MU 90, Creighton 86: Golden Eagles storm back in second half

OMAHA, Neb. - The situation was dire.

Marquette was down 12 points at halftime and had lost its best player to injury. The Golden Eagles' porous defense couldn't get a stop against Creighton's high-octane offense.

Yet somehow the Golden Eagles dug deep and came through with a 90-86 victory at CenturyLink Center on Saturday night.

It was just MU's second victory in its last seven games, but the crucial road win reignited some once-dormant NCAA Tournament hopes.

BOX SCORE:Marquette 90, Creighton 86

Sophomore guard Markus Howard was fouled on a drive to the basket with just over five minutes left in the first half.

He fell hard and stayed on the court for several minutes before being helped to the locker room.

The Big East's leading scorer was taken to a local hospital for tests with what the school stated was a hip injury.

That seemed to suck the life out of the Golden Eagles (15-11, 6-8 Big East).

Howard's injury came amidst a 9-0 run by the Bluejays (19-8, 8-6). Frustrations bubbled over when  MU coach Steve Wojciechowski was given a technical foul for arguing with officials.

But MU cut Creighton's 15-point lead down to 12 at the break and then came out a completely different team in the second half.

Wojciechowski switched to a 2-3 zone that seemed to vex the Bluejays.

"I thought our guys gained confidence from our zone," Wojciechowski said. "When we get stops, we're a pretty good offensive team. Our problem this year is getting enough stops.

"But the thing I loved about tonight was our guys were incredibly poised. This is as good of a place to play in the Big East, their fans were incredible. Our guys were poised with everything that transpired in the first half. Starting the second half down 12, a lot of teams would have packed it in."

MU also got seven quick points from senior guard Andrew Rowsey to get within 59-53 at the under-16 minute timeout. 

Rowsey finished with 21 points, eight assists and just one turnover.

But the offensive star for MU was sophomore wing Sacar Anim, who had a collegiate-high 26 points.

"I've seen tremendous growth from Sacar," Wojciechowski said. "I think five of the last six games he's been in double figures. I think he's averaging over double-figures over that five-game span. He's shooting at a high-percentage and tonight was his best game of the season."

Anim shot 11 of 16. He added four assists.

"I've worked on my craft," Anim said. "My teammates give me the confidence to go out there and play my game. I appreciate those guys and they put me in good spots. They give me confidence to just keep attacking."

The Golden Eagles attacked the basket hard in the second half. They shot 20 of 34 (58.8%) after intermission and finished with 20 second-chance points for the game.

"We're going to get shots up," Anim said. "But we really wanted to get (on the offensive glass) because those guys leak out in transition. That's one thing they do well, so we had the opportunity to get extra possessions and get shots up."

A three-pointer by Sam Hauser got MU to within 62-61 and then the Golden Eagles took the lead on the next possession when Jamal Cain hit a three of his own, forcing Creighton coach Greg McDermott to call a timeout with 11:21 remaining. 

After that, the teams traded baskets the rest of the way as the home crowd reached fever pitch. 

Anim gave MU an 88-86 lead on a driving shot with 1:14 remaining. 

MU then forced a turnover and a miss by Marcus Foster on Creighton's next two possessions. 

Anim had some trouble getting the ball in with 6 seconds left. He used MU's final timeout and then threw the ball the length of the court that Creighton knocked out of bounds.

Anim eventually got Hauser the ball and the sophomore was immediately fouled. 

He coolly knocked down two free throws to seal the victory.

"Obviously, pressure free-throws," Hauser said. "17,000 people yelling at you. Just got to try to block it out and think of it like practice."

Now the Golden Eagles have some confidence going into their final four games of the regular season. They must win three of those matchups to finish .500 in the conference and get back on the NCAA Tournament bubble.

"A lot of people were counting us out," Anim said. "We had our back against the wall and people said it was over. This is definitely a great win for us but we got to look forward to St. John's on Wednesday."