Creighton men's basketball cruises past Kennesaw State
Photo Courtesy Creighton Athletics
By Matt Kirkle, Contributor
(OMAHA, Neb.)—Seven-foot freshman Ryan Kalkbrenner made highlight plays on both sides of the floor on Friday afternoon, and continues to impress off of the bench—leading Creighton with 14 points as the No. 9 Bluejays cruised past Kennesaw State.
Kalkbrenner was just part of Creighton’s bench effort, as the Bluejays outscored the Owls 41-10 in bench points. Creighton’s depth on the bench enhances their up-tempo style of play by always having fresh legs on the court, and it led to the Bluejays scoring 22 fast break points, to the Owls’ zero.
“Every time I come into the game, I know I got Jake (Epperson) and (Christian Bishop) to sub me out if I get tired,” Kalkbrenner said following Friday’s win. “I just go play hard for three to four minutes, try to bring a little energy to the game, and turn around the game for us.”
Creighton trailed 8-6 with 16:21 left in the first half before igniting a 22-5 run kickstarted by four consecutive baskets from Kalkbrenner, three of which were dunks. Creighton steadily increased their lead throughout the half due to consistent play on both ends; the Bluejays shot 59% as a team in the opening half, and forced 11 Owl turnovers on the defensive end. Creighton finished the half on a 34-9 run and went into the intermission leading 52-25. Kalkbrenner and Marcus Zegarowski each had 12 at halftime.
Creighton head coach Greg McDermott mentioned after the game that they recruited Kalkbrenner last year with the intention of him having an impact immediately.
''He looks skinny, but he's 240-some pounds,'' McDermott said. ''He's going to get better and better because he works at it, studies the game, and wants to be good.''
The Bluejay bench continued to excel in the second half as Creighton continued to push their lead out. Shereef Mitchell hit a 3-pointer with 10:40 left to put the Bluejays up 75-35. Mitchell led Creighton in scoring during the second half with 8 points and tacked on three assists and two steals in the rest of the game.
“Shereef certainly was bringing us energy defensively with his ability to guard the basketball,” McDermott said. “Antwann and Shereef both give us a shot in the arm from an energy standpoint.”
Creighton saw three players shoot perfect from the floor in the second half, and a total of six players in double-figures for the second straight game. The Bluejays coasted to the finish line and won their 10th straight home game with a 93-58 win over Kennesaw State.
Kalkbrenner and Zegarowski led the way with 14 for Creighton, and Kalkbrenner added six rebounds and two blocks. Damien Jefferson scored 13, followed by Christian Bishop and Mitchell with 11 (career high for Mitchell). Alex Peterson led the Owls with 14.
Creighton’s schedule ramps up from here as they take on No. 7 Kansas on Dec. 8 at 4 p.m. Following that, they take on Nebraska on Dec. 11 to wrap up non-conference play.