Creighton men’s basketball posted a record of 1-2 over the past week with a win over non-conference opponent Bemidji State before losing a close game to Marquette over the weekend.
The Bluejays (19-9, 8-7 Big East) decisively took care of business against Bemidji State on Tuesday as they won 94-46 at the CenturyLink Center.
Despite a slow start that saw the Jays playing catch-up for a large majority of the first half. The Jays, evenutally found their footing and grabbed their first lead at 31-30, thanks to a free throw from junior guard Kaleb Joseph. From there, Creighton would never look back for the remainder of the game as they powered through a second half where they outscored the Beavers 49-12.
Freshman center Jacob Epperson led the way with 15 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Junior forward Ronnie Harrell Jr. added seven points, eight rebounds and five assists.
The Jays then shifted focus back to the Big East schedule with their first meeting of two this season against Marquette (15-11, 6-8 Big East), which they narrowly lost 90-86 on Saturday night.
Both teams came out firing on all cylinders as they converted several of their early shots. Marquette built a 19-12 lead in the first five minutes of game. The hot shooting continued from Creighton as they shored up defensive holes and jumped out front before the opposition had time to answer. The Jays then continued the momentum they had built by going on yet another run, this time 13-2, that helped them score a whopping 53 points in the first half and go into the locker room with a 12-point lead.
The second half was all Golden Eagles right from the start, as they were able to erase the lead Creighton had built thanks to a 14-2 run of their own right out of the gate.
After Marquette narrowed the gap, Creighton regained their footing and held their own, matching the scoring onslaught of the Golden Eagles. The game turned into a back-and-forth struggle for the remainder of the second half, with neither team grabbing a lead larger than six over that stretch.
Down 88-86 with eight seconds left, Creighton was unable to cash in on its final possession. Marquette grabbed the rebound off the miss, and converted its free throws to put the Golden Eagles up four points and out of reach for the Jays.
After the strong first half showing by the Bluejays, they were outscored 49-33 in the second period. “Obviously very disappointing,” coach Greg McDermott said. “To give up 49 points in 32 possessions on our home floor is a joke.”
Junior guard Khyri Thomas notched a career-high 26 points along with two assists and two steals. Senior guard Marcus Foster had 12 points, as well as four rebounds and four assists. Junior forward Ronnie Harrell ended with six points, rebounds and assists.
With one win and two losses, the Jays moved their overall record to 19-9 this season. They currently sit at 8-7 in Big East Conference play, which puts them in fifth place.
The Jays played Butler at home on Tuesday, losing 93-70. Freshman guard Mitch Ballock led the Jays with 15 points.
Creighton comes back to Omaha to prepare for an afternoon clash against powerhouse Villanova on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.