Creighton wing Jamiya Neal ruffled some feathers with a last-second, two-hand windmill dunk to place the ending touches on No. 2 seed Creighton’s 71-62 victory over third-seeded UConn within the Huge East Event semifinals Friday night time. UConn level guard Hassan Diarra handed Neal a forearm shiver after the jam.
“He went up for a elaborate dunk and did not wish to dribble the ball out,” Diarra stated. “I simply felt it was disrespectful to the sport of basketball.”
Diarra and Neal obtained technical fouls and UConn reserve ahead Jayden Ross was ejected for coming off the bench.
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Neal might need taken the elevator for the thundering slam, however he additionally took the excessive highway afterward. When requested concerning the incident within the postgame press convention, Neal walked again what he did.
“I wish to apologize for that,” Neal stated. “I respect Coach (Dan) Hurley and the two-time defending nationwide champs. I apologize and should not have did it.”
The backstory to what occurred on the finish stems from when UConn earned its first win at school historical past at Creighton earlier this season. As Hurley walked off the ground, he was booed closely by Bluejays followers who caught round to jeer him off the courtroom final month. As he did, he pointed to his ring finger, shouting to 1 fan, “Two rings! Two rings, baldy!”
Neal’s fingerprints have been all around the starting, center and finish of the Bluejays’ spectacular victory. He scored 19 factors, together with a back-breaking 3-pointer to increase Creighton’s lead and snuff out an enormous UConn rally within the second half. Creighton completely turned UConn’s water off within the second half, holding the Huskies high-powered offense to only 1.00 factors per possession.
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“Some individuals assume the best way we do it’s gentle,” Creighton coach Greg McDermott stated. “I bought information for you. I bought some powerful dudes in my locker room. it takes powerful dudes to execute protection the best way we do.”
Creighton will tackle top-seeded St. John’s in Saturday’s Huge East Event championship sport (6:30 p.m. ET, Fox). The Bluejays are 0-4 within the Huge East title sport, whereas St. John’s hasn’t made it this far since 2000, when it final gained the occasion. The groups break up the season collection.