A few minutes before the opening tip of Wednesday’s home game against the Bradley Braves, I wondered aloud if a trap game awaited. Sure, the Braves were struggling in every sense of the word, entering the game 0-7 in Valley play and missing dearly Taylor Brown and Sam Maniscalco. But the crowd was seemingly stuck in one big snow-induced traffic jam, BU still had Andrew Warren, who could single handedly keep Bradley in the game if he played well, and CU no doubt was thinking about its upcoming trip to Missouri State this weekend.
The national anthem started and ended, and not many more fans filed in. The Qwest Center was rather quiet, few students got the memo that the Bluejays were playing, and the players themselves were likely still smarting from a last second loss on Sunday at Indiana State.
My glass-half-empty perspective got the better of me, I admit. But 20 minutes later, as the teams ran to their respective locker rooms, the cup was full again, bubbling over thanks to Josh Jones’ jump shot and wide smile.
For better or worse, we haven’t seen much emotion for this season’s version of the Creighton Bluejays. Sure, we might catch the occasional glimpse of an Antoine Young grin. And we heard Gregory Echenique send a ball into the seats not only by the sound of him slapping the orange leather, but by the primal grunt he unleashed on everyone else in the paint. Gone are the outbursts by P’Allen Stinnett, both helpful and harmful. This year, Creighton’s work on the court has been more clinical than emotional for most of the season.
But two Bluejays always seem ready to flash a smile and expend some positive energy — Jones and Jahenns Manigat. This year likely hasn’t been the kind the redshirt sophomore Jones expected. And Manigat is riding the roller coaster most freshmen experience. But both received opportunities to succeed in the first half against Bradley, and each made the most of his chance.
Jones, a starter back in November who lost his spot due to poor shooting and poorer court awareness, worked his way back to the starting lineup through improved practice habits. Looking for a spark, Greg McDermott gave Jones the nod to open the game against Bradley. And although he missed his first two shots from the floor, Jones kept his smile and his swagger. He subbed out for about 5 minutes of game time early in the half, and when he returned promptly hoisted and hit a 3-pointer. He’d hit two more 3s, and leave to a rousing ovation after scoring 9 points in 3 minutes. After a few more minutes on the bench, Jones checked back in and immediately drilled another long range shot.
Jones finished the half with 12 points in 13 minutes. And although he didn’t record a rebound or any other statistic of note, he aided what turned out be the best half of ball movement the Bluejays put together in 20 games this seasons. The passing was crisp and precise, turning good shots into great shots more than a few times. Antoine Young recorded 6 assists and zero turnovers, and the Bluejays assisted 12 times on 18 made field goals in the first half.
Manigat had 3 of those assists, coming off the bench to also score two slashing drives to the basket and add to the offensive spark for CU. As a freshman, Manigat actually has one of the bigger responsibilities on the team: he is the man in the middle of the pregame hype circle. His gregarious personality endears him to fans quickly. And while he has had his fair share of freshman growing pains, he’s averaging about 15 minutes per game and has improved during the past month’s games. He finished Creighton’s win against Bradley with 7 points, 4 assists, and zero turnovers in 16 minutes.
Manigat gave the Bluejays a spark off the bench (Adam Streur/WBR)
Those two seemed to be having fun, as did the rest of their teammates. Who can blame them? The Bluejays shot 58.7% from the field, Creighton’s best single game shooting percentage since last February (66.7% against Evansville on February 3). CU hit 60% of its shots in the first half, taking a 49-24 lead into halftime. Sure, Bradley won the second half, but this game was over far before the final minutes. Credit Jim Les and the Braves for not quitting. But this game belonged to the Bluejays from the opening tip.
One day after Max posted this piece comparing this year’s team to last year’s statistically, the Bluejays turned in one of their most impressive box scores of the season. Doug McDermott recorded another double-double, scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Echenique scored a Creighton career-high 17 as well, adding 5 rebounds and hitting all 7 of his free throws. Former starters Darryl Ashford and Kenny Lawson scored 11 and 10 points and grabbed 5 and 7 rebounds, respectively. Ashford didn’t miss a shot all night. Young finished with a career-high 10 assists and just 3 turnovers. He didn’t have to score much against the Braves, as five Bluejays finished in double figures. But it was Young who garnered much of the postgame praise from Coach McDermott for his floor management and facilitating the type of full team effort Creighton fans have clamored for all season.
Meanwhile, Missouri State lost to Indiana State (with the Sycamores winning at the buzzer for the second straight game) and Wichita State dropped a home game to Northern Iowa. The Sycamores and Bears sit atop the Valley standings at 7-1, while the Shockers, 6-2, have as many home losses (2) as do the Jays. CU and UNI are 5-3 and play in Cedar Falls next Wednesday. Thus, the next two games — Saturday in Springfield, and next week at UNI — represent a golden opportunity for the Bluejays to vault back into the conference championship chase.