National Basketball Association
Creighton 112, NC State 94
When: 8:30 PM ET, Sunday, November 20, 2016
Where: UVI Sports and Fitness Center, St. Thomas
Officials:
# Jeff Heater, # Tim Comer, # Matt Porter
Attendance:
2755
By The Sports Xchange
Spurred by some heated moments early in the second half Sunday, Creighton steadily pulled away from North Carolina State over the final 12 minutes to earn a 112-94 victory over the Wolfpack in the second round of the Paradise Jam tournament at St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.
The No. 22-ranked Bluejays (4-0) had seven players finish in double figures in the game played at the University of the Virgin Islands' Sports and Fitness Center. Cole Huff led the scoring charge with 20 points, including a perfect 8-of-8 performance from the free-throw line.
The 112 points were a tournament record for a single game. Creighton advances to the Monday night Paradise Jam championship game against Mississippi and will be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network beginning at 8:30 p.m. EST. North Carolina State will oppose Saint Joseph's in the third-place game.
Khyri Thomas had 16 points for the Bluejays, and Marcus Foster added 15.
Terry Henderson scored a game-high 28 points for North Carolina State (3-1), and Dennis Smith Jr. contributed 21 points and seven assists. Torin Dorn recorded 16 points.
Coming out of halftime, the action got a bit more intense with a brief scuffle early in the second half and a pair of technical foul calls on Creighton for taunting after made baskets.
Any time the Wolfpack (3-1) tried to mount a comeback, Creighton responded with a quick basket at the other end of the floor. The closest North Carolina State could get after the opening three minutes of the second half was seven points.
The last time North Carolina State was within seven was at 75-68 with 12:23 remaining. That was when Creighton's offense really took off, going on a 28-11 run over the next seven minutes to build a 103-79 lead with 5:17 to play.
"We played the way we're taught to play and the way we practice," Creighton center Justin Patton said. "It wasn't really working out in the beginning. One thing that signifies us is making the extra pass. We spread the floor and make that extra pass."
Creighton also won the rebounding battle 39-28 while limiting NC State to just eight offensive boards.
"Our pace in our transition game really impacts their choices to go to the glass," Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. "Because if they don't get it, we're going to get downhill in a hurry. That's a credit to our rebounders, our outlet guys, our wings are doing a great job running the floor."
The first half was a back-and-forth battle. Creighton took an 11-5 lead in the first four minutes before the Wolfpack bounced back by going on a 15-4 run in just over three minutes to take a 20-15 lead.
That would be North Carolina State's largest lead of the game as the Bluejays kept things close over the next eight minutes before pulling ahead 40-39 for their first lead in nearly 10 minutes.
Creighton rediscovered its shooting groove and finished the first half with a 14-9 run for a 54-48 lead at the intermission. Huff led the way with 14 points while Thomas scored 11 as nine different Bluejays scored in the first 20 minutes.
"Our defense to end the first half, the last 11 or 12 possessions, I thought maybe our pace finally wore into them a little," McDermott said. "Our execution to start the second half was really good, and the defensively we were in the right spots."
Senior point guard Maurice Watson told CBS Sports after the game that the Bluejays are trying to let people know Creighton needs to be recognized for more than its defensive prowess.
"The only thing really different about this team is our hunger and our defense," Watson said. "We know we can score with the best of them, but we want to challenge ourselves to defend, and we've done a good job of that so far this season."
Along with the 20 points from Huff, Creighton got double-digit scoring performances from Thomas (16), Marcus Foster (15), Watson (13), Isaiah Zierden (12), Zach Hanson (11) and Patton (10).
NOTES: Creighton finished off a 60.6 percent shooting night by making 10 of its final 12 field goals. The Bluejays were 20 of 30 in the second half. ... North Carolina State made 50 percent of its 3-point shots, finishing 14 of 28 after going 9 of 18 in the first half. Overall, the Wolfpack made 45.6 percent of their field-goal attempts. ... Creighton got a big boost from its bench, as its reserves outscored North Carolina State's backups 38-12.
Top Game Performances
NC State |
|
Creighton |
Terry Henderson 28 |
Scoring |
Cole Huff 20 |
Dennis Smith Jr. 7 |
Assists |
Maurice Watson Jr. 7 |
Abdul-Malik Abu 8 |
Rebounds |
Cole Huff 10 |
Dennis Smith Jr. 7 |
Free Throws Made |
Cole Huff 8 |
Abdul-Malik Abu 1 |
Steals |
Justin Patton 1 |
Beejay Anya 2 |
Blocks |
Ronnie Harrell Jr. 1 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
NC State
|
94 |
45.6 |
14-28 |
18-26 |
16 |
26 |
3 |
2 |
9 |
Creighton
|
112 |
60.6 |
13-27 |
19-24 |
21 |
35 |
2 |
2 |
10 |