Creighton snaps losing streak with win over DePaul

The Creighton Bluejays snapped their four-game losing streak Wednesday night in Chicago, picking up a 79-67 victory over the DePaul Blue Demons.

The Bluejays had a balanced scoring attack, as five Creighton players recorded double-figures on the score sheet. Ty-Shon Alexander had a team-high 16, Martin Krampelj had 14, Davion Mintz had 12, Marcus Zegarowski had 11, and Connor Cashaw had 10 (eight of which came in the first half). Mitch Ballock finished just outside the double-digit party with nine points.

Alexander had an incredibly well-rounded game, grabbing five rebounds and dishing out a game-high seven assists to cap off his night. Alexander did find himself in a bit of foul trouble, finishing the high with four fouls and playing 32 minutes, his second-lowest total in conference play.

The game was back and forth early on, but Creighton grabbed the lead midway through the first half and never looked back, pushing the lead to 11 going into the half after Alexander hit a three at the buzzer. While the Bluejays have had their late game woes of late, they didn’t present themselves Wednesday evening.

Max Strus led DePaul with 18 points and eight rebounds, but his 18 points came on 17 shots. Creighton’s big win on defense was limiting DePaul’s big men Femi Olubjobi and Paul Reed to just 12 points. Reed had just two on two field goal attempts, both conference season-lows for the sophomore big man. Forcing Strus into inefficient performances is the key to beating DePaul, and Creighton executed the plan to perfection.

The Bluejays improve to 14-13 and 5-9 in Big East play. They’ll host Georgetown on Saturday.

The Blue Demons fall to 13-12 and 5-9 in Big East play. They’ll have a week off before heading to Washington DC to face Georgetown next Wednesday evening.