Creighton Basketball: Biggest takeaways from Cayman Islands Classic championship run

KANSAS CITY, MO - NOVEMBER 20: Ty-Shon Alexander #5 of the Creighton Bluejays reacts after scoring during the National Collegiate Basketball Hall Of Fame Classic game against the UCLA Bruins at the Sprint Center on November 20, 2017 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

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OMAHA, NEBRASKA-DECEMBER 28: The Creighton Bluejays bench reacts during their game against the Seton Hall Pirates at the CenturyLink Center on December 28, 2016 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Eric Francis/Getty Images) /

Creighton Basketball capped off a successful trip overseas with an 87-82 victory over No. 16 Clemson in the Cayman Islands Classic title game.

Before tonight, head coach Greg McDermott had led his Bluejays to six tournament titles, that number is now seven. Sophomore guard, Ty-Shon Alexander scored a career-high 36 points and Creighton Basketball picked up their first signature win on the season by defeating No. 16 Clemson and winning the Cayman Islands Classic.

Creighton was off and running from the start, grabbing an early 20-12 lead and they led the rest of the way. After making 58.6% of their shots and seven three-pointers, the Bluejays took a 45-35 lead into halftime.

After Clemson made the appropriate halftime adjustments, the Tigers mounted a comeback. After Clemson closed out a 14-5 run early in the second half, the Jays lead fell to four (55-51). Then in less than a minute, Creighton went on their own 6-0 run and built their lead back up to 10 (61-51).

Then, with just over a minute remaining in the game, the Tigers clawed back once again. Clemson’s Marcquise Reed scored 13 of the Tigers’ final 15, which included a three-pointer and a floater in the lane after Clemson forced a turnover on the ensuing inbounds play. Just when it looked like Creighton had the game wrapped up, the Jays found themselves only up three (83-80) with 22.2 seconds left.

Junior guard Davion Mintz then made two free-throws after he was fouled with 18 seconds remaining. Then, after Clemson missed their next shot, Mintz threw down a dunk on the other end and the team captain secured the win for the Bluejays.

McDermott’s squad picked up their second tournament title in three years (Paradise Jam, 2016) and their first win over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 3 Villanova on Feb. 24, 2018. After a promising performance in the Cayman Islands, what are the biggest takeaways from the Bluejays tournament title?

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