Dominance on the Court: Men’s Basketball Triumphs Over DePaul 73-49

CHICAGO, Ill. — The Creighton men’s basketball squad secured its fourth consecutive victory on Tuesday evening with a 73-49 away triumph at DePaul. DePaul’s 49 points matched the third-fewest allowed by Creighton in league play since it joined the BIG EAST in 2013.

The Bluejays are currently 13-6 for the season and 6-2 in BIG EAST competition, marking their best league start since the 2020-21 team that advanced to the Sweet 16. DePaul, who ended a 39-game BIG EAST losing streak at Georgetown on Friday, saw its record drop to 10-10 overall and 1-8 in league play.

Creighton maintained the lead throughout, scoring the initial five points of the game and keeping the Blue Demons without a field goal for the first five minutes of play. CU then embarked on a 12-2 scoring run that included seven points from Jamiya Neal to establish a 23-9 advantage. The Bluejays were highlighted in the first half by 12 points and six rebounds from Neal as they held a 31-19 lead at halftime.  DePaul’s 19 points were the fewest scored by a conference opponent in a Bluejay away game since February 13, 2011 (Southern Illinois), during Greg McDermott‘s inaugural year at Creighton.

A breakaway dunk by Neal, along with four points from Ryan Kalkbrenner and a lay-up by Jasen Green propelled Creighton to an 8-2 start to the second half, reaching its largest lead of the game at 39-21. CU’s advantage grew to 23 (45-22) after a 6-0 spurt featuring a Kalkbrenner dunk and two baskets from Steven Ashworth.

Creighton’s lead reached as high as 28 (65-37 and 71-43) as they smoothly cruised to their 21st consecutive win over the Blue Demons.

Kalkbrenner concluded with 13 points, eight rebounds, and four blocked shots, while Neal topped the Jays with 14 points. Creighton shot 25-of-48 from the field (52.1 percent) and converted 14-of-18 two-point attempts after the break. The Jays won the rebounding battle 43-30 and outscored DePaul 36-28 in the paint.

DePaul was led by Layden Blocker with 15 points. The Blue Demons came into the game as one of the nation’s most effective three-point shooting teams but converted just 1-of-18 to begin the game and finished 3-of-23 from beyond the arc.

The Bluejays are set to return to action on Saturday when they host Seton Hall at 12:30 p.m. for the program’s annual Creighton vs. Cancer Pink Out.

NOTES: Tonight marked Greg McDermott‘s 504th game as Creighton head coach, surpassing Dana Altman for the most in program history … Ryan Kalkbrenner was whistled for his first foul before halftime since November 26th against Texas A&M …  Creighton has recorded a three-pointer in 1,039 consecutive games, while DePaul has done so in 974 straight games … Steven Ashworth has drained a three-pointer in 37 straight games … Jackson McAndrew is the only freshman in Creighton history to hit a three-pointer in eight consecutive BIG EAST contests … Steven Ashworth’s streak of 22 consecutive games in double figures came to an end as he scored nine … In the last 27 encounters against DePaul, Creighton is now 24-0 when scoring 69 points or more against the Blue Demons …  Twenty-three of the last 25 matchups between Creighton and DePaul have been settled by 10 or more points … Greg McDermott achieved his 129th career BIG EAST victory, tying him with Rick Pitino for seventh-most in league history … Greg McDermott holds 24 victories over DePaul, seven more than against any other team .. Creighton is 6-2 in BIG EAST competition for the first time since 2020-21 … Creighton has secured 21 consecutive wins against DePaul, the longest streak against any opponent in program history … Creighton’s 21 straight victories rank as the sixth-longest active streak by one league foe over another team and tie for the BIG EAST’s fourth-longest streak ever … Creighton has triumphed at DePaul for the past 12 seasons … Ryan Kalkbrenner joined Zach Hanson as the only Creighton players to defeat DePaul nine times … Creighton is now a league-best 16-4 in January since the beginning of 2023 … Ryan Kalkbrenner improved to 9-0 in his career against DePaul … Chicago native Sami Osmani and Josh Townley-Thomas both recorded their first baskets of the season.