Creighton stuns Villanova

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By DAN GELSTON

By DAN GELSTON

AP Sports Writer

PHILADELPHIA — Ethan Wragge let the 3s fly, and helped the records fall.

Wragge tied a school record with nine 3-pointers for all 27 points, Doug McDermott hit five 3s and scored 23 points, and Creighton set a team mark with 21 3-pointers in a 96-68 victory over No. 4 Villanova on Monday night.

Wragge only surprised Villanova, not his teammates.

“I’ve seen him shoot better in practice,” McDermott said. “I’ve seen him hit 11 or 12 3s in an open gym, that’s normal. So not a lot of us are shocked. The outside world, everyone’s kind of shocked. But that’s just another day at the office for Ethan.”

The Bluejays (16-3, 6-1 Big East) topped the school record of 20 3s set in 2005 against Chattanooga. Kyle Korver hit nine 3s against Evansville on Jan. 15, 2003. The Bluejays, in their first year in the Big East, set a conference record for most 3s in a game and beat a top-five team for the first time since 1970.

“Once I get one, they know I’m hunting for two and three,” Wragge said. “It’s a hard feeling to describe once you get one to go in. You just kind of let it fly and don’t think about it.”

The Bluejays hit their first nine 3s and never looked back against Villanova (16-2, 5-1) which had romped its way toward its highest ranking in four years. They made 21 of 35 3-pointers and led by as many 41 points.

Wragge hit eight 3s in the first half and Creighton built a 28-point lead.

“By three or four, I kind of knew where I was at,” he said.

Wragge, who finished 9 of 14 from 3-point range, tied Korver’s record with his ninth 3-pointer with 13:59 left for a 68-45 lead. McDermott followed with his third 3 and Austin Chatman hit one the next time down for the stunning 29-point lead.

“It’s tough to beat a team that hits 21 3s,” McDermott said.

The Bluejays refused to slow down from 3-point range, with McDermott’s fourth 3 extending the lead to 30 and making them 19 for 31.

NEBRASKA 68

No. 17 OHIO ST. 62

OMAHA, Neb. — Shavon Shields and Terran Petteway both scored 18 points as Nebraska handed Ohio State its fourth straight loss.

The Cornhuskers (9-8, 1-5 Big Ten), who ended a five-game losing streak, survived after squandering a 14-point first-half lead. They used a 16-5 run late in the second half to regain control and made 13 of their last 16 free throws to hold off the Buckeyes (15-4, 2-4).

It was Nebraska’s first win in 16 games against ranked opponents, a run dating to January 2012.

The Buckeyes have lost four straight for the first time since 2007-08.

Aaron Craft scored 12 points for the Buckeyes, who beat Nebraska by 31 points on Jan. 4 and haven’t won since.