Big East preseason player of the year Ryan Kalkbrenner scored a career-high 49 points and No. 15 Creighton needed nearly all of them to earn a 99-86 win in its season opener over UT-Rio Grande Valley on Wednesday night.
Creighton, a Sweet 16 team one of the last four seasons, couldn’t shake off the Southland Conference’s Vaqueros until the final two minutes.
The 7-foot-1 Kalkbrenner’s scoring total was the second-highest in program history behind Bob Portman’s 51 points against UW-Milwaukee in 1967. The fifth-year center scored an incredible 22 of his 22 points from the field, including 2-for-2 from 3-point range. He made 7 of 8 free throws. He also grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked three shots.
Steven Ashworth scored 25 points for the Bluejays.
Hasan Abdul-Hakim had 24 points and Cliff Davis and DK Son added 17 apiece for the Vaqueros (0-2), who made it 5 when Howie Fleming Jr. scored with 2:37 left. By the time we got our second chance, we were within 87-82.
takeout
UT Rio Grande Valley: The Vaqueros made 14 of 35 3-pointers and outscored Creighton in the second half to maintain a slim lead. They finished the game with 19 second chance points. They fell to 0-14 against top-25 opponents and have lost 56 straight against power conference opponents, according to Sportradar.
Creighton: The Bluejays are up 30 points and got more than expected against the Vaqueros, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Coach Greg McDermott had to play his starters until the last minute.
Ryan Kalkbrenner had a 49-point double-double in Creighton’s 99-86 win over UTRGV.
important moment
Kalkbrenner scored 10 straight points in various ways throughout the first half. He hit a free throw, a 3 from the wing, a lob dunk from Jamiya Neal, a quick layup past a player guarding him down the court, and a post move for an easy basket. .
Key Statistics
Creighton has won its 30th straight home opener, dating back to 1995.
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Creighton hosts Fairleigh Dickinson on Sunday in the second of four home games over 11 days. UT-Rio Grande Valley returns home to play Champion Christian College on Sunday.
The Associated Press reported.
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