Men’s Basketball

ROSEMONT — College basketball games usually involve teams playing defense, but nobody told Northwestern and Creighton that.

The Bluejays (3-0) eventually bested the Wildcats (2-1) 92-88 in a game that at times felt like it would come down to whoever had the ball last. Neither defense could find a way to get stops, and it led to an exciting early-season showdown at Allstate Arena.

Junior guard Khyri Thomas led the Bluejays with 24, including 18 in the second half. Junior forward Vic Law exploded in the second half, hitting four 3-pointers to keep the Wildcats in the game.

Both teams started out fast, with Creighton shooting 55 percent en route to 51 first-half points. Ty-Shon Alexander led the way with a team-high 11 first half points off the bench. After a Bryant McIntosh jumper cut the Bluejays’ lead to five with 7:54 to go in the half, Creighton used a 13-3 run to take a 47-32 lead into the under-4 timeout.

But the Wildcats fought back, cutting the Bluejay lead to eight after a Law 3-pointer with 1:11 to go, and Creighton went into the half with a 51-43 lead.

NU raced out of the gates at the start of the second half, and a Law 4-point play gave the Cats a 56-55 lead with 17:02 to play. Yet the Bluejays worked their way back, took back the lead with 14:05 to play and never relinquished it.

A Gavin Skelly 3-pointer pulled NU within two with 17.7 seconds to go, but the Bluejays held on to their lead and pulled off the upset.

Takeaways

1. The Wildcats have a long ways to go defensively. It’s no secret that Creighton is a high-flying team that came into this contest averaging over 100 points per game. But NU simply had no answer for the Bluejays’ fast-paced attack. Junior forward Vic Law contained star guard Marcus Foster for much of the night, but the Cats couldn’t stop anyone else and struggled defensively across the board.

2. NU needs more from its bench. The Cats’ bench was outscored 33-4 by Creighton’s, and NU’s starters had to play heavy minutes. McIntosh played all 40 minutes, and Law tallied 39. Guard Anthony Gaines logged 23 minutes, but scored just one point and was the only player who played double-digit minutes off the bench for NU. Going forward, coach Chris Collins will have to find a way to give his starters a breather.

3. With Scottie Lindsey in foul trouble, Law and McIntosh stepped up. After it looked like Creighton might blow the roof off before halftime, McIntosh and Law came out firing in the second half, carrying the scoring load with Lindsey on the bench. They seemed to take turns carrying the offense, with McIntosh keeping the Cats in the game before the break and Law taking on most of the scoring load in the early second half. McIntosh finished with 24 points, while Law had a career-high 30. But they needed help from others, and in the end they didn’t get it.

Stats:

– Bench points: Creighton 33, NU 4
– Creighton: 50 % 3-point percentage
– Gavin Skelly: 3-for-4 from deep

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