No. 10 Marquette tops No. 22 Creighton 72-67 to tie record with 20th straight home Big East win
MILWAUKEE (AP) Sean Jones never stopped believing he could hit 3-point shots in critical situations, even as he continually misfired earlier this season.
His confidence was rewarded Saturday when he helped No. 10 Marquette tie a Big East record with its 20th consecutive home conference victory.
Jones scored a career-high 15 points and Tyler Kolek also had 15, leading the Golden Eagles to a 72-67 victory over No. 22 Creighton.
Jones shot 3 of 5 from 3-point range. The reserve had been 4 of 28 on 3-point attempts this season before Saturday.
“The whole season really I've been struggling, but I just stayed with the work that I've put in every day and I've stayed with the belief that I can make them,” he said.
Jones said he also has benefited from the assistance of teammates. Kolek had kept his spirits up for much of the season. Kam Jones, who isn't related to Sean, offered encouragement during Saturday's game.
“Honestly, it really carries me more than I can carry myself," Sean Jones said.
Kolek also had eight assists in a victory that helped put Marquette in the record books. The only other Big East teams to win 20 straight home games were Pittsburgh from 2002-04, Notre Dame from 2006-09 and Marquette from 2012-14.
Marquette hasn’t lost a Big East home game since falling 75-69 to Creighton in double overtime on Jan. 1, 2022. This latest victory came in front of 18,086 fans, Marquette's largest home crowd since the Golden Eagles moved into Fiserv Forum for the 2018-19 season.
“For the crowd to have that type of energy and passion and enthusiasm on Dec. 30th, when most of our students are home, it just says a lot about Marquette nation,” Marquette coach Shaka Smart said.
Marquette (11-3, 2-1) has won 19 straight home games overall. Its last loss at Fiserv Forum was an 80-77 overtime setback against Wisconsin on Dec. 3, 2022.
Kam Jones added 12 points and David Joplin scored 10, while Oso Ighodaro had seven points and 16 rebounds.
Creighton (9-4, 0-2) lost for the third time in four games despite getting 23 points from Baylor Scheierman and 18 from Trey Alexander. Scheierman went 7 of 13 on 3-point attempts and set a career high for 3-point baskets.
The Bluejays are 0-2 in conference play for the first time since 2014-15. Creighton committed 18 turnovers Saturday and had 16 in its previous game, a 68-66 overtime home loss to Villanova.
"That has not been who we've been this year or in the past," Creighton coach Gregg McDermott said. “We're going to have to clean that up in a hurry, or we're asking for trouble.”
Creighton hadn’t played since that Dec. 20 loss to Villanova. Marquette’s last game was an 81-51 blowout of Georgetown on Dec. 22.
Marquette looked rustier in the early going.
The Golden Eagles fell behind 14-3 and didn't take their first lead until 12:46 remained in the game. They missed 18 of their first 22 shots overall and 11 of their first 12 attempts from 3-point range.
Marquette pulled ahead for good when Sean Jones hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Golden Eagles a 52-48 edge with 8:40 left.
Sean Jones had some unlikely help on the perimeter. Stevie Mitchell, who had been 3 of 23 on 3-point attempts before Saturday, returned after missing four games with a hamstring injury and went 2 of 5 from beyond the arc while scoring seven points.
“Obviously we had a game plan, and our game plan was kind of to let (Sean Jones) shoot and do what he does,” Scheierman said. “Unfortunately, he made some shots. Credit to him and credit to Stevie Mitchell as well. They both made key 3-pointers throughout the game.”
BIG PICTURE
Creighton: The Bluejays' 12 first-half turnovers prevented them from fully capitalizing on Marquette's cold start. That proved critical once Marquette heated up in the second half.
Marquette: The Golden Eagles entered Saturday with a negative rebound margin, but they outrebounded Creighton 42-32 and had an 18-2 advantage in second-chance points. Ighodaro had nine of Marquette's 18 offensive rebounds.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
This result likely assures Marquette will stay in the top 10 and could cause Creighton to fall out of the rankings.
UP NEXT
Creighton: At Georgetown on Tuesday.
Marquette: At Seton Hall next Saturday.
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Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
20:00 | Ryan Kalkbrenner vs. Oso Ighodaro (Golden Eagles gains possession) | |||
19:42 | Stevie Mitchell misses three point jump shot | |||
19:40 | Baylor Scheierman defensive rebound | |||
19:32 | +3 | Baylor Scheierman makes three point jump shot (Trey Alexander assists) | 3-0 | |
19:21 | +2 | Tyler Kolek makes two point jump shot | 3-2 | |
19:05 | Stevie Mitchell shooting foul (Trey Alexander draws the foul) | |||
19:05 | +1 | Trey Alexander makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 4-2 | |
19:05 | +1 | Trey Alexander makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 5-2 | |
18:47 | Tyler Kolek turnover (traveling) | |||
18:31 | Ryan Kalkbrenner misses two point layup | |||
18:29 | Tyler Kolek defensive rebound | |||
18:24 | Tyler Kolek turnover (bad pass) | |||
18:05 | +2 | Ryan Kalkbrenner makes two point layup (Baylor Scheierman assists) | 7-2 | |
17:55 | Stevie Mitchell misses three point jump shot | |||
17:53 | Steven Ashworth defensive rebound | |||
17:41 | Trey Alexander misses two point jump shot | |||
17:39 | David Joplin defensive rebound | |||
17:12 | Tyler Kolek misses three point jump shot | |||
17:10 | Mason Miller defensive rebound | |||
17:03 | Trey Alexander turnover (bad pass) (Tyler Kolek steals) | |||
16:59 | Mason Miller shooting foul (Stevie Mitchell draws the foul) | |||
16:59 | +1 | Stevie Mitchell makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 7-3 | |
16:59 | Stevie Mitchell misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
16:59 | Baylor Scheierman defensive rebound | |||
16:37 | +3 | Baylor Scheierman makes three point jump shot (Steven Ashworth assists) | 10-3 | |
16:15 | Kam Jones misses two point jump shot | |||
16:13 | Stevie Mitchell offensive rebound | |||
16:09 | Kam Jones misses three point jump shot | |||
16:07 | Mason Miller defensive rebound | |||
15:57 | Oso Ighodaro shooting foul (Ryan Kalkbrenner draws the foul) | |||
15:57 | TV timeout | |||
15:57 | Ryan Kalkbrenner misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
15:57 | +1 | Ryan Kalkbrenner makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 11-3 | |
15:35 | David Joplin misses three point jump shot | |||
15:33 | Mason Miller defensive rebound | |||
15:16 | Steven Ashworth turnover (bad pass) | |||
15:04 | Kam Jones misses three point jump shot | |||
15:02 | Trey Alexander defensive rebound | |||
14:55 | +3 | Baylor Scheierman makes three point jump shot (Steven Ashworth assists) | 14-3 | |
14:24 | Tyler Kolek misses two point jump shot | |||
14:22 | Baylor Scheierman defensive rebound | |||
14:13 | Trey Alexander misses three point jump shot | |||
14:11 | Mason Miller offensive rebound | |||
14:05 | Steven Ashworth misses three point jump shot | |||
14:03 | Kam Jones defensive rebound | |||
13:34 | Tyler Kolek misses two point layup | |||
13:32 | Ben Gold offensive rebound | |||
13:31 | +2 | Ben Gold makes two point layup | 14-5 | |
13:04 | Steven Ashworth misses three point jump shot | |||
13:02 | David Joplin defensive rebound | |||
12:50 | Ryan Kalkbrenner blocks Chase Ross's two point layup | |||
12:47 | Golden Eagles offensive rebound | |||
12:34 | Sean Jones misses three point jump shot | |||
12:32 | Oso Ighodaro offensive rebound | |||
12:23 | Sean Jones turnover (out of bounds) | |||
11:53 | Bluejays turnover (shot clock violation) | |||
11:53 | TV timeout | |||
11:42 | Sean Jones misses three point jump shot | |||
11:40 | Oso Ighodaro offensive rebound | |||
11:29 | +3 | Sean Jones makes three point jump shot (Chase Ross assists) | 14-8 | |
11:12 | Ryan Kalkbrenner turnover (lost ball) (Sean Jones steals) | |||
11:06 | Sean Jones misses two point dunk | |||
11:04 | Trey Alexander defensive rebound | |||
10:53 | Isaac Traudt misses three point jump shot | |||
10:51 | Kam Jones defensive rebound | |||
10:42 | Oso Ighodaro misses two point jump shot | |||
10:40 | Oso Ighodaro offensive rebound | |||
10:37 | Kam Jones turnover (bad pass) (Francisco Farabello steals) | |||
10:31 | +2 | Trey Alexander makes two point jump shot (Francisco Farabello assists) | 16-8 | |
10:18 | Chase Ross misses three point jump shot | |||
10:16 | Francisco Farabello defensive rebound | |||
10:10 | Francisco Farabello turnover (lost ball) (Chase Ross steals) | |||
10:03 | +2 | Chase Ross makes two point dunk | 16-10 | |
9:45 | Francisco Farabello turnover (back court violation) | |||
9:40 | Tyler Kolek turnover (lost ball) (Trey Alexander steals) | |||
9:34 | +3 | Baylor Scheierman makes three point jump shot (Trey Alexander assists) | 19-10 | |
9:21 | Sean Jones turnover (traveling) | |||
9:02 | Baylor Scheierman turnover (bad pass) (Ben Gold steals) | |||
8:41 | Chase Ross misses three point jump shot | |||
8:39 | Isaac Traudt defensive rebound | |||
8:26 | Francisco Farabello misses three point jump shot | |||
8:24 | Stevie Mitchell defensive rebound | |||
8:16 | Oso Ighodaro misses three point jump shot | |||
8:14 | Francisco Farabello defensive rebound | |||
8:04 | Ryan Kalkbrenner misses two point layup | |||
8:02 | Oso Ighodaro defensive rebound | |||
7:49 | Tyler Kolek misses two point jump shot | |||
7:47 | Ryan Kalkbrenner defensive rebound | |||
7:17 | Bluejays turnover (shot clock violation) | |||
7:18 | TV timeout | |||
7:06 | +3 | Kam Jones makes three point jump shot (Oso Ighodaro assists) | 19-13 | |
6:42 | Steven Ashworth misses three point jump shot | |||
6:40 | David Joplin defensive rebound | |||
6:33 | Fredrick King shooting foul (Oso Ighodaro draws the foul) | |||
6:33 | +1 | Oso Ighodaro makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 19-14 | |
6:33 | Oso Ighodaro misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
6:33 | Baylor Scheierman defensive rebound | |||
6:28 | Baylor Scheierman misses three point jump shot | |||
6:26 | Mason Miller offensive rebound | |||
6:21 | +2 | Mason Miller makes two point layup | 21-14 | |
6:14 | Oso Ighodaro misses two point layup | |||
6:12 | Ryan Kalkbrenner defensive rebound | |||
5:52 | +3 | Steven Ashworth makes three point jump shot (Trey Alexander assists) | 24-14 | |
5:41 | Stevie Mitchell misses three point jump shot | |||
5:39 | Oso Ighodaro offensive rebound | |||
5:35 | +3 | Kam Jones makes three point jump shot (Tyler Kolek assists) | 24-17 | |
5:26 | +2 | Trey Alexander makes two point jump shot (Baylor Scheierman assists) | 26-17 | |
5:11 | +2 | Tyler Kolek makes two point jump shot | 26-19 | |
5:11 | Steven Ashworth shooting foul (Tyler Kolek draws the foul) | |||
5:11 | +1 | Tyler Kolek makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 26-20 | |
5:05 | Steven Ashworth turnover (lost ball) (Chase Ross steals) | |||
5:00 | Kam Jones misses three point jump shot | |||
4:58 | Oso Ighodaro offensive rebound | |||
4:44 | +2 | Kam Jones makes two point layup | 26-22 | |
4:18 | David Joplin blocks Fredrick King's two point layup | |||
4:16 | Mason Miller offensive rebound | |||
4:09 | Mason Miller turnover (Chase Ross steals) | |||
4:09 | Trey Alexander shooting foul (Chase Ross draws the foul) | |||
4:09 | +1 | Chase Ross makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 26-23 | |
4:09 | +1 | Chase Ross makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 26-24 | |
3:47 | Isaac Traudt misses three point jump shot | |||
3:45 | Oso Ighodaro defensive rebound | |||
3:37 | +2 | Oso Ighodaro makes two point hook shot | 26-26 | |
3:17 | Baylor Scheierman turnover (bad pass) (Kam Jones steals) | |||
3:11 | David Joplin misses three point jump shot | |||
3:09 | Trey Alexander defensive rebound | |||
3:01 | +2 | Trey Alexander makes two point jump shot | 28-26 | |
2:52 | Kam Jones turnover (lost ball) | |||
2:38 | TV timeout | |||
2:26 | Baylor Scheierman misses two point jump shot | |||
2:24 | Ryan Kalkbrenner offensive rebound | |||
2:19 | Baylor Scheierman misses three point jump shot | |||
2:17 | Kam Jones defensive rebound | |||
2:07 | Tyler Kolek misses two point hook shot | |||
2:05 | Bluejays defensive rebound | |||
1:53 | +2 | Trey Alexander makes two point jump shot | 30-26 | |
1:41 | Chase Ross misses three point jump shot | |||
1:39 | David Joplin offensive rebound | |||
1:20 | +2 | Tyler Kolek makes two point layup (Oso Ighodaro assists) | 30-28 | |
0:59 | David Joplin blocks Ryan Kalkbrenner's two point layup | |||
0:57 | David Joplin defensive rebound | |||
0:52 | Kam Jones misses three point jump shot | |||
0:50 | Tyler Kolek offensive rebound | |||
0:41 | Tyler Kolek turnover (lost ball) (Mason Miller steals) | |||
0:41 | Baylor Scheierman turnover (double dribble) | |||
0:41 | Golden Eagles 30 second timeout | |||
0:32 | Chase Ross misses three point jump shot | |||
0:30 | Trey Alexander defensive rebound | |||
0:05 | Trey Alexander misses two point jump shot | |||
0:03 | Mason Miller personal foul (Kam Jones draws the foul) | |||
0:00 | End of period |