Creighton is a good team. Tuesday night, it wasn’t good enough. Not even remotely.
Zags Leave No Doubt Against Big East Foe
Gonzaga and Creighton have faced each other 11 times, dating back to 1947. Gonzaga held a slight edge, winning the series 6-5.
Since 2017, they’ve played three games, all of which Gonzaga has won. On Tuesday night, that trend continued, but to an even more dominant extent.
The No. 19 Gonzaga Bulldogs took on a Big East powerhouse in the No. 23 Creighton Bluejays. A once-competitive fight turned into an onslaught as Creighton fell, 90-63.
Turnovers galore, and depth. The depth and star power of Gonzaga ran Creighton out of the gym as a boisterous crowd chirped the loudest over the Bluejays.
Graham Ike Takes Center Stage
Graham Ike scored a game-high 20 points and 10 rebounds on 80%, 8-of-10 shooting. He powered Gonzaga past Creighton and put the nation on notice, showing he isn’t your regular 6-9 forward.
Both Gonzaga and Creighton sought a quad one win following first-round exits in last year’s March Madness. This game kick-started competitive non-conference play in just the second week of college hoops.
For Mark Few and Greg McDermott, the game plan appeared quite similar. Quick starts and high energy.
The strength of each team shone bright. From the jump, energy was enforced, and it carried through the offensive end. Gonzaga set the tone after its leading scorer, Ike, made three straight triples.
Turnovers and Toughness Define the Game
Creighton answered with more of the same. Having lost its three best players from last season, Jackson McAndrew was expected to play a much heavier role this year. In the Bluejay’s opening victory, his knack for three-pointing shooting didn’t shine bright.
That changed early after he silenced the crowd with two three-pointers. McAndrew’s answer allowed Creighton to stay afloat. In spite of Gonzaga’s hot shooting, the Bluejays found rhythm in a full-transfer backcourt of Nik Graves, Josh Dix and Blake Harper, who combined for 22 of Creighton’s first 38 points.
In less than eight minutes of action, the two teams had combined for seven made three-point attempts. However, turnovers plagued McDermott’s team as his hot start sizzled down. That would mark the beginning of a surging mistakes.
Gonzaga’s nine-man rotation saw every player reach the scoring column and a very high shooting percentage of 50%, 18-of-36, in the first frame. The Bulldogs carried a 44-38 lead into the half behind Ike’s 13 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting.
Zags Pull Away in Style
Creighton had a slow start to the second half as Ike and the Zags' dominance continued onward. Creighton’s first team Preseason All-Big East center, Owen Freeman, had sat early after seemingly being worn down. His presence was virtually absent the whole night.
On the other hand, Ike had all the answers for Gonzaga, defensively and offensively.
Creighton’s offense stalled with ferocious defense by the Bulldogs. For a team known by its offensive identity, the second half told a different story.
Gonzaga forced 16 turnovers, leaving no hope and closing the door early in the second half.
The Bluejays went on numerous droughts spanning several minutes. The largest one occurred for over six minutes without a basket. All life was gone after a 21-0 run that gave the Zags a 31-point lead.
There was no looking back. Gonzaga had trounced ahead and let Creighton in the dust to hand the team its first loss in a statement victory.
What’s next?
Gonzaga, The No. 19 Bulldogs, will look to continue their dominance at 3-0 as they face Arizona State in another non-conference game. Tip-off is set for 11:00 p.m. EST on Friday night. The Sun Devils are ranked No. 80 in PenKom.
Creighton, the No. 23 Bluejays, will look to get back in the win column on Friday at 8 p.m. EST as they face Maryland Eastern. It will likely be a bounce-back game, as the Shore Hawks are ranked 352nd in KenPom.