National Basketball Association
Gonzaga 91, Creighton 74
When: 10:00 PM ET, Friday, December 1, 2017
Where: McCarthey Athletic Center, Spokane, Washington
Officials:
# Randall McCall, # Mike Scyphers, # Shawn Lehigh
Attendance:
6000
By The Sports Xchange
Down a starter, Gonzaga received a boost from two guards -- one making his first career start -- and the result was matching career highs and a Top 25 victory.
Killian Tillie scored 22 points and Zach Norvell and Silas Melson had 21 points each to lead 15th-ranked Gonzaga over No. 25 Creighton 91-74 on Friday night in the Jesuit Basketball Classic at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Wash.
Gonzaga (7-1) shook off early shooting woes to open the second half on a 20-4 run, including a Norvell layup with 16:32 left that gave the Bulldogs their first lead, and they never gave it back.
"It was a tremendous response from our guys after the half, especially on the defensive end, against a really, really dangerous, potent, high-level offensive team," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said.
Norvell, who was making his first career start, also sank four 3-pointers in the second half and collected six rebounds.
Tillie added eight rebounds, and Gonzaga dominated the glass36-27. The Bulldogs shot 62 percent in the second half and made 19 of 24 free throws.
In a role reversal, Creighton (5-2) shot 58 percent in the first half but went the first 5:30 before making its first field goal after the break.
"The momentum carried over and we kind of just fell apart," said Creighton guard Khyri Thomas, who finished with 18 points and limited Gonzaga's Josh Perkins to five points and without a made field goal in two attempts.
Creighton led by as many nine early and took a 44-37 lead into halftime. Senior guard Marcus Foster paced the Bluejays with 15 of his 21 points in the first half and accounted for three of the team's seven 3-pointers before halftime.
"Our plan was to attack the rim," Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. "But we went away from that in the second half."
Melson kept Gonzaga in the game early, making his first five shots, and scored 16 of his 21 points in the first half.
Melson eclipsed his previous season high (13) on a 3-pointer with 2:31 remaining in the half to cut the deficit to 39-37.
"It felt good. I was just trying to stay confident and active on the offensive end," Melson said. "When your teammates have belief in you, that always helps."
NOTES: Gonzaga played its fifth game in nine days. Creighton had not played since Saturday. But the Bluejays met their fourth-ranked opponent -- all away from home -- in five games. ... Gonzaga freshman F Corey Kispert (sprained left ankle) did not play. He left late in the first half of Wednesday's 103-68 win over Incarnate Word but was expected to be available. ... Creighton senior F Toby Hegner (sprained left ankle) returned after missing three consecutive games. After starting the first three games of the season, he came off the bench and finished with 10 points.
Top Game Performances
Creighton |
|
Gonzaga |
Marcus Foster 21 |
Scoring |
Killian Tillie 22 |
Davion Mintz 6 |
Assists |
Josh Perkins 4 |
Ronnie Harrell Jr. 8 |
Rebounds |
Killian Tillie 8 |
Martin Krampelj 3 |
Free Throws Made |
Josh Perkins 5 |
Ronnie Harrell Jr. 2 |
Steals |
Silas Melson 3 |
Mitch Ballock 1 |
Blocks |
Killian Tillie 3 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Creighton
|
74 |
48.3 |
12-25 |
4-8 |
17 |
21 |
2 |
5 |
16 |
Gonzaga
|
91 |
54.4 |
10-25 |
19-25 |
17 |
35 |
5 |
9 |
15 |