Saturday, November 30
Las Vegas, Nev. (MGM Grand Garden Arena)
12:00 PM
Creighton University
5-3,0-0Big East
80
vs
76
Notre Dame
4-4,0-0ACC
1
2
F
Creighton
40
40
80
Notre Dame
30
46
76
Jamiya Neal
Photo by: Bonnie Ryan
Short-Handed Bluejays Top Notre Dame at Players Era Festival
11/30/2024 1:50:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Creighton gets 21 bench points in victory
LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Jamiya Neal (21 points) and Fredrick King (14) had season-high totals in scoring as the No. 21 Creighton men's basketball team closed out a week in Las Vegas with an 80-76 victory over Notre Dame to win the seventh-place game of the Players Era Festival on Saturday morning inside MGM Grand Arena.
Creighton improved to 5-3 and snapped a three-game losing streak, while Notre Dame lost a fourth consecutive game and is 4-4.
Making his first start of the season, King scored CU's first three points, and seven of its first 12 to help stake the Jays to an early 12-9 advantage. Neal scored the next five before a three-ball by Isaac Traudt gave CU its first double-figure lead (21-11) of the morning. Ty Davis drained back-to-back hoops before Pop Isaacs and Mason Miller found the scoring column, part of an 18-2 run that gave CU its largest lead of the day at 30-13.
The Irish cut into that deficit with a 12-0 run that included three-pointers by J.R. Konieczny and Kebba Njie that trimmed CU's lead to 30-25 before Jasen Green ended the Bluejay scoring drought after nearly five minutes. The Bluejays went into the half with some momentum as Traudt buried a three-ball just before the halftime buzzer that gave CU a 40-30 advantage at the break.
Neal led CU with 11 points at the break while Isaacs had four of CU's 10 assists. The Bluejays shot 51.6 percent before the break and made 6-of-13 three-pointers. Notre Dame was paced by seven points by Braeden Shrewsberry in the opening half.
Notre Dame used an 11-0 run to take a 53-52 lead with 10:15 left, its first advantage since 2-1, only to have Steven Ashworth help CU regain the lead for good with a three-ball with 9:48 left. Neal followed with back-to-back three-pointers and Ashworth sank two technical foul shots as part of a 11-0 blitz and a double-figure lead.
Notre Dame drew within 70-64 on a three-ball by Garrett Sundra before Shane Thomas scored his first basket of the week with a lay-up with 2:42 left to return CU's lead to eight. The Irish trailed 74-71 before two clutch free throws by Isaacs with 20.1 left gave the Jays a five-point cushion. After another stop, Neal was fouled with 9.8 left and made both. Notre Dame converted a lay-up before two Ashworth free throws with 4.6 left iced the win.
Neal led CU with a career-high points and King scored 14, while the Bluejay bench contributed 21 points as all five reserves to see action scored. Creighton made 11-of-24 three-pointers, good for a season-best 45.8 percent from deep.
Shrewsberry and Tae Davis led the Irish with 17 points, with all but two of Davis' points coming after the break.
Creighton returns to action on Wednesday when it hosts top-ranked Kansas at 7:30 p.m.
NOTES: Steven Ashworth made a three-pointer for his BIG EAST-leading 26th straight game ... Creighton has made a three-pointer in 1,028 consecutive games ... Fredrick King earned his first start of the season in place of All-American center Ryan Kalkbrenner, who missed the game due to injury, and finished with a season-high 14 points ... Fredrick King's 100th career field goal came on an alley-oop six minutes into the game .. Fredrick King fouled out with 56.9 seconds left, snapping Creighton's 60-game streak without a player disqualification that had been the longest streak nationally since 2005-06 ... After just 17 points off the bench in its three-game losing streak, Creighton scored 21 bench points today ... Notre Dame is the 114th different school that Greg McDermott has beaten in his 31 years as a head coach, and 94th unique school in his 15 years on the Bluejay sideline ... Jamiya Neal made 4-of-6 three-pointers after entering the game shooting 4-for-23 from deep in CU's first seven games.
Players Era Power College
Basketball Tournament
Saturday, November 30, 2024
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
MGM Grand Garden Arena
Creighton Bluejays
Coach Greg McDermott
Jamiya Neal
Postgame Press Conference
Creighton - 80, Notre Dame - 76
GREG McDERMOTT: It's a gutsy win, especially when
you consider the circumstances. This team's dealt with a
lot of adversity the last week, and it's not easy to fix things
when they go wrong when you're away from home for three
games. You can't get into your routine. You can't get your
extra shots up.
Then to show up to the game and find out Kalkbrenner is
not playing and Pop's really sick. We had to have some
guys step up. Jamiya really stepped up in a big way
obviously on both ends of the floor. I thought he did a
great job on Davis and then offensively made some plays
for himself and plays for other people that we felt he's
capable of making.
Then all those guys off the bench from Jasen to Ty to Isaac
to Mason and Shane. Fred hadn't played a lot. He
answered the bell with a pretty efficient game.
Really proud of them, extremely proud of them, because it
would have been easy to show up here early in the
morning and find out two of your teammates probably
aren't playing and hang your head, and these guys were up
for the challenge.
Q. Coach, the way you had to mix and match with the
five today, discuss a little bit about the play of Jasen
Green and Isaac Traudt.
GREG McDERMOTT: It's another example, some guys
might be better for Jackson; some games might be better
for Isaac. I thought Mason gave us some good run. Saw
some open shots, saw one finally go down, which we
needed to do.
But I thought Isaac's physicality today was going to be
important on the backboards, and he's just got a little more
experience than Jackson.
We felt Jasen could be a mismatch at the rim with some of
the guys when they went small, and we did a good job
executing a couple things to get him the ball down there
and he made some big plays.
Q. Jamiya, you match your career high today with 21
points. What was going for you today, and how did it
feel to have a performance like this where you hit four
threes and kind of play on the defensive end too?
JAMIYA NEAL: It sure feels good to get over that hump
and see a few go in tonight. Obviously, like Coach said,
getting news that Kalk wasn't playing right there in the
locker room, we all knew we had to take a step up. That
means offensively I had to take a step, so I figured tonight
why not be the day?
Q. With that, career day obviously, and then almost a
double double with 9. What was the feeling like among
the players coming off a three-game losing streak?
Was there a sense of urgency in wanting to leave
Vegas with a victory and sort of a sense of pride as
well in bringing that losing skid to a halt?
JAMIYA NEAL: For sure. We definitely didn't want to
leave Vegas without a win. We wanted to stick with it and
not get down on ourselves, not feel bad for ourselves.
Everyone goes through adversity. We knew we just had to
stick together and try to get one, so that was definitely the
plan.
Q. You talked about the resiliency that you guys have
shown through this week, but just kind of in a vacuum
in this game in particular, you guys had a run, then
they had a run, then you had a run, then they had a
run. What was it, down two starters, that allowed this
team to keep punching, keep fighting?
GREG McDERMOTT: I think this team, they've been really
fun to coach. I think they're connected. I think guys are
trying to figure out their roles. When you have young guys
that are trying to figure out their roles, they don't
understand that you just have to prepare yourself every
150993-2-2151 2024-11-30 20:56:00 GMT Page 1 of 3
day with enthusiasm and emotion and effort, and then if
your number's called, chances are you're going to be ready
for it.
But to see the bench, they go 8 for 12 from the field and we
don't win the game, our bench has not played great this
year, as good as what I think they could play. So today it
was good to see Ty out there zipping it around making a
couple plays; Shane making some big defensive plays on a
back cut late in the game for a basket after not playing the
whole game.
You talk about it all the time, be ready if your number's
called. That doesn't mean your number is going to be
called, but I think the confidence that group will get from
today that not only was their number called, but we really
needed them because of injury and illness to some of their
teammates, that they were able to step up and do some
really good things.
Q. Jamiya, we talked the other day about how you had
great looks and great shots and just not falling if you
could ever get a couple to go. You got a couple to go.
How great was it to see some of your teammates who
struggled from three too knock some down? Did that
give you more confidence?
JAMIYA NEAL: Yeah, it did. Obviously me, Isaac, and
Mason, talk a lot about we can't see them go in. We all
work every day at practice day and there's not a lot of
missing going on.
It was a struggle to figure out why we couldn't make it. I
started off making a couple, then IT came in and made a
couple, Mason seen one go in, so it was great.
Q. What do you think of Fred's minutes today? He
kind of was a big part of the offense early in the first
half, and then you guys came into the locker room and
he had that dunk down the lane too.
GREG McDERMOTT: We tried to establish him. We felt
like Fred had a strength advantage down there and that we
were going to be able to get it to him. Who knows what
Notre Dame's plan was going into the game, assuming
Kalkbrenner was going to play. Were they going to pack it
up and have people in the lane, and when he wasn't, I think
they played their more standard defense.
I wanted to get Fred some touches to get him going more
than anything, but he's got to work on that foul trouble. It's
been a problem of his.
Besides what he did offensively, and he made a couple of
really good plays at the rim defensively as well at critical
times. The one on the shot clock violation they were over
there looking at. This will be really good for him moving
forward.
Q. Jamiya, kind of on that note, what does today do,
one, for your confidence moving forward and, two, for
the team's confidence moving forward? Just you
having the big day, and then obviously you guys
snapping the three-game skid?
JAMIYA NEAL: Today, just seeing us finally get a win, we
can at least hang our hat on that, going back home, resting
up, and just using that momentum to get prepared for next
week.
Obviously we've got a big one next week, and I think this
will fuel us to go hard next week and try to get a win.
Q. What does this do long term for guys like Fred
moving forward through the season? You're going to
need him at different points in this conference season
especially.
GREG McDERMOTT: As I said, it takes a lot of maturity to
prepare yourself with energy and enthusiasm when you're
not sure how much you're going to play. Obviously we've
got some veterans that are going to be on the floor, but we
didn't know Steven was going to sprain an ankle, we didn't
know Kalk was going to be out, we didn't know Pop was
going to miss a game or two or come down with the flu.
That's why you get ready. What it does from a team
standpoint, their teammates have more confidence in them
now because of their ability to perform under pressure
when they're asked to, and obviously from the coaching
staff's perspective, I just had a gut feeling to go with Shane
defensively down the stretch. He made some really, really
good plays for us, and he's got a physical body.
What he maybe lacks on offense, he makes up for on the
other end. I felt like the game was going to be decided
there. Went with Ty the first half and with him the second
half.
Q. Did you have an update on Kalk?
GREG McDERMOTT: I don't think it's going to be long
term. More precaution, I think, at this stage; get him home.
Pop just got the flu. Based on what I saw before the game,
surprised he tried to play. You saw he had to leave a
couple times, so he was feeling pretty rough.
Q. Jamiya, did you hit the (indiscernible) after the 4-3?
150993-2-2151 2024-11-30 20:56:00 GMT Page 2 of 3
JAMIYA NEAL: That's something Jackson and I do before
the game, we hit the ball and make one together. Do our
little one-two. That's me and my guy, the freshman.
GREG McDERMOTT: I'd rather he go back and play
defense.
JAMIYA NEAL: It was a timeout.
Q. Just for the local media, you got two locals on your
squad, the local talent here in Vegas is growing
obviously. Can you speak to it and what you've seen
these guys do for your roster?
GREG McDERMOTT: Actually, I have three because
Sterling Knox is from here as well. Went to high school
here along with Shane and Pop. We've recruited a lot in
Vegas over the years, and we'll continue. There's a lot of
good high school coaching here in the city. These guys
have come in here and done a great job for us.
I'd be remiss too, I know there's a lot of questions about
this tournament going in from the national media, some
that might be present, but this is incredibly well organized.
The way they treated our staff and our team and the
organization of the event from the time we arrived until
we're going to hit the road here soon has been absolutely
incredible.
I think you try to put something new together that's unique,
and we were really excited to be part of it, and we're
excited to be part of it moving forward in the future. I think
all the questions were certainly answered. I think they
knocked it out of the park with the way this event was run
and organized.
From my perspective, I've been doing this 36 years, I'd
have never, ever guessed this was the first year of an
event the way that it was pulled off. Kudos to Intersport
and everybody else that put this together. It was great.
FastScripts by ASAP Sports
150993-2-2151 2024-11-30 20:56:00 GMT Page 3 of 3
Creighton improved to 5-3 and snapped a three-game losing streak, while Notre Dame lost a fourth consecutive game and is 4-4.
Making his first start of the season, King scored CU's first three points, and seven of its first 12 to help stake the Jays to an early 12-9 advantage. Neal scored the next five before a three-ball by Isaac Traudt gave CU its first double-figure lead (21-11) of the morning. Ty Davis drained back-to-back hoops before Pop Isaacs and Mason Miller found the scoring column, part of an 18-2 run that gave CU its largest lead of the day at 30-13.
The Irish cut into that deficit with a 12-0 run that included three-pointers by J.R. Konieczny and Kebba Njie that trimmed CU's lead to 30-25 before Jasen Green ended the Bluejay scoring drought after nearly five minutes. The Bluejays went into the half with some momentum as Traudt buried a three-ball just before the halftime buzzer that gave CU a 40-30 advantage at the break.
Neal led CU with 11 points at the break while Isaacs had four of CU's 10 assists. The Bluejays shot 51.6 percent before the break and made 6-of-13 three-pointers. Notre Dame was paced by seven points by Braeden Shrewsberry in the opening half.
Notre Dame used an 11-0 run to take a 53-52 lead with 10:15 left, its first advantage since 2-1, only to have Steven Ashworth help CU regain the lead for good with a three-ball with 9:48 left. Neal followed with back-to-back three-pointers and Ashworth sank two technical foul shots as part of a 11-0 blitz and a double-figure lead.
Notre Dame drew within 70-64 on a three-ball by Garrett Sundra before Shane Thomas scored his first basket of the week with a lay-up with 2:42 left to return CU's lead to eight. The Irish trailed 74-71 before two clutch free throws by Isaacs with 20.1 left gave the Jays a five-point cushion. After another stop, Neal was fouled with 9.8 left and made both. Notre Dame converted a lay-up before two Ashworth free throws with 4.6 left iced the win.
Neal led CU with a career-high points and King scored 14, while the Bluejay bench contributed 21 points as all five reserves to see action scored. Creighton made 11-of-24 three-pointers, good for a season-best 45.8 percent from deep.
Shrewsberry and Tae Davis led the Irish with 17 points, with all but two of Davis' points coming after the break.
Creighton returns to action on Wednesday when it hosts top-ranked Kansas at 7:30 p.m.
NOTES: Steven Ashworth made a three-pointer for his BIG EAST-leading 26th straight game ... Creighton has made a three-pointer in 1,028 consecutive games ... Fredrick King earned his first start of the season in place of All-American center Ryan Kalkbrenner, who missed the game due to injury, and finished with a season-high 14 points ... Fredrick King's 100th career field goal came on an alley-oop six minutes into the game .. Fredrick King fouled out with 56.9 seconds left, snapping Creighton's 60-game streak without a player disqualification that had been the longest streak nationally since 2005-06 ... After just 17 points off the bench in its three-game losing streak, Creighton scored 21 bench points today ... Notre Dame is the 114th different school that Greg McDermott has beaten in his 31 years as a head coach, and 94th unique school in his 15 years on the Bluejay sideline ... Jamiya Neal made 4-of-6 three-pointers after entering the game shooting 4-for-23 from deep in CU's first seven games.
Players Era Power College
Basketball Tournament
Saturday, November 30, 2024
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
MGM Grand Garden Arena
Creighton Bluejays
Coach Greg McDermott
Jamiya Neal
Postgame Press Conference
Creighton - 80, Notre Dame - 76
GREG McDERMOTT: It's a gutsy win, especially when
you consider the circumstances. This team's dealt with a
lot of adversity the last week, and it's not easy to fix things
when they go wrong when you're away from home for three
games. You can't get into your routine. You can't get your
extra shots up.
Then to show up to the game and find out Kalkbrenner is
not playing and Pop's really sick. We had to have some
guys step up. Jamiya really stepped up in a big way
obviously on both ends of the floor. I thought he did a
great job on Davis and then offensively made some plays
for himself and plays for other people that we felt he's
capable of making.
Then all those guys off the bench from Jasen to Ty to Isaac
to Mason and Shane. Fred hadn't played a lot. He
answered the bell with a pretty efficient game.
Really proud of them, extremely proud of them, because it
would have been easy to show up here early in the
morning and find out two of your teammates probably
aren't playing and hang your head, and these guys were up
for the challenge.
Q. Coach, the way you had to mix and match with the
five today, discuss a little bit about the play of Jasen
Green and Isaac Traudt.
GREG McDERMOTT: It's another example, some guys
might be better for Jackson; some games might be better
for Isaac. I thought Mason gave us some good run. Saw
some open shots, saw one finally go down, which we
needed to do.
But I thought Isaac's physicality today was going to be
important on the backboards, and he's just got a little more
experience than Jackson.
We felt Jasen could be a mismatch at the rim with some of
the guys when they went small, and we did a good job
executing a couple things to get him the ball down there
and he made some big plays.
Q. Jamiya, you match your career high today with 21
points. What was going for you today, and how did it
feel to have a performance like this where you hit four
threes and kind of play on the defensive end too?
JAMIYA NEAL: It sure feels good to get over that hump
and see a few go in tonight. Obviously, like Coach said,
getting news that Kalk wasn't playing right there in the
locker room, we all knew we had to take a step up. That
means offensively I had to take a step, so I figured tonight
why not be the day?
Q. With that, career day obviously, and then almost a
double double with 9. What was the feeling like among
the players coming off a three-game losing streak?
Was there a sense of urgency in wanting to leave
Vegas with a victory and sort of a sense of pride as
well in bringing that losing skid to a halt?
JAMIYA NEAL: For sure. We definitely didn't want to
leave Vegas without a win. We wanted to stick with it and
not get down on ourselves, not feel bad for ourselves.
Everyone goes through adversity. We knew we just had to
stick together and try to get one, so that was definitely the
plan.
Q. You talked about the resiliency that you guys have
shown through this week, but just kind of in a vacuum
in this game in particular, you guys had a run, then
they had a run, then you had a run, then they had a
run. What was it, down two starters, that allowed this
team to keep punching, keep fighting?
GREG McDERMOTT: I think this team, they've been really
fun to coach. I think they're connected. I think guys are
trying to figure out their roles. When you have young guys
that are trying to figure out their roles, they don't
understand that you just have to prepare yourself every
150993-2-2151 2024-11-30 20:56:00 GMT Page 1 of 3
day with enthusiasm and emotion and effort, and then if
your number's called, chances are you're going to be ready
for it.
But to see the bench, they go 8 for 12 from the field and we
don't win the game, our bench has not played great this
year, as good as what I think they could play. So today it
was good to see Ty out there zipping it around making a
couple plays; Shane making some big defensive plays on a
back cut late in the game for a basket after not playing the
whole game.
You talk about it all the time, be ready if your number's
called. That doesn't mean your number is going to be
called, but I think the confidence that group will get from
today that not only was their number called, but we really
needed them because of injury and illness to some of their
teammates, that they were able to step up and do some
really good things.
Q. Jamiya, we talked the other day about how you had
great looks and great shots and just not falling if you
could ever get a couple to go. You got a couple to go.
How great was it to see some of your teammates who
struggled from three too knock some down? Did that
give you more confidence?
JAMIYA NEAL: Yeah, it did. Obviously me, Isaac, and
Mason, talk a lot about we can't see them go in. We all
work every day at practice day and there's not a lot of
missing going on.
It was a struggle to figure out why we couldn't make it. I
started off making a couple, then IT came in and made a
couple, Mason seen one go in, so it was great.
Q. What do you think of Fred's minutes today? He
kind of was a big part of the offense early in the first
half, and then you guys came into the locker room and
he had that dunk down the lane too.
GREG McDERMOTT: We tried to establish him. We felt
like Fred had a strength advantage down there and that we
were going to be able to get it to him. Who knows what
Notre Dame's plan was going into the game, assuming
Kalkbrenner was going to play. Were they going to pack it
up and have people in the lane, and when he wasn't, I think
they played their more standard defense.
I wanted to get Fred some touches to get him going more
than anything, but he's got to work on that foul trouble. It's
been a problem of his.
Besides what he did offensively, and he made a couple of
really good plays at the rim defensively as well at critical
times. The one on the shot clock violation they were over
there looking at. This will be really good for him moving
forward.
Q. Jamiya, kind of on that note, what does today do,
one, for your confidence moving forward and, two, for
the team's confidence moving forward? Just you
having the big day, and then obviously you guys
snapping the three-game skid?
JAMIYA NEAL: Today, just seeing us finally get a win, we
can at least hang our hat on that, going back home, resting
up, and just using that momentum to get prepared for next
week.
Obviously we've got a big one next week, and I think this
will fuel us to go hard next week and try to get a win.
Q. What does this do long term for guys like Fred
moving forward through the season? You're going to
need him at different points in this conference season
especially.
GREG McDERMOTT: As I said, it takes a lot of maturity to
prepare yourself with energy and enthusiasm when you're
not sure how much you're going to play. Obviously we've
got some veterans that are going to be on the floor, but we
didn't know Steven was going to sprain an ankle, we didn't
know Kalk was going to be out, we didn't know Pop was
going to miss a game or two or come down with the flu.
That's why you get ready. What it does from a team
standpoint, their teammates have more confidence in them
now because of their ability to perform under pressure
when they're asked to, and obviously from the coaching
staff's perspective, I just had a gut feeling to go with Shane
defensively down the stretch. He made some really, really
good plays for us, and he's got a physical body.
What he maybe lacks on offense, he makes up for on the
other end. I felt like the game was going to be decided
there. Went with Ty the first half and with him the second
half.
Q. Did you have an update on Kalk?
GREG McDERMOTT: I don't think it's going to be long
term. More precaution, I think, at this stage; get him home.
Pop just got the flu. Based on what I saw before the game,
surprised he tried to play. You saw he had to leave a
couple times, so he was feeling pretty rough.
Q. Jamiya, did you hit the (indiscernible) after the 4-3?
150993-2-2151 2024-11-30 20:56:00 GMT Page 2 of 3
JAMIYA NEAL: That's something Jackson and I do before
the game, we hit the ball and make one together. Do our
little one-two. That's me and my guy, the freshman.
GREG McDERMOTT: I'd rather he go back and play
defense.
JAMIYA NEAL: It was a timeout.
Q. Just for the local media, you got two locals on your
squad, the local talent here in Vegas is growing
obviously. Can you speak to it and what you've seen
these guys do for your roster?
GREG McDERMOTT: Actually, I have three because
Sterling Knox is from here as well. Went to high school
here along with Shane and Pop. We've recruited a lot in
Vegas over the years, and we'll continue. There's a lot of
good high school coaching here in the city. These guys
have come in here and done a great job for us.
I'd be remiss too, I know there's a lot of questions about
this tournament going in from the national media, some
that might be present, but this is incredibly well organized.
The way they treated our staff and our team and the
organization of the event from the time we arrived until
we're going to hit the road here soon has been absolutely
incredible.
I think you try to put something new together that's unique,
and we were really excited to be part of it, and we're
excited to be part of it moving forward in the future. I think
all the questions were certainly answered. I think they
knocked it out of the park with the way this event was run
and organized.
From my perspective, I've been doing this 36 years, I'd
have never, ever guessed this was the first year of an
event the way that it was pulled off. Kudos to Intersport
and everybody else that put this together. It was great.
FastScripts by ASAP Sports
150993-2-2151 2024-11-30 20:56:00 GMT Page 3 of 3
.png&width=84&height=84&quality=100&type=webp)
Team Stats
CU
ND
FG%
.491
.431
3FG%
.458
.391
FT%
.867
.733
RB
32
37
TO
12
9
STL
4
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
21
FGM
7
3FGM
4
FTM
3
Pts
15
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's BasketballC
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG/F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballMeet the Jays - MBB Blake Harper
Friday, August 15
Meet the Jays - MBB Austin Swartz
Friday, August 15
Meet the Jays - MBB Jasen Green
Friday, August 15
Meet the Jays - MBB Ty Davis
Friday, August 15
