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Creighton entered The Garden State on Saturday and took aim at the Seton Hall Pirates. A few hours later, an impressive performance followed.
Behind Doug McDermott's fifth 30-point performance of the 2013-14 season, the Bluejays won their 12th game on the season, beating the The Hall to the tune of 79-66. The win improved the Bluejays to 4-2 away from CenturyLink Center Omaha and was their seventh consecutive victory.
McDermott opened up the scoring for the Bluejays, connecting with a layup in the opening seconds, and then went on to score 11 of Creighton's first 15 points of the ballgame. The Bluejay forward from Ames, Ia. was stellar in the 1st half, scoring 22 points on 15 shots in 19 minutes of action. He would finish the night shooting 52.2 percent from the field on 23 attempts.
Elsewhere, Creighton got great production from JUCO transfer Devin Brooks. Brooks, who invited multiple family members and friends to the game in Newark, N.J., scored 11 points in 27 minutes. The Harlem, N.Y. native also added four rebounds to his afternoon performance, which was another step in a positive direction as he has been waking up out of his recent struggles.
The Hall was able to stay in the game due in large part to three players being in double figures. Patrik Auda and Brian Oliver scored 10 and 12 points respectively but Sterling Gibbs led the way with 17 points. Gibbs shot an impressive 60 percent from the field (6-10 FG) and also came away with a steal and two assists.
This was an impressive victory on the road for the Bluejays. While they stayed in line with their scoring average on the road, they were rolling throughout much of the game and although the Pirates made it interesting late in the game, Creighton hung in and kept control of the lead.
The Bluejays will be staying on the road as they will play the DePaul Blue Demons on Tuesday, Jan. 7. The game will be contested at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill.
Grading the Bluejays
| Player | Grade | Comments |
| Doug McDermott | A | Spectacular performance on the road for McDermott. He passed Austin Carr to become the 40th leading scorer in NCAA history with his performance today. Just another game for him. |
| Ethan Wragge | B- | Wragge was not supremely efficient as he finished his day shooting 33.3 percent from the arc. Surprisingly though, he finished |
| Austin Chatman | C | Not much in the way of production for Chatman on Saturday afternoon. He only played eight minutes and scored just two points. His four fouls were also a bad note on a particularly average day. |
| Jahenns Manigat | B | While Manigat was not as spectacular as he was on the final day of the year 2013, Manigat started off 2014 on the right foot. He scored 14 points and picked up four rebounds and assists in 35 minutes of action. |
| Grant Gibbs | B | GIbbs was his usual self on Saturday, contributing in all sorts of areas. He scored 12, grabbed five boards, and dished out five assists, too. |
| Devin Brooks | B | Another progressive step forward for Brooks who showed out in front of his friends and family at Prudential Center. 11 points and four assists later, Brooks seems to be transitioning to BIG EAST basketball with ease. |
| Greg McDermott | A- | His rotations were not their usual selves as five players played 27 minutes or more on Saturday afternoon, but Greg McDermott coached well enough to earn a high grade. He managed things well and helped out Creighton with their offensive sets. |