Creighton University
Illinois State
Men's Basketball Rolls Past Redbirds For 11th Straight Win
2/1/2012 6:53:00 PM | Men's Basketball
OMAHA, Neb. -- Doug McDermott had 25 points on 9-of-11 shooting to lead six men in double-figures in Creighton's 11th straight win, a 102-74 triumph over Illinois State.
It was the first time since 1990 that ISU allowed more than 100 points, and second time this season Creighton surpassed the century mark.
"We're turning down good shots for great shots," said Creighton head coach Greg McDermott. "That may have been as unselfish of an offensive performance that I've ever been a part of, with the ball movement, guys turning down shots, and getting the ball to the hot hand. It was a thing of beauty from an offensive standpoint."
The Jays (21-2, 11-1 MVC), ranked No. 13 nationally in the Associated Press poll, took leads of 7-0 and 17-2 in the opening minutes before settling for a 51-30 halftime lead. The national leader in field goal percentage and three-point percentage, Creighton made its first seven shots from the field.
The margin remained in double-figures the entire second half, and CU went over 100 with 2:08 to play on a second consecutive trey from Ross Ferrarini.
"That was as good as I've seen them play all year," said ISU head coach Tim Jankovich. "McDermott was sensational in the first half."
Creighton shot 56.4 percent (31-55) for the game and 52.0 percent from three-point range (13-25) on the night. The Jays also outrebounded the Redbirds 35-23 and dished 22 assists on its 31 baskets.
ISU (14-9, 6-6 MVC) was paced by 21 points from Tyler Brown, while Bryant Allen had 17 off the bench for ISU. The Redbirds shot 45.6 percent on the evening (26-57) and made 9-of-23 long-range shots. ISU was also 13-of-15 from the line.
In addition to 25 points from McDermott, Grant Gibbs had 12 points and seven assists, Will Artino and Jahenns Manigat each had 11 points and both Josh Jones and Gregory Echenique had 10 points each. Antoine Young had seven assists and five points to help run the offense past the century mark.
Creighton starts a two-game road trip on Saturday with a 4 pm game at Northern Iowa (15-9, 5-7 MVC).
NOTES: The game was Creighton's 150th all-time at CenturyLink Center Omaha. The Jays are now 128-22 in the building ...Creighton improved to 17-0 all-time on NET Sports in games televised from CenturyLink Center Omaha ...Illinois State has lost 23 straight games against ranked teams since a win over No. 14 Iowa on Dec. 29, 1987 ...Creighton improved to 7-0 this season against teams from the state of Illinois ...Creighton has won 11 straight games, tied for the nation's sixth-longest win streak ...Creighton has won 21 or more games for the 19th time in program history ...Creighton improved to 31-4 under Greg McDermott at home ...The crowd of 17,311 was 10th-largest in program history at home and the fifth sellout this season at CenturyLink Center Omaha ...Creighton's bench outscored ISU's, 39-21 ...Creighton has won 90 straight home games when scoring 68 or more points ...At all sites, Creighton has won 52 straight when scoring 90 points or more and 18 straight when scoring 100 or more ...Doug McDermott moved from 30th to 27th on CU's all-time scoring list with 1,124 points, passing Kenny Evans, Doug Brookins and Daryl Stovall ...A moment of silence was observed prior to the national anthem in honor of MVC Hall of Fame coach/broadcaster Charlie Spoonhour, who passed away earlier in the day.
