Butler and Creighton Open BIG EAST-Big 12 Battle With Wins

In Thursday’s opening night of the BIG EAST-Big 12 Battle, Creighton and Butler ran away with victories.

Butler (6-2) collected its third straight win with an overtime thriller against Texas Tech, 103-95. Jahmyl Telfort and DJ Davis combined for 51 points, while Posh Alexander added a triple-double to lead the Bulldogs to their third consecutive win in the Battle. Telfort led Butler with 26 points, matching his season-high, and hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 30 seconds remaining in regulation that helped force overtime. Davis added a season-best 25 points and was a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line. Alexander’s triple-double included 10 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. It is the first triple-double of his career, and the first by a Butler player since Roosevelt Jones achieved the feat at St. John’s on Feb. 6, 2016.

Former @StJohnsBBall G Posh Alexander with a triple-double of 10 points, 10 boards and 11 assts as @ButlerMBB knocks off Texas Tech, 103-95 in OT, in the Big East/Big 12 Battle https://t.co/gHbEIZAbyj

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) December 1, 2023

A 19-2 run to close the first half helped No. 15 Creighton (6-1) earn a 79-65 win at Oklahoma State. Falling behind 12-6 early, the Bluejays sustained a pair of big runs, 14-2 and 19-2, and maintained a 47-29 lead at the break. The lead hovered between 12 and 17 points for the first 17 minutes of the second half as Creighton held off every OSU rally. Baylor Scheierman led Creighton with 21 points, while Steven Ashworth (17), Trey Alexander (20) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (16) each scored in double-figures. Kalkbrenner snared 12 rebounds to pick up his 12th career double double.

Four more battle matchups are scheduled for Friday night, beginning with Xavier hosting No. 6 Houston at 6:30 p.m. ET on FS1. Scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN2, St. John’s travels to Morgantown, W.Va., to take on the Mountaineers.

In the second set of doubleheaders, DePaul hosts Iowa State at 8:30 p.m. on FS1, before a top-five showdown takes place in Lawrence, Kan.

The fourth-ranked UConn Huskies will look to keep their NCAA record non-conference double digit margin win streak alive against fifth-ranked Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse. The game will tip-off at 9 p.m. on ESPN2.

(Release via Big East)

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