Men's Basketball Whips Midland; Ends Non-Conference Play 11-2

OMAHA, Neb. -- The Creighton men's basketball team rolled to a 37-point halftime lead and never trailed in a 91-54 victory over Midland on Wednesday evening to close non-conference play.

Damien Jefferson had his first career double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds for Creighton (11-2), while freshman Jalen Windham contributed a season-high 14 points. Ty-Shon Alexander and Marcus Zegarowski shared game-high honors with 19 points each, topping six Bluejays in double-figures. Also in double-digits were Christian Bishop (13) and Denzel Mahoney (10).

Midland was led by 12 points by Samuel Mailloux, and Emanuel Bryson had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Creighton scored the game's first five points on a three-ball by Mitch Ballock and a dunk from Jefferson and never trailed. The lead stretched to 16-4 after five minutes and 35-8 after 12 minutes of play. CU's 58-21 lead at the half was tied for its second-largest intermission lead since 1990-91, and tied a CHI Health Center Omaha record first done on Dec. 9, 2016 vs. Longwood (62-25). The Bluejays shot 60 percent, won the rebound battle 25-15, and sank 8-of-15 three-pointers before the break, with Zegarowski (17) and Alexander (11) both cracking double-figures in the first half.

The Bluejay margin never dipped below 32 in the second half. Creighton's largest lead was 89-48 with 4:58 to play on Jefferson's second dunk of the game. CU outscored Midland 30-2 in fast break points and 50-24 in the paint.

Creighton shot 52.2 percent for the game and had 23 assists on 35 baskets. CU's two turnovers were its fewest in a game since at least 1980-81. The Bluejays won the rebound battle 45-39 and made nine three-point shots. Tying Zegarowski for team-high honors with six assists was freshman Shereef Mitchell, a season-best for the freshman.

Midland shot 32.8 percent from the floor, the fourth straight Bluejay opponent to shoot less than 40 percent. The Warriors shot 5-for-24 from three-point range on the evening.

Creighton opens its seventh season of BIG EAST action on Wednesday, Jan. 1, in an 8 p.m. game vs. Marquette.

NOTES: Creighton is 4-0 all-time against Midland after winning today in the first meeting since a 63-6 victory in 1925 ... Creighton head coach Greg McDermott announced following the game that Davion Mintz will redshirt due to a lingering ankle injury ... The game and stats count towards Creighton's record, but the contest is regarded as an exhibition for NAIA Midland ... Creighton has not lost a home game to a non-Division I team since December 11, 1982 ... Creighton has won seven straight games, the seventh such streak under Greg McDermott. Each of the last six times Creighton has had a win streak of seven or longer that Bluejay team has reached the NCAA Tournament at year's end ... Creighton finished the month of December with a 6-0 record. Each of CU's last two teams to go unbeaten in December (2008-09 and 2012-13) went on to win the regular-season league title ... Denzel Mahoney had 10 points and eight rebounds and has now scored in double-figures in all three games as a Bluejay ... Creighton has held four straight opponents under 40 percent for the first time since a streak of four straight games from Dec. 17-31, 2013 ... Creighton has held the opposition under 40 percent in 7-of-13 games this year after doing it a total of 7 times in 35 games a year ago ... Mitch Ballock made a three-pointer on CU's first possession, but had his 11-game streak of multiple trifectas snapped. Ballock now owns 177 career three-pointers, tying him with Duan Cole for 10th in program history ... Creighton has made a three-pointer in 864 straight games and a trey before half in 235 games in a row ... Creighton finished the decade with a 231-120 record from Jan. 1, 2010 - Dec. 31, 2019 ... Creighton has won 14 straight home games, tied for the fourth-longest streak since moving into CHI Health Center Omaha in 2003 ... Creighton had six players score in double-figures for the first time since Dec. 20, 2017 vs. USC Upstate.

Men's Basketball Whips Midland; Ends Non-Conference Play 11-2

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Team Stats

Ty-Shon Alexander

Marcus Zegarowski

Jalen Windham

Christian Bishop

Players Mentioned

Ty-Shon Alexander

Mitch Ballock

Christian Bishop

Damien Jefferson

Denzel Mahoney

Davion Mintz

Shereef Mitchell

Jalen Windham

Marcus Zegarowski

Players Mentioned

Ty-Shon Alexander

Mitch Ballock

Christian Bishop

Damien Jefferson

Denzel Mahoney

Davion Mintz

Shereef Mitchell

Jalen Windham

Marcus Zegarowski