Six Bluejays Deliver Double Figures as No. 9 Creighton Cruises by UNO, 94-67

OMAHA, NEB. -- Six Bluejays finished in double figures including 11 points and a career-high 11 assists from junior Marcus Zegarowski to help No. 9 Creighton dispose of crosstown rival Nebraska-Omaha 94-67 on Tuesday, Dec. 1.

The win pushed the Bluejays to 2-0 on the season, while Nebraska-Omaha fell to 1-3.

Creighton used an early 27-3 run to race out to a 32-10 advantage out of the gates. During that 12-minute stretch Creighton's defense held the Mavericks to just 1-of-18 shooting from the field.

While the Bluejays' defense was cooking, Creighton's ability to get multiple players involved also shined. Eight different Bluejays contributed one bucket as the Bluejays turned a 7-5 deficit into a 22-9 lead. Creighton went on to push its lead to as much as 28 points in the opening half and led 50-26 lead at intermission.

The second half saw UNO once more offer a strong push at the onset, cutting Creighton's lead to 59-40, but the Bluejays quickly responded with eight straight points. The Bluejays went on to lead by as much as 36 late in the game at 86-50 before claiming the 94-67 victory.

Six players finished in double-figures for Creighton, led by 18 from junior Christian Bishop and 17 by senior Denzel Mahoney. Rounding out the Bluejays in double-digits were sophomore Antwann Jones (12), Zegarowski (11), senior Damien Jefferson (11) and freshman Ryan Kalkbrenner (10). Creighton shot 57.6 percent for the game and dished 28 assists on 34 field goals. The Bluejays also won the glass battle 45-30, with Bishop hauling down a team-best eight rebounds.

UNO got 18 points off the bench from Marlon Ruffin, including 14 in the second half. Matt Pile owned a game-high nine rebounds.

Creighton returns to the floor of CHI Health Center Omaha on Friday, Dec. 4 as the Bluejays host Kennesaw State at 4:00 pm. The game will be televised on FS1.

NOTES: Creighton improved to 41-3 all-time against Nebraska-Omaha, including a 30-1 mark at home. Tuesday's game marked the first meeting between the schools in 25 years and one day (Nov. 30, 1995) ... Creighton improved to 25-1 in its last 26 home games ... Creighton is now 10-0 in regular-season home games at CHI Health Center Omaha against in-state foes ... Creighton improved to 118-0 all-time at CHI Health Center Omaha against teams that enter with a record of .500 or worse ... Creighton has started 2-0 in 10 of Greg McDermott's 11 seasons ... Creighton has made a three-pointer in 884 games in a row, including 255 straight before halftime ... Creighton has won 14 straight games when five or more players score in double-figures ... Creighton had five dunks on Tuesday, and now has nine in two games ... Christian Bishop's 18 points were one shy of his career-high ... Denzel Mahoney's five three-pointers tied a career-high done twice previously ... The 11 points and 11 assists gave Marcus Zegarowski his first career double-double. He's the first Bluejay with a double-double since Ty-Shon Alexander (Feb. 1, 2020 at Villanova) and the first with a point/assist double-double since Maurice Watson Jr. at Providence on Jan. 7, 2017.

Six Bluejays Deliver Double Figures as No. 9 Creighton Cruises by UNO, 94-67

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Team Stats

Christian Bishop

Denzel Mahoney

Antwann Jones

Marcus Zegarowski

Players Mentioned

Ty-Shon Alexander

Christian Bishop

Damien Jefferson

Antwann Jones

Ryan Kalkbrenner

Denzel Mahoney

Marcus Zegarowski