Returning to CHI Health Center for their third home game of the season, the men’s basketball team delivered a mixed performance — showcasing stronger, if inconsistent, shooting in the first half and then relying on defensive grit to compensate for a cold second half — ultimately grinding out a 75–60 win over North Dakota.
Now, though, even after two 15-plus-point wins following the disappointment and wake-up call of the Gonzaga game, a clear pattern has emerged: head coach Greg McDermott continues to expect more from this new team.
Yes, transfer guard Blake Harper’s 19-point showing was his clearest sign yet of settling into Creighton’s system. Yes, transfer center Owen Freeman made plays and impacted the game on the glass more than he has all season. And yes, Creighton’s second-half defensive urgency steadied a game threatened by their frigid performance from beyond the arc. But still, McDermott wasn’t satisfied.
“Fortunately that wasn’t a beauty contest because that wasn’t a work of art, without a doubt,” the tenured head coach said postgame.
Still, the midweek game on Nov. 19 began stronger offensively than it ended, even if that spark did light four minutes into the half.
North Dakota had come out of the gates with enough shooting firepower to jump out in front early and take the lead for the first four minutes.
Yet, with a 15-10 lead, North Dakota watched as Creighton began to light up, with Harper beginning his 19-point night with a three pointer — his first of three in the opening 20 minutes. The shot was the start of a 14-0 run that gave Creighton a 24-15 lead.
“He played with a lot of confidence, a lot of swagger. [He] got to the right spots and was active on the offensive glass and got some extra possessions. He can score in a lot of different ways,” McDermott said.
He proved it in the first half: in 13 first half minutes, Harper racked up 15 of his 19 game points, shooting 5-of-9 from the field. Harper said that Creighton’s system has taken some getting used to, but by trusting the process and staying patient, he was able to shine against the visiting Fighting Hawks.
“[I’ve just been] finding my feet, and it’s been just staying patient, knowing my time’s going to come and listening to my coaches,” Harper said about his double-digit effort.
Other newcomers also found footing in the limelight of CHI Health Center in the first half, including newly eligible freshman Hudson Greer. Coupled with Harper’s offense, which delivered the shooting spark, Greer — in just six minutes on the floor — lit the defensive spark.
A mix of defensive intensity and smart playmaking defined Greer’s limited, yet impactful minutes in the first half, though one of Greer’s standout plays came on an assist with 11:58 left in the first half.
Surrounded under the basket by North Dakota defenders, Greer found junior Jasen Green under the basket to execute the easy dunk.
Though the freshman couldn’t connect offensively, his defensive and unselfish plays sparked the crowd and Bluejay team in a different way.
“Obviously I didn’t shoot the ball like all of us did today, but other than that, I feel like my calling card is just playing extremely hard. I just try to do that every day,” Greer said.
By the end of the game, Greer tallied 13 minutes on the floor. Seven rebounds, four assists and one block later, the freshman showed McDermott why he should be on the floor.
“When Hudson goes into the game, I know he’s going to give me everything he has,” McDermott said. “I felt like our best chance to have a good team in January — and there’s going to be some bumps in the road between now and when he gets his feet under him — was going to include Hudson in the rotation.”
Together with contributions from transfer guard Josh Dix (10 points), Greer (four rebounds, two assists) and Harper (15 points), Creighton got the boost it needed to close the half with the 47-36 lead.
That lead set the stage for McDermott’s halftime message, which focused on adding more grit and channeling greater defensive aggression.
McDermott’s halftime advice proved even more crucial than he likely anticipated, as the Bluejays who had knocked down seven triples and shot nearly 50% in the first half went ice-cold in the second.
“Fortunately … we did [have better defense in the second half] because we shot it so poorly in the second half from the three point line that our defense was what won the game for us,” McDermott said.
Creighton went on to see just one of 17 three point attempts meet their mark in the second half. They managed only five more points than half of their first-half output, shooting a meager 33% from the field. With offense struggling, it was up to the developing defense to step up and make its mark.
The Bluejays beat North Dakota on the glass, amassing a 28-17 advantage in rebounds, collecting an 11-4 edge offensively. Harper played a major role in that effort, grabbing 12 rebounds to secure a double-double on a night when Creighton desperately needed production beyond scoring. Freeman added five boards of his own to help anchor the interior.
The Iowa transfer ended the half with four steals and nine points to pair with his work on the glass, also adding five points to a critical 9-2 run in the first 10 minutes of the second half.
Though defense was able to pull the Bluejays across the finish line for a 75-60 victory in spite of nearly no generation on offense, McDermott stressed the importance of shooters like Nik Graves, Isaac Traudt, Green, Hudson and others remaining confident in their shot.
“Right down the line we’ve got some guys who can shoot the basketball,” McDermott said. “They just have to believe in themselves. They’ve got to trust their work and … have to put the work in and I feel like for the most part we’ve done that.”
The challenge, however, will be putting the offensive and defensive pieces together. A chance to show how far they’ve come over four games will come quickly, as the Bluejays make their way to Las Vegas, where they face another test in Baylor for in the first game of the Players Era Men’s Championship tournament. Tipoff set for 1 p.m.
