PITTSBURGH, Pa. — No. 11 Creighton closed the first half on an 8-0 run and never looked back in a 77-60 win over 14th-seeded Akron in NCAA Tournament First Round action at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Thursday afternoon.
The Bluejays improved to 24-9 with the win and will play on Saturday against Oregon. Akron ends its season with a 24-11 mark.
Creighton took a 39-34 lead into the break after a fast-paced first half that saw both teams connect with regularity from three-point range early on. Creighton made its first five three-point attempts, while national rebounding Enrique Freeman buried three three-pointers in the first five minutes. The teams exchanged six leads and it was tied nine times before the break, with Creighton scoring the final eight points to claim a 39-34 lead. That run featured three-pointers by Trey Alexander and Mason Miller before a hoop from Baylor Scheierman to end the half.
Ryan Kalkbrenner and Alexander each had 11 points at the break for CU, while Scheierman had eight points and seven rebounds. CU shot 60 percent in the first half (15-25), including 7-of-10 (70 percent) from three-point range. Akron was led by 15 points and eight rebounds by Freeman, while Ali Ali added 10 points.
The Bluejays rode that momentum out of the break as Miller and Scheierman buried triples to push the lead to nine (45-36), but Creighton pulled away for good with a 10-0 run that pushed its lead to 59-42 after Miller connected on his third triple of the contest.
Creighton had a balanced offensive effort, as all five starters scored in double-figures. Scheierman had his BIG EAST-leading 16th double-double of the year with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Kalkbrenner (23) and Alexander (19) were joined in the scoring column by Miller (10) and Ashworth (8).
Freeman earned his nation-leading 31st double-double of the season to lead Akron, finishing with 21 points and 14 rebounds.
A game time and television network will be announced at the conclusion of today’s games.
