Huff Stars in Return To Nevada In 85-75 Win Over Rutgers

LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Cole Huff had 26 points and Maurice Watson Jr. dished 10 assists as Creighton overcame a three-point halftime deficit to post an 85-75 win over Rutgers on Monday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.. The game was a semifinal in the 2015 Men Who Speak Up Main Event.

Creighton improved to 3-1 with the win, while Rutgers falls to 3-2. It was the first meeting between the schools.

The teams played a fast-paced first half, as Rutgers took a 43-40 lead into the half. The Bluejays trailed by as much as seven (39-32) in the final four minutes of the first half before a coast-to-coast lay-up by Maurice Watson Jr. at the first half buzzer got the Jays within three. Huff made 6-of-12 field goals in the first half and had 14 points at the break for CU, while freshman Corey Sanders drained his first five shots and had a career-high 16 points by intermission.

Creighton opened the second half on a 14-3 run and never looked back. After Rutgers got within three at 65-62 with a little more than eight minutes to play, Creighton unleashed a 13-0 flurry while forcing the Scarlet Knights into eight straight missed shots.

Huff made 10-of-19 shots to score 26 points. He also added seven rebounds to tie Geoffrey Groselle for team-high honors. Watson had 13 points and 10 assists for his first double-double as a Bluejay, and James Milliken finished with 10 points off the bench. Creighton shot 29-of-61 from the field, including 9-for-23 from downtown, and also sank 18-of-26 free throws. The Bluejays won the rebound battle 39-36.

Rutgers was paced by a career-high 21 points from Sanders, while Bishop Daniels heated up in the second half and scored 17 points. The Scarlet Knights made 29-of-67 shots from the floor and 6-of-16 three-pointers.

Creighton returns to action on Wednesday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena when it takes on Massachusetts at 8:30 pm Central on ESPN2. The Minutemen (4-0) defeated Clemson, 82-65, behind 16-of-31 shooting from three-point range.

NOTES: Creighton has now won eight of its last nine games against Big Ten teams ... Creighton has now won five straight games in Las Vegas since a 1987 loss to No. 15 UNLV ... Creighton is now 9-0 in November games following a loss, with nine double-digit victories ... Creighton improved to 3-0 under Greg McDermott in games following a loss of 20 or more points ... Zach Hanson made 4-of-5 field goals and is now 12-for-14 from the field this season ... Creighton has now won 53 straight games when scoring 40 or more points in the first half ... Maurice Watson Jr. is the second different Bluejay with 10 or more assists within the last week, as Malik Albert had 10 helpers vs. UTSA on Nov. 17 ... Maurice Watson Jr. is the first Bluejay with a point/assist double-double since Austin Chatman had 14 points and 10 assists vs. Missouri State on Jan. 30, 2013 ... Cole Huff's 26 points were the most by a Bluejay since Doug McDermott had 30 points vs. Louisiana on March 21, 2014.

Huff Stars in Return To Nevada In 85-75 Win Over Rutgers

Players Mentioned

Malik Albert

Austin Chatman

Geoffrey Groselle

Zach Hanson

Cole Huff

James Milliken

Maurice Watson Jr.