Spokesman-Review
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Xavier 75, Creighton 69
When: 5:00 PM ET, Saturday, March 1, 2014
Where: Cintas Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Officials: # Jeff Clark, # Ed Corbett, # Michael Stephens
Attendance: 10483

Xavier 75, No. 10 Creighton 69: Justin Martin scored 19 points and grabbed a career-best 16 rebounds to fuel the Musketeers past the visiting Bluejays in Big East play.

Semaj Christon contributed a team-best 21 points and four steals while Dee Davis made four 3-pointers as part of a 15-point effort for Xavier (20-9, 10-6). The Musketeers were 9-of-16 from 3-point range while improving to 15-1 at home.

Doug McDermott had 27 points and 10 rebounds for Creighton (23-5, 13-3), which had a four-game winning streak halted. No other Bluejays scored in double digits as Creighton slipped a half-game behind first-place Villanova in the conference race.

The Bluejays used a 16-6 second-half run to cut a 13-point deficit to 61-58 on McDermott’s 3-pointer with 5:27 to play. The margin was again three with under four minutes left when Davis hit a 3-pointer and Jalen Reynolds followed with a basket and the Musketeers led by as many as nine down the stretch.

Christon had 13 first-half points and Xavier shot 57.6 percent from the field while taking a 43-34 advantage. The lead reached 55-42 less than five minutes into the second half before the Bluejays scored nine of the next 13 points to move within 59-51 with 9:33 remaining.

GAME NOTEBOOK: McDermott raised his career point total to 2,944 to close in on ninth-place Danny Manning (2,951) on the Division I all-time scoring list. … Xavier recorded 10 steals while forcing 15 turnovers. … Creighton G Isaiah Zierden left with a knee injury with 8:43 left in the first half and did not return.

Top Game Performances
 
Creighton   Xavier
Doug McDermott 27 Scoring Semaj Christon 21
Grant Gibbs 4 Assists Dee Davis 5
Doug McDermott 10 Rebounds Justin Martin 16
Devin Brooks 4 Free Throws Made Justin Martin 4
Austin Chatman 3 Steals Semaj Christon 4
N/A Blocks Justin Martin 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Creighton 69 39.0 10-34 13-14 17 31 0 8 15
Xavier 75 50.0 9-16 12-17 15 33 3 10 13