In a rush to pack for an early week trip to Peoria to battle the Bradley Braves, the Creighton Bluejays forgot to pack some focus. Faced with braving a blizzard to play a team that entered the game winless in Missouri Valley Conference play and then seeing their start time moved up 4 hours to 3 p.m., the Bluejays failed to capitalize on a weekend home win against Indiana State. Instead, they couldn’t hit shots. They couldn’t get stops. And they couldn’t even leave town after being the first Valley team to lose a game to Jim Les this season.
Among Jays fans after the loss, frustrations swirled like the arctic winds outside. Many wondered how a team that led the Braves by 25 points at one point two weeks ago could play so poorly in Peoria. The bad news? There were too many problems for Antoine Young and Doug McDermott to overcome by themselves.
Let’s start with the most experienced Jays, aside from the junior Young. In their last visits to Carver Arena, Creighton’s four seniors played 66 minutes (34 from Korver): 8 points on 3-13 shooting from the field (2-9 from 3-point range), 0-1 from the free throw line, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 turnovers, and 1 steal.
That left the bulk of production in the capable but inexperienced hands of two true freshmen, McDermott and Jahenns Manigat, two redshirt sophomores, Josh Jones and Gregory Echenique, and the team’s point guard, Young.
McDermott led the Jays with 19 points and a career-high 17 rebounds in 34 minutes. Still, with few teammates to help him carry the load, he committed a career-high 5 turnovers. Manigat, the other freshman, missed his first three shots — all 3-pointers — before settling in and providing a spark off the bench. He hit 4 consecutive long range shots during one stretch, including a 3 that put the Jays up by 1 with 5:30 to play and another that tied the game at 56 apiece with 4:10 to go. All said, Manigat scored 12 points (one off his career high).
Jones reclaimed his place in the starting line-up after a one-game absence, but his impact on the game was minimal. He missed both of his shot attempts (both 3s) in the 9 minutes he played. Fellow sophomore Echenique had his third consecutive game scoring in single digits, and his third consecutive game with five or fewer field goal attempts. After scoring in double figured in 8 of his first 12 games at Creighton, his offensive production has leveled off. And in CU’s 6 conference losses, the big fella is averaging 9 points per game. In the team’s 6 Valley wins, he’s more than 2 points better per game.
Young attempted only 4 field goals in the first half, while dishing 4 assists and committing just 1 turnover. Still, as the Bluejays’ offensive stagnated in the second half, the junior point guard pushed the issue and tried to finish more plays on offense. The result was 5 more assists to just 2 turnovers, but also 9 field goal attempts (2 makes) and a frustrating 1-6 from 3-point range. Compounding Young’s problems was a weak turnover he committed with just 3:30 to play and the Jays trailing by a basket. He was on the right wing, looking perhaps to pass into the low post. But indecision or a faulty grip, or both, caused an easy steal for Andrew Warren, who then scored on a layup at the opposite end.
That play during Bradley’s decisive 7-0 run was a critical mistake, but hardly cost Creighton the game. The defense allowed the Braves to shoot 50% in the second half, after holding BU to just 33% shooting in the first 20 minutes. Bradley scored 44 points in the second stanza, the second time this season in four halves against CU that the Braves posted 44 points. Comparatively, the Braves scored just 41 points total in their loss to Wichita State last week.
Sure, Warren was one culprit. The league’s top scorer poured in 23 against the Bluejays, 20 of which came in the second half. But his buddy Dyricus Simms-Edwards scored a career-high 22 points, constantly taking CU defenders off the dribble. DSE also dished 7 assists and swiped 3 of Bradley’s 10 steals, giving him arguably his best game in a little more than one and a half seasons in Peoria.
Defensively, the Braves pushed the Bluejays to shoot from long range. The strategy worked, as Creighton hoisted 34 3-pointers, a season high. Earlier this year CU shot 33 3s at Nebraska and lost by 5 points. Last year in St. Louis, the Bluejays shot 33 3s against Bradley and lost. And even in a win in Peoria last season, the Jays put up 31 3-pointers.
This focus by the Braves on limiting Creighton’s touches and conversions inside left a monster disparity in the points in the paint department, with BU outpacing CU 24-8 in this category. Add Creighton’s 14 turnovers to the equation, and it all adds up: the Bluejays perhaps played their worst game of the season against a team that needed CU to do just that to pull out a win.
The results are frustrating. Assuming Missouri State rebounds on the road and beats Evansville tonight, the Purple Aces will come to Omaha this weekend and play the Jays for 5th place in the standings.
