha, Neb.
The Bluejays (22-6, 11-4 Big East) built a 19-point lead at halftime, when Butler (19-9, 7-8) had more turnovers (nine) than made field goals (eight).
Zegarowski led Creighton's charge from long distance as the Bluejays made a blistering 15 of 26 from beyond the arc. The sophomore set a career-high with his seven 3-pointers.
Christian Bishop added 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Ty-Shon Alexander made 3 of 5 from deep and scored 15 points. Mitch Ballock knocked down 3 of 7 3-pointers en route to nine points.
Creighton's lead swelled to as many as 35 points in the second half, with Butler's offensive woes continuing. The Bulldogs finished the day 22 of 58 from the floor and committed 16 turnovers.
Henry Baddley led Butler with 13 points. Sean McDermott added 10 points, and Bryce Nze scored nine points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Kamar Baldwin had seven points before coming out with an ankle injury in the first half. He did not return. Baldwin is Butler's leading scoring on the season, coming into Sunday averaging 16.3 points per game.
Creighton entered Sunday's matchup tied with Villanova for second place in the Big East. The teams split two regular-season meetings.
The Bluejays remain one game behind Seton Hall, which maintained its sole possession of first place with a 16-point win over St. John's. Creighton beat the Pirates on Feb. 12, however, and host the Big East leaders to close the regular season on March 7.
If Creighton wins out, it can do no worse than sharing the regular-season Big East title for the first time in program history. The Bluejays joined the conference in the 2013-14 season.
--Field Level Media
Butler | Creighton | |
Henry Baddley 13 | Scoring | Marcus Zegarowski 25 |
Khalif Battle 4 | Assists | Mitch Ballock 6 |
Bryce Nze 7 | Rebounds | Christian Bishop 7 |
Aaron Thompson 3 | Free Throws Made | Christian Bishop 5 |
Henry Baddley 4 | Steals | Christian Bishop 3 |
Sean McDermott 1 | Blocks | Christian Bishop 4 |