Josh Dix scored 21 points and Nik Graves added a season-high 18, lifting Creighton to a 91-84 upset victory over No. 5 UConn on Wednesday in a Big East matchup in Storrs, Conn.
Dix drained three shots from 3-point range and added eight rebounds on a night in which a moment of silence was observed prior to the game on behalf of his mother Kelly. She passed away from colon cancer on Feb. 4, just four days after the Bluejays hosted the Huskies in Omaha, Neb.
While UConn recorded a convincing 85-58 romp in that game, Creighton exacted revenge on Wednesday by outscoring the Huskies by a 46-39 margin in the second half.
Fedor Zugic had 14 points and Blake Harper added 12 for the Bluejays (14-13, 8.8 Big East), who shot 49.1% from the floor and enjoyed a 41-35 edge in rebounds.
UConn’s Braylon Mullins scored 25 points and Silas Demary Jr. added 17 to go along with nine assists.
Tarris Reed Jr. collected 15 points and 12 rebounds on a night in which the Huskies (24-3, 14-2) raised former center Emeka Okafor’s No. 50 jersey to the rafters at Gampel Pavilion.
Solo Ball, who entered the game with a team-best average in points (14.7), finished with just eight points and five fouls on Wednesday.
Creighton erased a seven-point deficit by igniting a 25-10 run to take a 73-65 lead, highlighted by a pair of 3-pointers from both Graves and Dix.
Mullins briefly halted the momentum with his fifth 3-pointer of the evening, however Zugic made a layup and Harper added a turnaround jumper and a 3-pointer to extend the Bluejays’ lead to 80-70 with 1:30 to play. Creighton sealed the win at the free-throw line.
Mullins overcame a slow start and scored six points in the final minute to help UConn forge a 45-45 tie at halftime. The Huskies closed the half on an 11-5 run.
