Creighton University
San Jose State
Men's Basketball Shoots by Spartans in 85-74 CBI Win
3/15/2011 9:33:00 PM | Men's Basketball
OMAHA, Neb. - Creighton made 13-of-26 three-point field goals in an 85-74 win over San Jose State Tuesday night at Qwest Center Omahe in the first round of the College Basketball Invitational presented by Zebra Pen. Four Bluejays scored in double figures in the high-scoring win, led by Doug McDermott's 26 points, which helped coach Greg McDermott to his 300th head coaching victory.
Gregory Echenique poured in a season-high 18 points, Jahenns Manigat scored a season-high 17 points and Kenny Lawson Jr. added 10 points off the bench for the home team.
With the victory Creighton records its 12th 20-win season in the last 13 seasons, moving to 20-14 overall. The win keeps the Bluejays' season alive, as Creighton will advance to host Davidson in the second round of the CBI next Monday night at Qwest Center Omaha. The loss ends San Jose State's best season in 30 years at 17-16.
Both teams shot out of the gates on fire, with San Jose State making its first four shots from beyond the arc in helping the Spartans build a 16-7 lead with just over four minutes off the clock. A quick 10-2 burst by the Bluejays, keyed by a pair of Manigat three-pointers made the score 18-17 in favor of San Jose State with 12:49 left.
Creighton tied the game at 20 when Doug McDermott knocked down a three-pointer, part of a shooting display by the Bluejays which saw them make 8-of-9 three-point field goals. Creighton took its first lead of the game on another McDermott bucket, putting the Jays ahead 22-20 with just over 10 minutes left in the half. The Bluejays would build to an eight-point lead when Lawson knocked down a 15-foot jump shot from the baseline with 6:30 to play, giving the Jays a 35-27 advantage.
The Spartans closed the first half on a 12-2 run to claim a 43-40 lead at the half. SJSU made 7-of-10 three-pointers in the first half, while shooting 51.5 percent from the field through the first 20 minutes. The Bluejays hit 8-of-15 shots from beyond the arc in the first half.
Creighton took control of the game early in the second half, scoring six of the first eight points and then using a 7-0 run to claim a 56-49 lead with less than four minutes off the clock. McDermott, who scored 10 points in the first half, scored 10 points in the first four minutes of the second half to help the Bluejays take a lead they would not relinquish.
The Spartans hung with the Bluejays until the 9:28 mark, when the home team erupted for a 14-1 run, keyed by eight straight points from Manigat, to move their lead to 79-63 with 4:55 to play. From there, the Spartans would not get any closer than the final 11-point margin.
Creighton out-rebounded the Spartans 36-28 and finished 13-of-26 from three-point range, just one trey shy of a season-high. The Bluejays shot 50.8 percent from the field and dished 21 assists on 32 made field goals. Antoine Young dished eight assists and had no turnovers for the Bluejays.
McDermott finished with a team-leading 26 points and nine rebounds, making a career-high 10 field goals and tying a career-best with four three-pointers. Echenique's 18 points were a season-high and Manigat poured in 5-of-6 three-pointers for his career-high 17 points. Lawson chipped in 10 points and seven rebounds in just 15 minutes off the bench.
Four Spartans also scored in double figures, led by freshman Keith Shamburger's 23 points. Will Carter logged a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Adrian Oliver had 14 points and Justin Graham finished with 13. Oliver, who ranked third in the NCAA in scoring with 24.3 points per game, was held 10 points under his average, scoring only four points after halftime. He finished just 18 points shy of SJSU's scoring record in just 2 1/2 seasons as a Spartan.
The Bluejays advance to host Davidson, 85-65 winners over James Madison, on Monday night in the second round of the CBI. Game time has not yet been determined.
NOTES: The win was head coach Greg McDermott's 300th as a collegiate head coach ... Creighton now has 20 or more wins in 12 of the last 13 seasons ... San Jose State was making its first postseason appearance since 1996, while it was the 14th consecutive for Creighton ... Doug McDermott now has 494 points scored this season, the fourth-highest total by a freshman in MVC history, moving past Shea Seals (Tulsa, 1993-94) ... This was Creighton's first appearance in the CBI ... Creighton improved to 4-5 this year when trailing at halftime, and 1-3 on Tuesday's this season ... This was Greg McDermott's first win in four Division I postseason games as a head coach ... Creighton has won 76 straight home games when scoring 68 points or more ... Greg McDermott's 20 wins tie Tom Apke (20-7 in 1974-75) for most by a first-year coach at Creighton ... This is the eighth time in Greg McDermott's 17-year head coaching career he's won 20 or more games ... Creighton improved to 17-1 when its bench scores 18 or more points this season ... Jahenns Manigat's 5-for-6 shooting from downtown was a career-best, while Doug McDermott tied a career-high with four trifectas ... Creighton has won 27 straight non-televised home games ... Kenny Lawson Jr. had 10 points to move one point ahead of Wally Anderzunas for 19th on Creighton's all-time scoring chart with 1,268 points. He is four points behind baseball great Bob Gibson for 18th place ... Doug McDermott took over a Creighton single-season record for offensive rebounds (48), field goals made (112) and field goals attempted (120) at Qwest Center Omaha, while Antoine Young set the mark with 86 assists ... Kenny Lawson Jr. now owns the career mark with 257 career field goals made at Qwest Center Omaha, breaking a tie he held with Nate Funk ... Antoine Young's 159 total assists this season are tied for sixth-most in school history, and the most by a Bluejay junior since Ryan Sears had 175 in 1999-2000.
