MBB Minute – Creighton Rings In New Year with Win over Marquette
Creighton got 61 points from the guard trio of Mitch Ballock, Ty-Shon Alexander and Marcus Zegarowski in a 92-75 victory against Marquette in the conference opener for both teams before 17,289 at the CHI Health Center.
Ballock was the game’s scoring leader with 24 points, which included 5-of-9 from 3-point range. Alexander, who also drew defensive duty on Marquette’s Markus Howard, filled his stat line with 21 points, eight rebounds and a career-high six steals. Zegarowski finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Howard was one of three Marquette players to score 18 points. Sacar Anim and Brendan Bailey also had 18 with Bailey pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds. The Bluejays (12-2) shot 50 percent from the floor and extended their winning streak to eight games. The Golden Eagles (10-3) had their five-game winning streak snapped.
BIG EAST play resumes Friday when Seton Hall hosts Georgetown at 9 p.m. ET on FS1. The Pirates (9-4) won their conference opener 74-66 at DePaul while the Hoyas (10-4) had their six-game winning streak end at Providence 76-60. Seton Hall has won the last four meetings in the series at Prudential Center.
The Saturday schedule shows three games. At noon on FS1, Creighton visits Butler (13-1). Both teams won at home in last year’s meetings. The Bulldogs won 84-69 at Hinkle Fieldhouse behind Kamar Baldwin’s 28 points and seven assists. Butler is 1-0 in BIG EAST play after Tuesday’s 60-58 win at St. John’s.
Villanova visits Marquette at 2 p.m. on FOX. The Golden Eagles won year at Fiserv Forum 66-65 behind Markus Howard’s 38-point effort. In the league’s current 10-team configuration, Villanova holds an 11-2 edge in regular-season play. The Wildcats (10-2) beat Xavier 68-62 in their season opener on Monday.
Also at 2 p.m., Providence plays at DePaul on FS1. The Friars (8-6) beat Georgetown 76-60 in Tuesday’s conference opener while the Blue Demons (12-2) lost to Seton Hall 74-66 on Monday. The two teams have split the last eight meetings. Providence has not started 2-0 in BIG EAST play since 2015-16.