OMAHA, Neb. (AP) Marcus Zegarowski scored 30 points to lead four Creighton players in double figures, and the Bluejays made fast work of Nebraska in a 95-76 win at the sold-out CHI Health Center on Saturday.
Zegarowski made four 3-pointers, finished 13 of 19 from the field, grabbed a career-high nine rebounds and matched his season high with six assists for the Bluejays (7-2).
Ty-Shon Alexander had a season-high 22 points with four 3s, Mitch Ballock scored 13 and Christian Bishop had 10 points and nine rebounds.
Haanif Cheatham led the Cornhuskers (4-5) with 14 points. Cam Mack and Thor Thorbjarnarson had 12, Matej Kavas added 11 and Jervay Green had 10.
With a pro-Creighton crowd of 18,068 that included Governor Pete Ricketts on hand, first-year Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg got a baptism by fire in the annual game between the state’s top Division I programs.
In a game reminiscent of 2013, when Creighton got out to a 38-8 lead against the Tim Miles-coached Huskers, the Bluejays were up 37-7 with six minutes left in the first half and were never threatened.
Creighton, which lost 94-75 in Lincoln last year to end a seven-game win streak against the Huskers, holds a 27-26 edge in the series. Nebraska hasn’t beaten the Bluejays in Omaha since the 2004 NIT.
Damien Jefferson, who entered the game 1 for 15 on 3-pointers, and Alexander each made a couple shots from distance as the Bluejays opened an 18-2 lead. Zegarowski scored 12 points over the next eight minutes as the advantage ballooned to 42-11.
Nebraska made just 2 of its first 19 shots and finished the first half 8 of 34 and down 48-22. It was the fourth time in the last eight meetings in Omaha that Creighton led by 20 or more at the break.
The Huskers whittled into the lead in the second half. They used an 18-7 spurt to pull within 67-48, but Zegarowski made a couple shots and Ballock hit a 3-pointer to get it back to 74-49. Nebraska never got closer than 20 points until the final minute, when the Huskers closed a 10-0 run with reserves playing for both teams.
BIG PICTURE
Nebraska: One of Hoiberg’s concerns has been his team tending to fold when adversity strikes. The Huskers easily could have quit after falling behind quickly, but they outplayed the Bluejays for stretches of the second half. They missed more than two shots in a row only once after half.
Creighton: The Bluejays reasserted their control in the series and have now won all six of their home games by no fewer than nine points.
HUSKER TRANSFERS
Nebraska guard Samari Curtis has decided to transfer, Hoiberg announced. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound freshman from Xenia, Ohio, appeared in the first eight games and averaged 1.8 points and 0.9 rebounds.
UP NEXT
Nebraska opens Big Ten play at Indiana on Friday.
Creighton hosts Texas-Rio Grande Valley on Friday.
—
More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and http://twitter.com/AP-Top25
25% Bonus via Western Union
