Top 25 roundup: Marquette upends No. 9 Creighton

[December 15, 2020]  D.J. Carton scored 20 points and Dawson Garcia registered a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds as visiting Marquette navigated a back-and-forth finish to upset No. 9 Creighton 89-84 on Monday night at Omaha, Neb.

The victory over a top 10 Bluejays team came 10 days after the Golden Eagles (5-2, 1-0) defeated No. 4 Wisconsin.

The Golden Eagles shot 53.6 percent en route to snapping the Bluejays' 11-game home winning streak in the Big East opener for both teams. Creighton 4-2, 0-1) had just its second home defeat since the beginning of the 2019-20 season and first since Jan. 7.

Creighton used a 9-0 run to pull within 76-75 with 2:32 to go, but Marquette regained control with a 7-0 response over the next 1:39, getting a 3-pointer from Carton and a pair of field goals from Garcia.

A Christian Bishop jumper and a Mitch Ballock 3-pointer -- his eighth of the night -- slashed the Bluejays' deficit to three points at 83-80 before Marquette closed the game from the line. The Golden Eagles made 17 of 26 free throws compared to 14 of 25 for Creighton.

No. 19 Rutgers 74, Maryland 60

Ron Harper Jr. scored 27 points to pace the Scarlet Knights to a win over the host Terrapins in the Big Ten opener for both teams at College Park, Md.

Marquette Golden Eagles guard Greg Elliott (5) celebrates the win with teammates in the game against the Creighton Bluejays in the second half at CHI Health Center Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

The Scarlet Knights (5-0) have won all five of their games by double digits for the first time since the 1934-35 season. Harper, who scored 19 of his points in the second half, sank a 3-pointer at 2:10 of the second to put the Scarlet Knights ahead for good at 34-31. He had another 3-pointer in a pivotal 10-0 spurt that pushed the lead to 50-38 when Myles Johnson got loose for a dunk with 11:57 remaining.

The Terrapins (4-2) fell for the second straight game, and this one was a rare home loss. Maryland is 50-8 in Xfinity Center since the start of 2017-18, the best such mark in the Big Ten over that span. Donta Scott led the Terrapins with 20 points and eight rebounds. Maryland shot just 34.4 percent (21 of 61) from the field.

--Field Level Media

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