For the first time in program history, Creighton’s men’s basketball team won back-to-back games over top-25 ranked opponents. After Wednesday’s 92-88 win over then ranked No. 20 Northwestern, the Jays defeated No. 23 UCLA 100-89 in the semifinal of the Hall of Fame Classic.
Creighton’s 100 points are the most scored in the tournament’s history, topping the Jays’ previous record of 99 set back in 2002.
Senior guard Marcus Foster led the Jays with 23 points, but freshman guard Mitch Ballock proved to be the x-factor as he poured in 22 points off the bench. Junior forward Ronnie Harrell grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds, starting in place of injured senior forward Toby Hegner.
Last season, UCLA and Creighton were the two top shooting teams in the NCAA, with UCLA leading the nation shooting 52.2 percent from the floor and Creighton a close second shooting 50.5 percent.
As both teams started to settle in, UCLA grabbed a 13-8 lead just over four minutes into the game. The Jays used a big 16-0 to take a double-digit lead. Foster started the run with a layup and jumper, before freshman guard Ty-Shon Alexander capped it off with a reverse layup and three-pointer.
After Creighton’s big run, UCLA switched to a 2-3 zone, causing offensive struggles for the Jays.
“That zone kind of through us off a little bit,” Foster said. “We’re so used to just going up and down and hitting transition threes, it’s kind of hard for us to slow down.”
As the half drew to a close, Ballock went on a personal 7-0 run, concluding with a clever steal and layup. The Jays went into the half with a 43-38 lead.
Creighton scored the first seven points of the first half to stretch the lead to 12 points, its biggest lead of the night.
Later in the half, Creighton ran into foul trouble. With 10 minutes left to go in the game, sophomore forward Martin Krampelj picked up his fourth foul of the game, forcing him to the bench. Senior center Manny Suarez had three fouls at the time. With Hegner out due to injury, Krampelj and Suarez were coach Greg McDermott’s only options to play the center position.
“We really weathered some serious foul trouble, at a time that we just don’t have any depth,” McDermott said. “We’re really thin in the front-line without Toby Hegner.”
With just under nine minutes to go, the Bruins pushed Creighton’s lead down to six. Ballock proceeded to hit two free throws and two three pointers as Creighton again grabbed a 12-point lead.
“Mitch is on the floor because good things happen when he’s out there,” McDermott said after the game.
The lead got back down to five points with under six minutes to go, but that was the closest the Bruins would get. Junior guard Khyri Thomas hit a key three-pointer with a minute and a half left to go, giving Creighton a 97-87 lead.
Following the Jays 100-89 win, Creighton will play in the Hall of Fame Classic championship tonight at 9 p.m. against Baylor. Baylor beat Wisconsin 70-65 yesterday to advance to the championship game.