Anna 
Creighton delivered a dramatic 85-81 double-overtime victory against DePaul in the BIG EAST Championship quarterfinals on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden. The Bluejays, who trailed by 17 points in the second half, mounted a furious comeback to secure their spot in the semifinals.
With the win, second-seeded Creighton (23-9) advances to Friday’s semifinal at 8 p.m. Central on FOX, where they will face either Villanova or Connecticut. DePaul’s season ends at 14-19.
Incredible Late-Game Rally
Down 62-51 with just over two minutes left in regulation, Creighton stormed back with an 11-0 run. Fedor Zugic sparked the surge with back-to-back three-pointers, cutting the deficit to five. Ryan Kalkbrenner followed with a layup to bring Creighton within three, and Steven Ashworth buried a deep three-pointer with 21 seconds remaining to tie the game at 62-62.
DePaul had a final chance to win in regulation, but Kalkbrenner, a four-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, blocked Troy D’Amico’s last-second shot to force overtime.
Creighton grabbed its first lead of the game on the opening possession of overtime when Zugic slammed home a dunk. The Bluejays extended their advantage to 72-64 with a 10-2 run, but DePaul responded, tying the game at 73-73 on Layden Blocker’s floater with just 1.8 seconds left, forcing a second overtime.
Kalkbrenner’s Dominance Seals the Win
In the second overtime, Kalkbrenner took control. His hook shot gave Creighton a 77-76 lead with 2:12 remaining, and he followed with another basket to push the advantage to three. Jamiya Neal’s fast-break dunk extended the lead to 81-76 with just over a minute left.
DePaul’s Blocker answered with a dunk to cut the lead to three, but Creighton’s Ty Davis, who had scored just 17 points all season, sealed the victory with four clutch free throws in the final seconds.
Game Highlights and Key Performers
Kalkbrenner led Creighton with a dominant 32-point, nine-rebound performance, adding five blocked shots. Zugic contributed a season-high 13 points. The Bluejays shot 43.1% from the field, 29.4% from three-point range, and 72.2% from the free-throw line.
DePaul’s Blocker finished with a team-high 25 points, while Isaiah Rivera added 17. The Blue Demons shot 40% from three, hitting 12-of-30 attempts after struggling from deep in their previous meetings with Creighton.
Historic Comeback and Tournament Success
- Creighton’s 17-point second-half comeback was its largest in a BIG EAST Tournament game.
- The Bluejays have now won 23 straight games against DePaul, tying the BIG EAST record for the longest win streak over a single opponent.
- The win improved Creighton’s all-time BIG EAST Tournament record to 11-10 and marked its 10th league tournament victory in the last 14 seasons.
- Greg McDermott’s 11 conference tournament wins as Creighton’s head coach are the most in program history.
Creighton now turns its focus to the semifinals, looking to continue its momentum on the road to a BIG EAST Championship.
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