Field Level Media
Nov 11, 2018
Ty-Shon Alexander hit two 3-pointers in a late run and Creighton held East Tennessee State to one field goal in nearly a six-minute stretch late in the game Sunday afternoon, as the Bluejays rallied for a 75-69 nonconference win in Omaha, Neb.
Alexander finished with 20 points and Damien Jefferson added 14 for Creighton (2-0), which trailed 63-51 after a 3-point basket by East Tennessee State's Patrick Good with 7:19 to play.
But then the Bluejays used 3-point baskets and a stingy defense to dominate the rest of the game.
Alexander had his two threes, Marcus Zegarowski and Mitchell Ballock hit one apiece, and Jefferson contributed a pair of baskets in an 18-2 burst that gave Creighton a 69-65 lead with 2:22 to go.
After Trey Boyd III countered with a jumper for East Tennessee State (1-2) with 1:23 remaining that cut the deficit in half, Alexander scored again, this time from the interior, to make it a four-point game again at 71-67 with 1:08 to go.
The Buccaneers scored only two more points the rest of the way, never catching up again.
Boyd's basket with 1:23 left ended a stretch in which East Tennessee State scored two points in nearly six minutes, missing 10 of 11 shots and mixing in three turnovers as their 12-point lead became a four-point deficit.
Ballock contributed 10 points for Creighton, which opened its season with a 78-67 win over Western Illinois on Tuesday.
Boyd had 20 points, Good 18 and Jeromy Rodriguez 14 to go with a game-high 14 rebounds for East Tennessee State.
--Field Level Media