A big night No. 17 Creighton’s guards propelled the Bluejays to a dominant 94-72 win over Georgetown, as the Bluejays jumped on the Hoyas early and never let off the gas.
“Creighton would have beat the Celtics today,” Georgetown head coach Ed Cooley said.
Senior guard Baylor Scheierman picked up the first triple-double in nearly 40 years, and the first ever with points, rebounds, and assists, for the Bluejay program, coming on the same night as he was honored for being the first division one player to total 2000 points, 1000 rebounds, 500 assists, and 300 three-pointers.
“It’s a blessing,” Scheierman said. “I have to thank my coaches and teammates; nothing would be possible without them… they were a big reason why I was able to do what I was.”
Simultaneously, junior guard Trey Alexander was putting together an excellent night of his own, leading the team with a game-high 26 points while shooting 6-8 from beyond the arc.
Georgetown kept it close for a little over eight minutes, trailing the Jays 15-14 at the second media timeout, but the rest of the night was all Bluejays, as Creighton ripped off a 13-0 run and never let the Hoyas back within single digits. This run got Alexander’s night kickstarted, as he scored his first seven points over the stretch.
Alexander continued to control the half, adding an additional nine points in the final 5:23 of the half. Alexander, who has struggled to make his deep ball at points this season, went 4-4 from deep in the first half on his way to a game-high 16 points.
“When Trey gets it going, he’s tough to stop,” Scheierman said. “I was just trying to get him into spots where he could be successful.”
Creighton took a 46-27 lead into the locker room at the half, as the Jays shot 54.6% from the field 47.6% from three.
Senior center Kalkbrenner’s impact was felt on the defensive end, as the Hoyas were held to just 8 points in the half and shot 5/21 from inside the arc, largely due to Kalkbrenner blocking three shots and altering several others.
“He’s big every night,” Creighton head coach Doug McDermott said. “We’re really not gonna realize what Ryan Kalkbrenner does until he’s not back there anymore.”
The second half started slowly, with neither team scoring in bunches out of the locker room, but Scheierman was slowly putting together a historic night. With 10:19 remaining in the game, he found a cutting Kalkbrenner, who laid it in off the glass for Scheierman’s tenth assist, securing the senior the first traditional triple-double in program history.
“I knew we had a play that was a back action for [Kalkbrenner] that Baylor would be catching and throwing to him, so I told him ‘We’re stopping our next break to see if you can get it,’” Alexander said. “So we stopped and he got it, I’m happy for him.”
Alexander continued his hot shooting night, as he finished 6-8 from beyond the arc and 9-14 from the field, finishing with 26 points, one shy of his season high.
Freshman forward and Omaha native Jasen Green, who has seen his role increase in the past few weeks, totaled a career-high seven points in the contest.
Creighton continued to extend its lead down the stretch as it brought in its bench, ultimately running away for a 94-72 victory.
Creighton improved to 9-5 in conference play, holding on to its No. 3 spot in the league, and 17-7 overall on the season. The Jays will return to action on Saturday, Feb. 17 as they travel to Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis to take on the Butler Bulldogs before returning home next Tuesday to take on AP No. 1 UConn.