Ryan Kalkbrenner led with 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting and all five starters scored in double figures as Creighton beat visiting Marquette 83-82 on Sunday afternoon in Omaha, Neb., to sweep the two-game season series.
The 7-foot-1 Kalkbrenner eclipsed 20 points for the third time this season and added seven rebounds to lead the Bluejays (18-8, 10-5 Big East) to their fifth consecutive win. Ryan Nembhard contributed 18 points, and Ryan Hawkins finished with 17 to go along with nine rebounds.
After the Golden Eagles (17-10, 9-7) opened up a five-point lead with just over five minutes remaining, Creighton outscored them 10-4 to close the game, and Kalkbrenner sank a pair of free throws with four seconds left to secure the victory.
Darryl Morsell paced Marquette with 23 points on 11-of-18 shooting. Kam Jones notched 18 points off the bench thanks to four 3-pointers, and Justin Lewis tallied 11 points and seven rebounds.
Shaka Smart’s squad had a strong offensive performance following halftime, as it shot 15 of 26 (57.7 percent) from the field.
Things were tied 46-46 at the break after a first half that featured 11 ties and nine lead changes. Creighton outscored the Golden Eagles 23-16 over the final 8:44 of the half, but committed 10 first-half turnovers to allow Marquette to stick around.
Both teams were extremely efficient through the first 20 minutes of play, shooting over 50 percent from the field. The Golden Eagles’ bench also dominated, scoring 18 points compared to the Bluejays’ zero.
Kalkbrenner led Creighton with 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting, and Alex O’Connell trailed close behind with 11. Jones had 12 points of his own for Marquette, Morsell added nine and Lewis and Kur Kuath recorded six.
O’Connell would later exit the game with an apparent leg injury.
Neither team led by more than three points for the first nine minutes of action, but the Golden Eagles put together a 15-5 run to jump out to an early 30-23 lead. Jones headlined the surge with nine points.
–Field Level Media
