Saturday, November 16
Omaha, Neb.
5:00 PM
Creighton University
2-1
82
vs
72
Louisiana Tech
2-1
1
2
F
Louisiana Tech
36
36
72
Creighton
42
40
82
Ty-Shon Alexander
Photo by: Corey Solotorovsky
Men's Basketball Escapes With 82-72 Win Over Louisiana Tech
11/16/2019 7:25:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Four Bluejays End in Double-Figures, Led by 22 From Ballock
OMAHA, Neb. – Four Bluejays scored in double-figures as the Creighton men's basketball team walked away with an 82-72 win over Louisiana Tech on Saturday, Nov. 16.
Creighton improved to 2-1 on the season with the win, while Louisiana Tech suffered its first loss of the season and also moves to 2-1 overall.
Creighton junior Mitch Ballock led all scorers with 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting including 5-of-11 from behind the arc. Junior Ty-Shon Alexander and sophomore Marcus Zegarowski each added 17 points, while senior Kelvin Jones contributed 14 of his own. Creighton finished the night shooting 27-of-58 (46.6 percent) from the floor, including 13-29 (44.8 percent) from behind the arc and 15-of-22 (68.2 percent) from the free throw line.
Louisiana Tech had four individuals score in double-figures also, with senior DaQuan Bracey leading the way with 17 points. Senior Muhammed Mubarak added 14 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, while Derric Jean had 12 points and Amorie Archibald added 10 points. The Bulldogs shot 44.1 percent (30-68) from the field, including 8-28 (28.6 percent) from distance and were 4-of-11 (36.4 percent) from the charity stripe. The Bulldogs held a 43-34 edge in rebounds, which contributed to a 26-7 edge in second chance points.
After a slow start by the Bluejays and an early 8-2 lead just 2:23 into the game by Louisiana Tech, Creighton found its stroke. Zegarowski drained a trio of three's, while Jones hit a turn-around jumper and junior Damien Jefferson made a layup to spark a 13-2 run to take a 15-10 lead with 14:40 left in the first half. The Bluejays would not trail again.
Creighton extended it lead to double-figures at 26-15 with 11:26 remaining as Alexander connected from behind the arc twice and Ballock once, while freshman Shereef Mitchell made a layup. LA Tech cut the Bluejay lead down to six on a three from Archibald as Creighton took a 42-36 lead into the break.
A back and forth second half saw the Bluejays push the lead back to 12 using a 6-0 run on a three from Zegarowski and a three-point play from Ballock. Louisiana Tech went on a 6-0 run on its own, before the Bluejays went on a 7-0 run, extending the lead to 13 at 42-55 with 15:46 left in the game.
The Bulldogs cut Creighton's lead down to two, 69-67 with 3:59 left, but never surrendered the lead and forced a turnover on the lone Bulldogs possession to tie or take the lead with 3:13 to play. Creighton finished the game with seven free throws to claim an 82-72 victory.
Creighton will be back in action on Friday, Nov. 22 when it battles Cal Poly at 8:00 p.m. inside CHI Health Center Omaha.
NOTES: After not attempting a first half free throw in its first two games, Creighton went 3-for-5 in the first half at the free throw line tonight. The Bluejays were 15-for-22 at the line after ranking last nationally in free throws made (3) and free throw percentage (30 percent) entering the contest ... Creighton has won its first two home games in each of the last 24 seasons, and avoided its first 1-2 overall start since 1997-98 ... Mitch Ballock has now scored 20+ points five times in his career ... Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 854 straight games, and at least one trey before halftime in 225 games in a row ... Creighton has also made five or more three-pointers in 74 games in a row ... Marcus Zegarowski has made a three-pointer in 12 straight games ... Damien Jefferson made his first start of the season ... Creighton improved to 115-13 under Greg McDermott when scoring 80 points or more.
Creighton improved to 2-1 on the season with the win, while Louisiana Tech suffered its first loss of the season and also moves to 2-1 overall.
Creighton junior Mitch Ballock led all scorers with 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting including 5-of-11 from behind the arc. Junior Ty-Shon Alexander and sophomore Marcus Zegarowski each added 17 points, while senior Kelvin Jones contributed 14 of his own. Creighton finished the night shooting 27-of-58 (46.6 percent) from the floor, including 13-29 (44.8 percent) from behind the arc and 15-of-22 (68.2 percent) from the free throw line.
Louisiana Tech had four individuals score in double-figures also, with senior DaQuan Bracey leading the way with 17 points. Senior Muhammed Mubarak added 14 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, while Derric Jean had 12 points and Amorie Archibald added 10 points. The Bulldogs shot 44.1 percent (30-68) from the field, including 8-28 (28.6 percent) from distance and were 4-of-11 (36.4 percent) from the charity stripe. The Bulldogs held a 43-34 edge in rebounds, which contributed to a 26-7 edge in second chance points.
After a slow start by the Bluejays and an early 8-2 lead just 2:23 into the game by Louisiana Tech, Creighton found its stroke. Zegarowski drained a trio of three's, while Jones hit a turn-around jumper and junior Damien Jefferson made a layup to spark a 13-2 run to take a 15-10 lead with 14:40 left in the first half. The Bluejays would not trail again.
Creighton extended it lead to double-figures at 26-15 with 11:26 remaining as Alexander connected from behind the arc twice and Ballock once, while freshman Shereef Mitchell made a layup. LA Tech cut the Bluejay lead down to six on a three from Archibald as Creighton took a 42-36 lead into the break.
A back and forth second half saw the Bluejays push the lead back to 12 using a 6-0 run on a three from Zegarowski and a three-point play from Ballock. Louisiana Tech went on a 6-0 run on its own, before the Bluejays went on a 7-0 run, extending the lead to 13 at 42-55 with 15:46 left in the game.
The Bulldogs cut Creighton's lead down to two, 69-67 with 3:59 left, but never surrendered the lead and forced a turnover on the lone Bulldogs possession to tie or take the lead with 3:13 to play. Creighton finished the game with seven free throws to claim an 82-72 victory.
Creighton will be back in action on Friday, Nov. 22 when it battles Cal Poly at 8:00 p.m. inside CHI Health Center Omaha.
NOTES: After not attempting a first half free throw in its first two games, Creighton went 3-for-5 in the first half at the free throw line tonight. The Bluejays were 15-for-22 at the line after ranking last nationally in free throws made (3) and free throw percentage (30 percent) entering the contest ... Creighton has won its first two home games in each of the last 24 seasons, and avoided its first 1-2 overall start since 1997-98 ... Mitch Ballock has now scored 20+ points five times in his career ... Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 854 straight games, and at least one trey before halftime in 225 games in a row ... Creighton has also made five or more three-pointers in 74 games in a row ... Marcus Zegarowski has made a three-pointer in 12 straight games ... Damien Jefferson made his first start of the season ... Creighton improved to 115-13 under Greg McDermott when scoring 80 points or more.
Team Stats
TECH
CU
FG%
.441
.466
3FG%
.286
.448
FT%
.364
.682
RB
43
34
TO
12
10
STL
8
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
22
FGM
7
3FGM
5
FTM
3
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
1
Pts
17
FGM
4
3FGM
4
FTM
5
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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