The Creighton Bluejays notched win #1 of the 2020-21 season on Sunday. The Jays defeated the North Dakota State Bison, 69-58, starting the season off on the right note in the process.
The Bluejays played a very clean game en route to the win. They committed turnovers on just six percent of their possessions, which right now is the best mark in the entire country. While their 3-point shots weren’t falling they converted on 67.9 percent of their 2-point tries. Their defense was solid enough to get the job done, as they held NDSU to 25 percent from the 3-point arc and 46.2 percent on inside tries.
Christian Bishop led the way with a 16-point performance. The junior wing was 6-for-6 on 2-point tries and 4-for-5 on free throw attempts. Bishop also added four rebounds and committed no turnovers in 21 minutes. Big East Preseason Player of the Year Marcus Zegarowski debuted with a 12-point outing. Zegarowski was rather inefficient, but was able to get six assists and two rebounds to compensate for his losses elsewhere. Mitch Ballock and Antwann Jones joined Bishop and Zegarowski in double figures with 11 points apiece.
While NDSU made a climb after being down 67-44 with 5:11 to go, their effort was simply not enough for them to get a win. Rocky Kreuser led NDSU with 16 points, while Tyree Eady and Maleeck Harden-Hayes had 12 and 11 points respectively.
The Jays are currently scheduled to play Nebraska-Omaha on Tuesday.