OMAHA, Neb. — Strong defense and balanced scoring led the No. 14 Creighton men’s basketball team to a win over preseason Summit League favorite Kansas City, 79-56, at CHI Health Center Omaha on Saturday, Nov. 16.
Creighton improved to 4-0 for the 10th time in 15 seasons under Greg McDermott, while the Roos dropped their second contest of the week against a ranked team to fall to 2-2 overall.
Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year Ryan Kalkbrenner notched 14 points to collect his 100th game of 10 or more points, while also grabbing 12 rebounds to secure the 18th double-double of his career. The senior center made 6-of-8 shots from the field and is now shooting 41-for-46 (89.1 percent) from the field this season. Senior guard Jamiya Neal also joined in the double-double action, posting 11 points, 11 rebounds and six assists to record his third career double-double and first as a Bluejay.
The Bluejays and Roos traded buckets for the first six minutes of the contest, before a pull-up triple from junior Pop Isaacs helped Creighton create a 14-10 advantage entering the first media timeout. Immediately out of the break, the Bluejays’ offense exploded to go on a 10-0 run and forced a Kansas City timeout, powered by a Kalkbrenner slam and trey by Neal to extend the lead, 21-10, with 12:10 left in the half.
Following the Bluejay run, Kansas City came to life on the offensive end of the floor, draining back-to-back three-pointers until freshman sharpshooter Jackson McAndrew responded with two trifectas of his own to help Creighton maintain their double-digit lead, 31-17, at the 6:41 mark of the opening stanza.
The Bluejays continued to dominate on the offensive end of the floor and displayed their marksmanship from deep as sophomore Isaac Traudt drained three triples in three attempts to increase the lead, 46-25. Creighton tightened up on the defensive end for the last three minutes to head into the locker room with a 48-31 edge over the Roos.
Creighton’s second half surge followed the same narrative as the first half. The Bluejays came out firing from deep as senior Steven Ashworth knocked down a pull-up trifecta in the first 21 seconds of the half. Rebounding also proved to be key for the Jays, as Traudt took advantage of his height in the paint and grabbed two offensive boards for easy putbacks.
The Bluejays continued to push the Roos to their breaking point, capturing a 67-35 lead after McAndrew knocked down his third bucket from deep with 10:59 left in the game. A barrage of three-pointers by Kansas City sparked the offense to a 13-0 run down the stretch, forcing CU head coach Greg McDermott into a timeout, while still in possession of a 71-52 lead with 5:17 left in the contest. Following the timeout, Creighton picked up the defensive intensity, holding KC to four points in the final five minutes of action to secure the 79-56 victory and improve to 9-0 at home all-time over the Roos.
In addition to the 14 points from Kalkbrenner and 11 from Neal, McAndrew had a career-high 15 points to lead all scorers and snagged a career-best seven boards, while Traudt recorded 13 points and three rebounds. The Bluejays shot 47.6 percent from the field (30-63) and knocked down 11-of-34 three-point shots as well as 8-of-8 free throws. The Jays grabbed 52 rebounds and dished 20 assists, while also outscoring the Roos 36-16 in the paint and 21-20 off the bench.
Senior Jamar Brown led Kansas City with 12 points and snared a career-best 16 rebounds, while Jayson Petty also chipped in 12 points and grabbed four rebounds. The Roos shot 29.3 percent from the field, 8-of-33 from three-point range and 4-of-4 at the charity-stripe. KC also collected 34 rebounds and dished 12 assists as a team.
The Bluejays return to the hardwood on Friday, November 22 for a 7 p.m. contest against in-state rival, Nebraska, at CHI Health Center Omaha.
NOTES: Jamiya Neal surpassed 600 career points in the game, while Ryan Kalkbrenner moved past 750 career field goals … Ryan Kalkbrenner has scored eight points or more in a nation-leading 62 straight games … Kalkbrenner has also had three fouls or less in 41 consecutive contests … Steven Ashworth made a three-pointer in the 23rd straight game … Creighton has won 19 games in a row when scoring 11 or more second chance points … Ryan Kalkbrenner had a block for the 18th straight game … Tonight’s game was Creighton’s lone Saturday night home game on this year’s schedule … Creighton never trailed, the 92nd time in 358 all-time games at CHI Health Center Omaha it’s led wire-to-wire.
