MAUI, Hawaii (Nov. 22, 2022) — Oumar Ballo scored a career-high 30 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, and Kerr Kriisa added 13 and dished out nine assists as No. 14 Arizona outlasted No. 10 Creighton 81-79 Wednesday to win the Maui Jim Maui Invitational. 

Arizona ran to a 11-point lead with :50 to go in the first half, outscoring Creighton 13-5 in the final eight minutes to lead at the half (39-30). Ballo recorded 16 points, going 7-8 from the field, and was one rebound short of recording a double-double in the opening 20 minutes.

Down 12 with 3:46 in the game, Creighton hit Arizona with a blitz of three-point made jumpers from Ryan Nembhard and Baylor Scheierman. Creighton outscored the Wildcats 12-2 over the final 3:04 and holding them scoreless in the final 2:21.

Nembhard led the Bluejays with 20 points and six assists.

Leading by three points with 7.4 seconds left in the game, Arizona elected to foul Nembhard and send him to the free throw line. After connecting on the first, Nembhard purposely missed his second attempt, but the rebound was secured by the Wildcats who ran out the clock.

Winning their third Maui Jim Maui Invitational (2000, 2014), Arizona picked up impressive wins against Cincinnati, No. 17 San Diego State and No. 10 Creighton this Tournament.

In a matchup that lived up to every expectation, the Bluejays (6-1) and Wildcats (6-0) played a game worthy of a March Madness showdown.