Steven Ashworth highlighted his 22-point effort with six 3-pointers and host Creighton broke a school record for consecutive Big East wins as it defeated No. 11 Marquette 77-67 on Saturday in Omaha, Neb.
Ashworth shot 7 of 11 from the field and 6 of 9 on 3-pointers as the Bluejays (18-6, 11-2 Big East) won their ninth straight game, all in conference play. Ashworth has made a 3-pointer in 42 straight games.
Preseason Big East Player of the Year Ryan Kalkbrenner scored 19 points for Creighton, which avenged a 79-71 loss at Marquette on Jan. 3. Jamiya Neal finished with 14 points, making a 3-pointer with 2:49 left that extended the Creighton lead to 70-65.
The Golden Eagles (18-6, 9-4) dropped their third in a row despite 27 points from Kam Jones and 22 from David Joplin. Stevie Mitchell added 10 for Marquette, which shot just 36.1 percent (26 of 72) from the field.
The teams combined for 22 3-pointers, and the Bluejays closed the game on a 7-0 run.
With Creighton leading 43-36 at the break, Ashworth opened the second half with his fifth 3-pointer as the Bluejays surged in front by 11 following Jackson McAndrew’s 3-pointer.
A 12-0 run got the Golden Eagles back in front 56-55 after Jones buried a 3-pointer with 10:18 to play. Neal answered with a shot from distance to push Creighton ahead 58-56.
Kalkbrenner was recognized before the game for reaching the 1,000-rebound milestone. He then made his first five shots from the floor, including a layup with 13:08 to play that put the Bluejays up 18-17.
Marquette made eight 3-pointers in the first half, including three from Joplin and two apiece by Jones and Mitchell, but it still trailed Creighton at halftime.
Ashworth was feeling it from beyond the arc, connecting on four of his five first-half attempts. His 3-pointer with 2:18 left pushed the Bluejays ahead 36-31.
Isaac Traudt gave Creighton its first double-digit lead, making a 3-pointer with 12 seconds left, but Jones connected from distance as time expired to cut Marquette’s deficit to seven.
–Field Level Media
