Game Recap: Creighton 96, UMKC, 70

On a night when Creighton and their All-American sensation had a chance to re-introduce themselves to a nationwide audience, the Bluejays made sure they did that and then some.

Doug McDermott scored 37 points on 60 percent shooting (15-25 FG) to push the Creighton Bluejays over the UMKC Kangaroos by the score of 96-70. It was the second victory for the Bluejays in their 2013-14 season. The senior forward certainly made his presence felt. McDermott scored the first nine points for Creighton right out of the gate, and 14 of their first 18 points.

The Ames native finished the first half with 25 points on 66.7 percent shooting (10-15 FG) and shot 57.1 percent from beyond the arc. (4-7 3PT FG) He came out blazing in the second half as well, picking up the first nine of 11 points for the Bluejays in the second half. He went on to set a personal best for most field goals attempted with 25, a mark initially set at 23 in November of 2012 against the Wisconsin Badgers. McDermott also added seven rebounds to his scintillating stat line.

The Kangaroos did their best to stifle him in the second half, and while they were mildly successful, it was certainly Doug's night on Monday.

The first half did not go so well for the rest of the Creighton Bluejays however. The remaining members of the roster shot just 8-of-19 from the field and 3-of-8 from the 3-point line. It was a tale of two halves, however, as the rest of the Bluejays significantly improved their play. Those who saw the floor finished the night shooting 46.5 percent (20-43 FG) from the floor and 44.4 percent from the arc (8-18 3 PT FG). Shot selection for much of the first half was questionable for anyone who was not Doug McDermott, and it is safe to say that improved tenfold in the second half.

To their credit, UMKC hung with Creighton for much of the first half. Senior forward Trinity Hall was the stand out for the Roos as he finished the first half with nine points and four rebounds, eventually finishing his night with 15 points in 17 minutes. Another bad shooting night plagued UMKC greatly, though, as the Kangaroos finished the night shooting 37.7 percent from the field (29-77 FG) and 29.2 percent from the 3-point line (7-for-24). UMKC could not get to the line much against the disciplined Bluejays, only making nine attempts from the stripe. They sunk five of them, an efficient mark, but it was not nearly enough to compete.

Elsewhere, the domination inside the 3-point line continued for Creighton. Coming off of a stellar performance in the paint and on the glass, the Bluejays followed that up with another stellar performance inside. They led the way in points in the paint (42), second-chance points (15) and rebounds (51). Junior guard Devin Brooks led the way with nine rebounds in 16 minutes of action, while sophomore center Will Artino and junior guard Austin Chatman tied with seven of their own. Chatman not only found himself making an impact on the glass. He also made his impact felt elsewhere on the stat sheet as the junior got into double figures with 12 points and dished out nine assists, almost achieving the elusive triple double.

Creighton makes the trip to "The City of Brotherly Love" for their first road test of the season. The Bluejays will take on the St. Joseph's University Hawks at the Hagan Arena on Nov. 16.