My wife and I, my family, Panon, and Paul Liberty and his family sit three rows behind the visiting team’s bench at the CenturyLink Center. Since the building opened we’ve seen more than our fair share of interesting, odd, and crazy things. But last night, during Creighton’s game against the Longwood Lancers, I saw something I’m not sure I was prepared for.
One guy in the first row of our section, cheering loudly for the Lancers.
I’m not talking about a fan who traveled and sits among the row or two of folding chairs immediately behind the bench. This gentleman had his wife and two kids in tow; kids, mind you, who looked thoroughly embarrassed to watch their father throatily pull for Longwood.
Was he an alumnus? Did he grow up in Farmville? Not sure. I was too taken aback to ask him. Certainly, any questions would have heightened the mortification felt by his teenage sons. But I’ll say no, he wasn’t tied directly to the basketball program.
I’ll instead believe that he was a sensitive soul, someone who didn’t want to see the Lancers completely shellacked. Sure, that happened; Longwood didn’t give this not-so-rowdy fan much to cheer about. But when a Lancer knocked down a shot, he gave a yell. When Jeylani Dublin dunked to pull Longwood within 40 with just under 8 minutes to play, he hollered. It was almost as if this man chose to serve as a lone beacon of positivity in a lower bowl swarming with Bluejays fans intent on watching CU 1) give them Godfather’s Pizza, 2) post 100 points or more, and 3) prepare for a trip to Las Vegas and games against better competition.
I respect this man’s decision and effort (“Good job! Good effort!). But last night had nothing to do with Longwood and everything to do with the Bluejays, who treated fans to a pre-Thanksgiving feast heavy on scoring and light on suspense.
The Jays assisted on 27 of their 35 made baskets while attempts 54 shots, good for a 65% shooting percentage from the field. Throw in 7-15 shooting from three-point range (47%) and 28-38 shooting from the charity stripe (74%), and the Lancers had no chance. The Bluejays played good enough defense to limit Longwood to 38% shooting from the field and 19% shooting from three-point range. The Lancers turned the ball over to CU 19 times, thanks in part to 9 steals by the Jays.
Those 19 turnovers translated to 30 points for Creighton (to just 11 for LU), and the Jays also won the battle of points in the paint 54-28. The Bluejay bench outscored the Lancer reserves 56-13.
Ten Bluejays played double-digit minutes; 16 Jays saw time. Longwood is likely the last cupcake on Creighton’s schedule this season, so it was great to see the Human Victory Cigar pack of Taylor Stormberg, Alex Olsen, Mo Oginni, and Joe Kelling get some extended minutes.
Greg McDermott’s starters didn’t need to overextend themselves. After looking rushed at times and leading the Jays with 4 turnovers, Doug McDermott settled down and scored 17 points in 22 minutes. McDermott added 5 rebounds. He shared team-high scoring honors with fellow frontcourt standout Gregory Echenique, who chipped in 2 assists and 2 blocks and 4 rebounds to go with his 17 points. Through four games, Echenique has missed only three field goals. The senior center is third on the team in scoring (11.3 ppg) and tops on the boards (7.8 rpg) through four games.
Ethan Wragge was perfect from the field and the free throw line en route to 13 points off the bench. The sharpshooter, who is second on the team in scoring (11.8 ppg), made all three of his shots (three-pointers, every one of them) and four free throws in 13 minutes. Fellow Bluejay Bench Mob members Avery Dingman (8 points; 2-3 from three-point range) and Josh Jones (3 points; 1-2 from three) played well in 13 and 15 minutes, respectively.
Austin Chatman had another solid game from the point guard position. He stuffed the stat sheet in a team-high 24 minutes, scoring 9 points while snaring 7 rebounds and dishing 4 assists and swiping 2 steals. He had 3 turnovers. Grant Gibbs made a few terrific passes that resulted in made baskets, and he added 6 points to his 6 assists, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals in 21 minutes. Jahenns Manigat missed the few shots he took but managed to work his way back into form following a deep thigh bruise that cost him time at the onset of the season. And Andre Yates scored 4 points and dished 2 assists in 13 minutes, displaying the explosive speed people raved about when the Bluejays signed the Ohio product to a Letter of Intent to play for the Jays.
With Longwood’s frontcourt in constant foul trouble and with Echenique resting on the bench, Will Artino and Geoffrey Groselle garnered a few more minutes in the post. Artino tied a career high with 13 points and added 4 rebounds, while Groselle added 4 points and 4 boards in 8 minutes. Nevin Johnson, who recently returned from an ankle injury, made a free throw and contributed 5 minutes against the Lancers.
With Longwood out of the way, the Jays can turn their attentions to what fans have been talking about for months: the Las Vegas Invitational over Thanksgiving weekend. The Wisconsin Badgers (3-1) await Creighton Friday at the Orleans Arena, followed by either Arizona State (3-0) or Arkansas (3-0) on Saturday. WBR will be there, so make sure you check out my running blog with Panon while we take Sin City by storm.