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With 15:11 left in the 1st half, Creighton forward Doug McDermott launched a 3-point attempt. Once the ball swished through the net, the senior from Ames, Ia. landed into the history books.
With that 3-pointer, 13th point of the night at that point int he game, McDermott became the 64th member of the 2,500 points club. He joins a host of terrific players from years past to achieve this mark. It is just another accolade added to an already terrific career in Omaha.
McDermott's 24 points, six rebounds and four assists helped pave the way for Creighton's 10th victory of the season. The Bluejays picked up the tally, beating the Chicago St. Cougars to the tune of 90-58.
Not only did Creighton's superstar flourish. The Bluejays were sensational from the perimeter Sunday evening. The ninth best 3-point shooting team in the country threw down a barrage from the arc, going 16-25, totaling 64.0 percent from the arc. Five different Bluejays scored on 3-point attempts, with Ethan Wragge and Jahenns Manigat leading the way with five each.
Wragge, Manigat and Doug McDermott represented the Bluejays who found themselves in double figures against the Cougars. Both Wragge and Manigat finished their nights with 15 points. Freshman Zach Hanson surprised many with his nine points and 100.0 FG% on his four attempts, just a point shy of making it four Bluejays in double figures.
The Chicago State Cougars were very good in their own right from the 3-point line as well. They shot 41.7 percent on 24 attempts, with Quinton Pippen leading the way with four made threes. Pippen, the nephew of NBA great Scottie Pippen, finished the night with 13 points, just a point shy of Clarke Rosenberg's team-high 14 points.
On tap for the Bluejays is their first ever BIG EAST Conference game. They will tip off against the Marquette Golden Eagles at 10:00 p.m. ET on New Year's Eve. The game will be televised on FOX Sports 1, as the nation will watch Creighton finally jump into the big time.
Grading the Bluejays
| Doug McDermott | A | A terrific night for McDermott in a long list of them. He did cool down a bit in the second half but his efforts cannot go unnoticed. He will definitely be the torch bearer for Creighton going forward. |
| Austin Chatman | B | Very good effort from Chatman. While he did not necessarily score much (just two points) he added five rebounds and five assists. The distributor of the offense will have to keep this stretch of play going into conference season. |
| Jahenns Manigat | B+ | Manigat has been catching fire as of late and Sunday night's game was no different. Manigat scored 15 points, all attained from the 3-point line and collected four rebounds and two assists elsewhere. |
| Grant Gibbs | B | In 17 minutes, Grant Gibbs six points, three rebounds and five assists. His foul total (4) was somewhat disconcerting but in the end, this was par for the course for Gibbs. |
| Ethan Wragge | A | Whatever questions about Wragge's efficiency lately were quickly thrown aside after Sunday night's performance. Wragge scored all 15 of his points from deep, going 5-6 (83.3%). If he gets going in conference play, look out. |
| Will Artino | B- | Once again, Artino had a good night coming off of the bench. He picked up five points and three rebounds in 12 minutes, and made all three of his attempts from the FT line. |
| Zach Hanson | A | Are you kidding me? Terrific performance for the youngster against the Cougars. 4-for-4, a season-high nine points, and two rebounds in just nine minutes? That is an A-worthy performance. |
| Devin Brooks | C+ | Brooks only scored four points and came away with one assist, but there does seem to still be a lot of confidence in the JUCO transfer. He played 16 minutes of action and was solid enough to attain those minutes. Still, you'd like to see more from him given the flashes he's seen. We will see how he adjusts to conference play. |
| Isaiah Zierden | C+/B- | A decent night for Zierden who played 14 minutes and scored five points. Those of which included a trip to the free throw line where he made both attempts. Nothing world-beating, however, and the record will show that. A very nice night, though. |
| Greg McDermott | A- | A very good game for Greg McDermott whose rotations still appear to be working. The 3-point defense was a bit concerning, but we will see if he can continue his prowess when Creighton steps into the big leagues starting Tuesday night. |