Men’s basketball team loses to Tennessee. Season ends.
(the denver post)
DETROIT, Mich.—
The Vols defeated Creighton 82-75 late on Friday night in the Midwest Regional Semifinal in Detroit. Second-seeded and sixth-ranked Tennessee utilized a 21-4 surge to start the second half, and the third-seeded and first-ranked team’s comeback was narrowly unsuccessful.
After defeating Gonzaga 80-68 in the first game of the evening, top-seeded Purdue (32-4) will take on the Volunteers (27-8) in the Regional Final on Sunday. With a 25-10 record at the end of the season, Creighton has won more games than it has since finishing 25-10 in 2016–17.
With 5:06 remaining in the first half, Trey Alexander’s three-point play and Scheierman’s long three-pointer helped knot the game at 24 all. On the subsequent possession, Steven Ashworth made a three-pointer to give CU the lead again, 27–26. Following a trifecta by Dalton Knecht, Ashworth and Scheierman hit back-to-back threes to give CU its biggest lead of the game, 33-29, forcing a timeout from Tennessee.
| Player | Position | Height | Class | PTS | FGM | 3FGM | FTM | MIN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baylor Scheierman | G | 6′ 7″ | Senior | 25 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 40 |
| Steven Ashworth | G | 6′ 1″ | Senior | 16 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 33 |
| Ryan Kalkbrenner | C | 7′ 1″ | Senior | 14 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 40 |
| Trey Alexander | G | 6′ 4″ | Junior | 13 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 37 |
Men’s basketball team loses to Tennessee. Season ends.
After eight lead changes between the two teams in the first half, Kalkbrenner’s 75th career slam gave CU a 35-34 advantage at the intermission. Before the break, Kalkbrenner scored eight points and a game-high six rebounds, while Scheierman topped all players with 15 points in the first half. Knecht scored ten points in the first half to lead the Vols, who had previously defeated Texas in the Second Round by shooting 3-for-25 from downtown. UT then went 5-for-10 before the half.
(the denver post)
Early in the second half, Tennessee stepped up its defense, going on an 18-0 run to reach its biggest lead of 55-39. The run of play began with two free throws from Knecht and continued with four layups, two three-pointers, and a three-ball from Scheierman to end the scoreless period just over five minutes later.
After falling behind by as many as 15, the Bluejays fought back, and with 8:10 left, Scheierman’s typical three-point play helped them cut the lead in half to 62-55. With 6:02 remaining, a Kalkbrenner lay-up and two free throws cut the Bluejay lead in half. However, All-American Knecht hit a contested three-pointer to retake the lead. Knecht responded with another three-pointer after Ashworth missed one.
(image:- testudo times)
With 1:39 remaining, Tobe Awaka made a three-point play to give the Vols a 71-64 lead. UT then made clutch free throws to seal the victory, preventing CU from ever getting closer than six points in the last minute.
The last game of Scheierman’s incredible career saw him lead CU with 25 points.
Knecht scored 26 points to lead Tennessee.