Creighton wasted no time recovering from last week’s loss at St. Joseph’s, racing out to a 10-0 lead against Houston Baptist (4-7). The Bluejays doubled up the Huskies in the first half, 46-23, and went on to a 97-62 win, their 15th straight home victory

No. 24 Creighton (8-1) dominated the paint in the first half as junior center Gregory Echenique and sophomore forward Doug McDermott combined for 28 points and 16 boards. Echenique finished with 18 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks, all season highs.

Despite the point total, Creighton’s high-powered offense struggled shooting the ball. The top 3-point shooting team in the country was just 7-of-28 from beyond the arc. However, the Bluejays tightened up their defense and outrebounded the Huskies 56-36. Creighton dished out 27 assists on 31 baskets including eight from Grant Gibbs. The Bluejays are second in the nation with 20.5 assists per game.

McDermott, the nation’s second leading scorer and top 3-point shooter finished with 25 points for his eighth-straight 20 point game. He played only 18 minutes and was just 1-of-5 from beyond the arc.

Houston Baptist was led by 16 points from both Art Bernardi and Anthony Hill. Bernardi, the team’s leading scorer (14.8 ppg), was scoreless in the first half.

In a quick turnaround, Creighton will play at Tulsa Monday night while Houston Baptist will take on Santa Clara at home on Wednesday.