Tuesday, December 31
Omaha, Neb.
3:00 PM
Creighton University
9-5,2-1Big East
57
vs
56
St. John's
11-3,2-1Big East
1
2
F
St. John's (NY)
28
28
56
Creighton
26
31
57
Photo by: Justin Kreutzian
Men's Basketball Outlasts St. John's 57-56 in Final Game of 2024
12/31/2024 4:56:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Creighton survives valiant effort from Red Storm with defensive stop in final seconds
OMAHA, Neb. -- The tandem of Steven Ashworth and Ryan Kalkbrenner delivered 15 of the Bluejays last 19 points as Creighton grinded out a 57-56 win over St. John's on December 31. It was the second straight season that Creighton earned a one-point win in Omaha over the Red Storm with a defensive stand in the final seconds, having won 66-65 in similar fashion.
The win moved the Bluejays to 9-5 on the season and 2-1 in BIG EAST play, while St. John's fell to 11-3 overall and 2-1 in conference action.
A defensive battle saw the Red Storm race to a 9-2 edge in the opening four minutes and push their advantage to as much as 11 at 18-7 with 10:33 remaining. Down 22-13 with 7:54 left in the Bluejays' offense began a slow burn that resulted in a 13-3 run to seize the lead at 26-25 with 1:55 left.
Ashworth got things rolling with a trey, then Jackson McAndrew contributed the Bluejays' next five to bring Creighton within one possession at 24-21 (5:16). A bucket from Jasen Green and a trifecta by Ashworth gave Creighton the 26-25 edge, but a traditional three-point play from the Red Storm sent Creighton into the locker room down 28-26 at the half.
The St. John's defense kept Creighton at bay in the opening minutes of the second half as Creighton trailed 34-30 with 15:20 showing on the clock. Things changed for the Bluejays when Jamiya Neal connected from long range to ignite a 12-2 run. Isaac Traudt followed with another triple to give Creighton the lead at 36-34 (13:48). After a Red Storm floater knotted the game at 36-36, Neal reclaimed the lead with a driving layup and Kalkbrenner put an exclamation point on the surge with back-to-back dunks to give the Bluejays a 42-36 edge at the 11:08 mark.
Creighton extended its lead to as much as eight points on a triple from Traudt with 6:27 remaining and again via Kalkbrenner's third dunk of the second half with 4:31 left.
St. John's pulled within one point in the closing moments with a 6-0 run to make it 55-54 (1:31). Ashworth knocked down a pair from the charity stripe as the game entered the final minute, but the Red Storm moved back within one point as Deivon Smith dropped in a driving layup with 36 seconds on the clock.
Creighton's 19th turnover of the game opened the door for the Red Storm in the closing seconds, but the Bluejays' defense denied St. John's on a pair of shots from RJ Luis to secure the win.
Ashworth led the charge for the Bluejays, notching 18 points on four triples and five rebounds, while the Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year, Kalkbrenner finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and five blocked shots. Creighton won the rebound battle 41-34 and outscored SJU by 21 points behind the arc.
St. John's got 16 points from Zuby Ejiofor and 10 from Deivon Smith in the loss. The Red Storm made just 2-of-9 three-pointers, both by big man Ejiofor, who entered the game 3-for-15 from long-range. SJU had 11 steals, led by four from Smith.
The Bluejays are back in action on Friday, January 3 in a road game at No. 8 Marquette that airs at 8:00 p.m. on FS1.
NOTES: Ryan Kalkbrenner became the first player in league history to reach 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 blocked shots in regular-season BIG EAST play ... Ryan Kalkbrenner (1,994) passed Chad Gallagher (1,983) for fourth on Creighton's all-time scoring list ... Jamiya Neal had nine rebounds and now owns 401 in his career ... Steven Ashworth has made a three-pointer in 32 straight games and multiple three-pointers in 16 consecutive contests ... Today's win was Creighton's 300th inside CHI Health Center Omaha (in 363 games) ... Creighton is now 11-1 inside CHI Health Center Omaha against St. John's ... Creighton is 8-1 in its last nine games vs. St. John's ... Today was Greg McDermott's 125th regular-season BIG EAST win, breaking a tie with St. John's coach Rick Pitino for eighth-most in league history ... Greg McDermott is now 10-2 on New Year's Eve as a head coach, including a 6-2 record with Creighton ... Steven Ashworth made both free throw attempts and has now made 29 in a row at the line, and a nation-leading 52-of-53 overall (.981) this year ... Creighton has won 16 straight BIG EAST games when Ryan Kalkbrenner attempts 12 or more field goals ... Today marked Creighton's 28th win under Greg McDermott after trailing by double-digits, and first since March 17, 2022 vs. San Diego State ... Creighton is now 33-37 all-time in the 70 games at CHI Health Center Omaha when trailing by 10+ points at any point, and 42-30 when trailing at half inside the facility.
The win moved the Bluejays to 9-5 on the season and 2-1 in BIG EAST play, while St. John's fell to 11-3 overall and 2-1 in conference action.
A defensive battle saw the Red Storm race to a 9-2 edge in the opening four minutes and push their advantage to as much as 11 at 18-7 with 10:33 remaining. Down 22-13 with 7:54 left in the Bluejays' offense began a slow burn that resulted in a 13-3 run to seize the lead at 26-25 with 1:55 left.
Ashworth got things rolling with a trey, then Jackson McAndrew contributed the Bluejays' next five to bring Creighton within one possession at 24-21 (5:16). A bucket from Jasen Green and a trifecta by Ashworth gave Creighton the 26-25 edge, but a traditional three-point play from the Red Storm sent Creighton into the locker room down 28-26 at the half.
The St. John's defense kept Creighton at bay in the opening minutes of the second half as Creighton trailed 34-30 with 15:20 showing on the clock. Things changed for the Bluejays when Jamiya Neal connected from long range to ignite a 12-2 run. Isaac Traudt followed with another triple to give Creighton the lead at 36-34 (13:48). After a Red Storm floater knotted the game at 36-36, Neal reclaimed the lead with a driving layup and Kalkbrenner put an exclamation point on the surge with back-to-back dunks to give the Bluejays a 42-36 edge at the 11:08 mark.
Creighton extended its lead to as much as eight points on a triple from Traudt with 6:27 remaining and again via Kalkbrenner's third dunk of the second half with 4:31 left.
St. John's pulled within one point in the closing moments with a 6-0 run to make it 55-54 (1:31). Ashworth knocked down a pair from the charity stripe as the game entered the final minute, but the Red Storm moved back within one point as Deivon Smith dropped in a driving layup with 36 seconds on the clock.
Creighton's 19th turnover of the game opened the door for the Red Storm in the closing seconds, but the Bluejays' defense denied St. John's on a pair of shots from RJ Luis to secure the win.
Ashworth led the charge for the Bluejays, notching 18 points on four triples and five rebounds, while the Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year, Kalkbrenner finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and five blocked shots. Creighton won the rebound battle 41-34 and outscored SJU by 21 points behind the arc.
St. John's got 16 points from Zuby Ejiofor and 10 from Deivon Smith in the loss. The Red Storm made just 2-of-9 three-pointers, both by big man Ejiofor, who entered the game 3-for-15 from long-range. SJU had 11 steals, led by four from Smith.
The Bluejays are back in action on Friday, January 3 in a road game at No. 8 Marquette that airs at 8:00 p.m. on FS1.
NOTES: Ryan Kalkbrenner became the first player in league history to reach 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 blocked shots in regular-season BIG EAST play ... Ryan Kalkbrenner (1,994) passed Chad Gallagher (1,983) for fourth on Creighton's all-time scoring list ... Jamiya Neal had nine rebounds and now owns 401 in his career ... Steven Ashworth has made a three-pointer in 32 straight games and multiple three-pointers in 16 consecutive contests ... Today's win was Creighton's 300th inside CHI Health Center Omaha (in 363 games) ... Creighton is now 11-1 inside CHI Health Center Omaha against St. John's ... Creighton is 8-1 in its last nine games vs. St. John's ... Today was Greg McDermott's 125th regular-season BIG EAST win, breaking a tie with St. John's coach Rick Pitino for eighth-most in league history ... Greg McDermott is now 10-2 on New Year's Eve as a head coach, including a 6-2 record with Creighton ... Steven Ashworth made both free throw attempts and has now made 29 in a row at the line, and a nation-leading 52-of-53 overall (.981) this year ... Creighton has won 16 straight BIG EAST games when Ryan Kalkbrenner attempts 12 or more field goals ... Today marked Creighton's 28th win under Greg McDermott after trailing by double-digits, and first since March 17, 2022 vs. San Diego State ... Creighton is now 33-37 all-time in the 70 games at CHI Health Center Omaha when trailing by 10+ points at any point, and 42-30 when trailing at half inside the facility.
Ended 2024 with a W ?
?? Recap vs. St. John's#GoJays pic.twitter.com/6TgqCcp9nf
— Creighton Men's Basketball (@BluejayMBB) January 3, 2025
Team Stats
SJU
CU
FG%
.368
.415
3FG%
.222
.346
FT%
.667
.571
RB
34
41
TO
9
19
STL
11
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
2
Pts
16
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballC
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG/F
/ Men's BasketballF
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