Creighton University
10-4, 1-0BE
St. John's
7-7, 0-1BE
Men's Basketball Opens BIG EAST Play With Win at St. John's
12/31/2015 2:57:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Groselle and Watson lead the chatrge.
OMAHA, Neb. -- Geoffrey Groselle made his first eight shots and scored 22 points to lead Creighton to an 80-70 road win over St. John's in its BIG EAST Conference opener on Thursday afternoon at Carnesecca Arena.
The Bluejays improved to 10-4 (1-0 BIG EAST) with the win, while St. John's dropped to 7-7 (0-1 BIG EAST) in Chris Mullin's league debut on the sideline.
Cole Huff scored eight of Creighton's first 10 points to help the Bluejays take a 10-4 lead in the opening minutes. The Red Storm would get within 15-13 before Creighton stretched its lead into double-figures for the first time at 26-15 on Maurice Watson Jr.'s lay-up inside.
The Red Storm clawed back with an 8-0 run to get within three points before CU settled for a 33-29 lead at the break. Huff had 10 points in the first half, while Watson, Geoffrey Groselle and Zach Hanson each scored six points. SJU was led by seven points off the bench by Durand Johnson.
Groselle scored CU's first six points of the first half, and fellow senior James Milliken later heated up for six straight points as CU's lead reached 53-43 with 13:30 to play.
The Bluejays would ride Groselle to pull away. He scored six points in a span of 2:30 to push the lead to 64-54, and Khyri Thomas made a reverse lay-up as CU took its largest lead with 8:08 left to make it 66-54.
Creighton led by as much as 74-60, but the Red Storm closed to within 10 points down the stretch before the Jays held off the hosts.
Three days after putting seven men in double-figures, the Jays had four men crack 10 or more points. Groselle had 22 points, Watson 17, Huff 15 and Milliken 11 points for CU. Huff also added 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. The Jays shot 46.4 percent from the field, including 7-of-22 from three-point territory, and sank 21-of-29 free throws after a 4-for-10 start at the stripe.
St. John's was paced by 17 points from Malik Ellison, while Durand Johnson had 14 and Yankuba Sima added 12. Federico Mussini was held to five points, well below his team-high 14.0 scoring average.
Creighton returns home to host No. 16 Villanova on Saturday, Jan. 2, at 9:01 pm. The two-time defending league champion Wildcats opened league play with a 95-54 win over No. 6 Xavier on Thursday.
Postgame Quotes
St. John's Head Coach Chris Mullin...
On his overall thoughts about the game:
"[There were] some good things. We took care of the ball pretty well with just 12 turnovers. We rebounded with them evenly which is okay. So overall I thought it was just okay, not good enough to win. I think our overall pace and energy has to increase. First half we were hanging in there, but kind of got worn down."
On Creighton's ability to answer back:
"Part of the game is backing up good plays consecutively. A lot of that [comes down to] experience. Learning how to manage your emotions when you make a good play or a mistake. Hopefully, that's something we'll continue to get better at."
On the improvement of the freshmen players:
"There's always that balance of seeing the improvement that guys are making and [how they are] handling losing...12 turnovers two weeks ago would've been hard for us to do. So there's been improvement. Getting consistent performance from different guys has been up and down. That is related to [the team's] inexperience. All these experiences will be beneficial in the long term, but at the moment it's not enjoyable."
On what made Center Geoffrey Groselle difficult to stop:
"His size. He got deep in the post. He's a left hander and we let him get to the left a bit. His size and strength [was a factor]. He's a good player."
On Malik Ellison's development:
"He worked really hard as soon as he got healthy. He's been battling injuries. We all know he's going to be a heck of a player, but it just really [comes down to] getting him game time. He's got a nice feel to the game and I think he's going to be able to play multiple positions both offensively and defensively."
Graduate Student Guard/Forward Durand Johnson...
On why the team wasn't able to capitalize on its momentum:
"Creighton is a good team, give those guys credit. [Yankuba] Sima had a good dunk then I knocked down a three-pointer [in the second half]. We had all the momentum, but we just couldn't get over the hump. I felt like our energy and confidence was there, but it's just one of those things where we have to keep fighting and building."
Freshman Guard Malik Ellison...
On the difference between BIG EAST and non-conference games:
"Conference play is where everything really gets serious and every team is fighting each and every night to win the BIG EAST. Of course, this game was more important than every game we have played this season."
On today's play:
"As a freshman, I just look for the game to come to me and that's what I did tonight. We fought hard as a team and it was a great effort, but we just couldn't get the win."
Creighton Head Coach Greg McDermott...
Opening Statement:
"It goes without saying that we are excited to just get a win to start [conference] play. We started 0-8 last year and it was almost into February before we won a league game. A lot of the guys that played today were part of that, so it was important that we come here and find a way to get the win. Geoffrey was really good. He's played at a very high level for us this season and he's finally healthy. Obviously he's showing that when he is healthy he can get a lot done."
On the future success of St. John's:
"I think you have to point to the win against Syracuse and how well they played in that game. I thought for 34 or 35 minutes they played great basketball against South Carolina and Indiana who absolutely annihilated us. I thought [Malik] Ellison played a great game. [Durand] Johnson was hard for us to guard. I think [Felix] Balamou brings a difference on their team with his attacking style of play. He's a hard guard because he's so explosive and so athletic, especially when he is able to stop and pull up and shoot that eight to ten footer. [Yankuba] Sima is going to be a heck of a player in our league before it's all said and done. We made the decision to play him one-on-one and he certainly made us pay for that at times."
On getting a win on the road:
"They are just huge for your psyche. We went 2-7 on the road last year in league play and have lost three true road games this year. We're making progress and there were signs of progress again today. Its one thing to talk about winning on the road, but it's another to actually do it. It's very difficult to do in college basketball. For us to come in here, a place that they seldom give up 60 points, and to hang 80 on them is a step in the right direction."
Creighton Senior Center Geoffrey Groselle...
On his streak of efficient scoring:
"I really had no idea [I shot 9-10 tonight] until the end of the game. I'm just playing my game and shooting shots I know I can make. My teammates are doing a great job of getting me those shots that they know I can make. Hopefully we can keep this streak going."
