Carr scores 19, No. 2 Texas beats No. 7 Creighton 72-67

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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Marcus Carr scored 19 points and made two free throws with 10 seconds left as No. 2 Texas held off No. 7 Creighton’s furious late-game rally and beat the Bluejays 72-67 on Thursday night.

Creighton, which struggled through a miserable 3-point shooting night, cut an 11-point Texas lead to 62-59 thanks in part to five points in a row by Baylor Scheierman. But Carr’s baseline jumper and a layup by Tyrese Hunter with 46 seconds left stretched the Longhorns’ lead again.

That didn’t quite close the door on Creighton, which got two more 3-pointers from Scheierman, who had missed his first nine attempts. That forced Texas to finish it from the free-throw line behind Carr and Brock Cunningham. Cunningham’s two free throws with 4 seconds left were his only points of the game.


Texas forward Brock Cunningham (30) and guard Marcus Carr (5) celebrate with fans after the team’s win over Creighton in an NCAA college basketball game in Austin, Texas, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

The matchup was part of the Big 12-Big East Battle and Texas earned its second home win over a top 10 opponent in its new arena. The Longhorns (6-0) beat then-No. 2 Gonzaga on Nov. 16.

Hunter scored 15 points for Texas.

Ryan Kalkbrenner had 20 points and 13 rebounds for Creighton (6-2), and Ryan Nembhard scored 17 points. The Bluejays were 4 of 27 on 3-pointers, but found a late shooting touch in the final seconds to stay close.

Scheierman, a 44% shooter from beyond the arc this season, made three 3s in a row late. His off-balance shot from the right corner over a defender pulled the Bluejays within 68-65 with 11.4 seconds left.

Scheierman finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

BIG PICTURE

Creighton: Kalkbrenner was all but unstoppable on a 9-of-10 shooting night for the Bluejays, who kept launching from long range instead of looking for their 7-foot-1 center.

Texas: The Longhorns couldn’t force their usual numbers of turnovers and fast-break points, but were exceptionally clean with the ball on offense. Texas had just three turnovers that Creighton turned into three points.

UP NEXT

Creighton hosts in-state rival Nebraska on Sunday.

Texas plays No. 16 Illinois in New York City on Dec. 6 in the Jimmy V Classic.

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