OMAHA, Neb. – Liam McNeeley turned in one of the finest freshman performances in UConn history to lead the men's basketball team (17-7, 9-4 BIG EAST) to a 70-66 win at No. 24 Creighton (18-7, 11-3 BIG EAST) on Tuesday night at CHI Health Center Omaha. McNeeley set the UConn freshman scoring record for a BIG EAST game with 38 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, marking the highest scoring output for any Husky in nearly five years.

McNeeley had the first 30-10 double-double for any UConn player since 2014, first in a BIG EAST game since 2011 and first for a UConn freshman since 1979. His heroic effort helped the Huskies rally from a 14-point first half deficit, tied for the largest overcome in a game this season.

Neither team found its footing early until a 14-2 run for Creighton gave the Bluejays the largest lead of the day, up 14 with under six minutes to play in the first. UConn responded with the final six points of the first half to go to the break down eight, then exploded out of the half to take their first lead of the day. The Huskies would go up as many as eight during the second half surge and held on for a four-point win late.

Solo Ball added 11 points, five rebounds and three assists while Alex Karaban added 10 points and six rebounds. The usually sharp-shooting duo struggled to find their range and did not hit a 3-pointer between them for the first time this season. For Creighton, Ryan Kalkbrenner and Steven Ashworth had 13 apiece, both held below their season averages.

How it Happened

McNeeley had the hot hand in the early going, scoring UConn's first nine points over the first five minutes of action. The Bluejays used frequent trips to the line to build a six-point advantage midway through the opening stanza, going up 19-13 at 10:48.  

Connecticut called for time at 6:20 of the first, riddled with foul trouble and trailing 27-21. In total the Bluejays would make it a 9-0 run, going up 32-21 at 4:48 before McNeeley stopped the run with a floater inside. The Bluejays would push the run to 14-2 and go up 37-23 to prompt another timeout.

The Huskies scored the next six after their second timeout of the half, pulling within 37-29 ahead of a Creighton timeout with 44.9 to play in the first. That would be the score at the half, with McNeeley leading all players with 15 first-half points.

UConn exploded out of the second half gates, ripping off a 7-0 start capped by a McNeeley triple in the first 90 seconds of the half to pull within one. Later in the frame, the Huskies reeled off an 11-1 run highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers from McNeeley to take their first lead, going up 51-46 before a CU timeout with 11:27 to play.

At 7:26 of the second, McNeeley connected once again from downtown to make it 58-50 and give the Huskies their largest lead of the day. The Bluejays pulled back within a possession inside of the final four, and UConn went to the final media timeout with 3:54 to play up 64-59 after a tough bucket plus a foul inside from McNeeley.

McNeeley completed the three-point play after the stoppage, but Creighton responded with the next six to pull even at 65-all with 2:00 to play. Karaban hit a floater on the next trip to put the Huskies back ahead, then snared a crucial rebound inside of the final 30 seconds to keep the lead there. With 3.4 to play McNeeley hit two game-icing free throws to seal the comeback win.

Inside The Numbers

• UConn shot under 40 percent for the second-straight time after not doing so in its first 22 games, finishing 26-of-66 (39.4 percent) from the floor and 6-of-26 (23.1 percent) from downtown
• Conversely, the Huskies held Creighton to 40.4 percent (19-47) from the field and 29.2 percent (7-24) from 3-point range
  • In the second half UConn limited CU 7-22 (29.2) from the floor and 3-13 (23.1) from 3-point range
• UConn finished +3 on the glass, led by McNeeley's 10 rebounds
• After turning it over 47 combined times in its last two games, the Huskies coughed it up only six times on Tuesday night and were +4 in turnover margin
• Creighton doubled up UConn in free throw attempts, going 21-30 (70.0 percent) while the Huskies finished 12-of-15 (80.0 percent)  from the stripe

News and Notes

• UConn is now 3-8 all-time against Creighton after its first win in five tries in Omaha
• The Huskies improved to 5-4 this year when trailing at the half
• It was UConn's fourth win in five tries against ranked foes this year
• Connecticut improves to 6-2 in true road games
• McNeeley finished with a career-high 38 points on 12-of-22 shooting from the floor, 5-of-10 from downtown and went 9-of-10 from the free throw line
  • He has scored in double-figures in both games since returning from an eight-game injury absence and his hit double-digits in 11 of his 16 games
  • It was the third 20-plus point game this season for McNeeley
  • McNeeley was the first Husky to hit 30 in a game since Tristen Newton had 31 at Kansas last season
  • The 38 points are the most for any UConn player in a game since James Bouknight scored 40 vs. Creighton on 12/20/20
• The Huskies debuted their alternate road black uniforms for the first time this season, improving to 1-0 in the threads

Up Next

The Huskies are back on the road on Saturday afternoon, heading to New Jersey to face Seton Hall in Newark.