[February 24, 2014]OMAHA, Neb. —
Creighton forward Doug McDermott put
up 29 points to move into 10th place on the all-time NCAA scoring list,
helping the the No. 11 Bluejays earn a 72-71 win over Seton Hall on
Sunday at CenturyLink Center.
McDermott, who has 2,917 career points, moved ahead of Alfredrick
Hughes, who scored 2,914 points for Loyola (Chicago) from 1981-85.
McDermott was 12 of 16 from the line and 8 of 14 from the floor. The
6-foot-8, 225-pound preseason Big East Player of the Year has scored
19 points or more in 25 of 27 games this season.
"As I've said before, it's even hard for me to even get my arms
around it," said Creighton coach Greg McDermott about his son's
accomplishment. "I think it will mean more to him (Doug) than it
does today.
"I think as all of us look back on it five or 10 years from now
we'll probably appreciate his accomplishments more than we do today
because we're in the middle of it. But for now, the most important
thing for all of us is to win our next game."
Creighton (23-4, 13-2 Big East) won for the eighth time in nine
games and earned its 17th consecutive home win. Seton Hall (14-13,
5-9) dropped its fifth game out of the past seven. The Pirates have
dropped four one-point Big East Conference games this season.
Guard Grant Gibbs added 16 points for the Bluejays.
Forward Fuquan Edwin led a balanced scoring attack for Seton Hall
with 21 points. Center Eugene Teague scored 14 points and grabbed 11
rebounds, forward Patrik Auda added 12 points, and forward Brandon
Mobley contributed 11 points.
After Creighton forward Ethan Wragge missed two free throws with
four seconds left and the Bluejays ahead 72-71, Edwin's half-court
heave bounced off the backboard as time expired.
"Sometimes over the course of a season you have to find a way to not
be perfect," said Greg McDermott. "Tonight was an example of that,
especially with our free throw shooting."
The Bluejays were 20 of 31 from the line.
McDermott was key for the Bluejays down the stretch, scoring on a
free throw and a jumper that elevated Creighton's lead to 72-67 with
1:54 left to play. Edwin's two free throws closed the gap to 72-69
with 1:14 to go. Mobley had a 3-point attempt from the top of the
key that would have tied the game with 26 seconds left, but the shot
went off the back of the rim.
The Pirates got to within one point at 64-63 on an Edwin jumper with
5:45 to play, but they missed their final six shots of the game.
"It was a big-time game down the stretch," said Doug McDermott. "It
was a tough, hard-fought victory for us. It says a lot about our
maturity."
Creighton opened the second half on an 8-0 run to move ahead 46-36.
McDermott scored seven points in the burst.
Seton Hall was without its leading playmaker, point guard Sterling
Gibbs, who was suspended by coach Kevin Willard.
"He didn't come the other day with a great attitude, he didn't come
ready to practice," Willard said before the game in a radio
interview. "I've told all these guys, my expectation for them is to
come with a great attitude and come ready to practice, and practice
hard.
"No one is entitled to anything. You work hard, you earn your
minutes, you earn what you get. Over the last week or so, week and
half, Sterling hasn't had the greatest of attitudes. The other day,
on Saturday, it just wasn't what we need from someone playing 34
minutes per game and taking a lot of shots."
Sterling Gibbs ranks third in the Big East Conference in assists,
averaging 4.4 a game. His place in the starting lineup was taken by
freshman Jaren Sina, as Seton Hall used its 15th starting unit this
season. Sina finished with five points and three assists.
After making just one of six shots over a period of nearly six
minutes, Seton Hall closed the first half on an 11-5 spurt, but
still trailed 38-36 at the intermission.
Both teams shot the ball well beyond the arc. Creighton, which
received 10 points apiece from McDermott and Grant Gibbs, was 6 of 8
from 3-point range. Seton Hall, paced by eight points from Teague,
was 6 of 11 from long range.
The Pirates led 22-21 on a Teague layup with 8:58 left in the first
half, then were outscored by the Bluejays 12-3 over the next 5:46.
Guard Isaiah Zierden led the barrage for Creighton with five points,
helping it to a 33-25 cushion.
NOTES: The crowd of 18,742 was the third-largest at CenturyLink
Center. ... Creighton G Austin Chatman recorded five assists to move
into nine place on the Bluejays career assist list (334). ...
Creighton F Doug McDermott is averaging 30.7 points and has made 17
of 35 shots from 3-point range over his past seven games. ... A
limited number of Doug McDermott bobbleheads were given out to fans
on Sunday. ... Before Sunday, Seton Hall had not allowed more than
five 3-pointers in a conference road game, keeping their first six
opponents below 30 percent shooting from long range. Creighton went
8-for-15 (53.3 percent) from beyond the arc. ... Prior to Sunday's
action, Creighton led the Big East in field-goal percentage (.499),
3-point field-goal percentage (.425) and scoring (81 points per
game). ... Creighton G Jahenns Manigat led the team in charges in
each of his first three seasons.
