Doug McDermott scored 30 points to lead No. 16 Creighton Bluejays to a comprehensive 77-61 victory over Akron Zips Sunday.
McDermott also had rebounds and four assists and shot 10 of 15 from the field, while Gregory Echenique added 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
McDermott dominated the game right from the start as 20 of his 30 points came in the first half.
"This is a really good win," the Associated Press quoted head coach of Creighton Greg McDermott as saying. "Come March it will be evident what a good win it is. Akron has played in six straight conference championship games."
For Akron, Zeke Marshall and Nick Harney added 12 points each, while Jake Kretzer and Pat Forsythe had six points apiece.
Akron only made four 3-pointers out of 17 attempts, while Creighton had 10 of 22. The Zips had come into this game with a healthy average of 10 three-pointers a game, but on Sunday their shooting let them down considerably.
"You could see those two games in three weeks hurt us," Akron coach Keith Dambrot said. "We just didn't have any juice and life.
"We're not going to win games like that."
Akron had 14 assists in the game, while Creighton made 17. The Bluejays' Grant Gibbs added seven points, eight assists, six rebounds without turning the ball over even once.
"They're kind of gimme assists. It's not like I'm creating spectacular plays," Gibbs said. "It's Doug coming off a down screen and I'm throwing it to him. I'm trying to make simple plays and get the ball to the guys who put the ball in the basket consistently."
Creighton scored 43 points in the first half and restricted Akron to just 31. The second half again belonged to Creighton, outscoring the losing side 34-30 to win the game by 16 points.
"I felt really comfortable out there, not trying to do too much,'' McDermott said. "I've tried to work on my ballhandling as much as I can, and it's finally starting to pay off."
Creighton reserve Josh Jones, who fainted before the Thursday's game, could not play in his second consecutive game.
"He's like a brother to all of us," McDermott, who shot six 3-pointers, added. "We're playing for him. That one time you feel like you're tired, you're really not tired, because we're fighting for him.
"That's what he would be doing. He's continued to stay real positive. That smile never comes off his face. So we'll continue to fight through and hopefully get him back."
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
