Spokesman-Review
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Nebraska 94, Creighton 75
When: 6:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 8, 2018
Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, Nebraska
Officials: # Bo Boroski, # Paul Szelc, # Steve McJunkins
Attendance: 15950

James Palmer Jr. hit three straight 3-pointers in the opening 2:33 of the game, and 24th-ranked Nebraska went on to lead by as many as 21 points in the first half en route to a 94-75 victory over visiting Creighton in their annual rivalry game Saturday at Lincoln, Neb.

Palmer finished with 30 points as the Cornhuskers (8-2) ended a seven-game losing streak to the Bluejays (6-3), with each of those losses having come by at least 10 points.

The 19-point margin of victory equaled Nebraska's biggest in the in-state rivalry since 1995.

Creighton's Mitchell Ballock had a team-high 23 points.

Nebraska, which lost 75-65 at Creighton last season, wasted little time taking command this time, with Palmer igniting an early runaway with his 3-point flurry.

He had nine points, Thomas Allen 11 and Isaiah Roby eight as the Cornhuskers bolted out to a 37-16 lead.

Creighton, which was playing its first true road game of the season, scratched back within 47-34 by halftime, and then as close as 51-42 on a 3-pointer by Ballock with still 18:09 to play.

But Palmer hit another 3-pointer shortly thereafter, and the closest the Bluejays could get after that was 10 points.

Palmer wound up 6-for-7 on 3-pointers, helping Nebraska, which improved to 6-0 at home, shoot 51.9 percent (14-for-27) from beyond the arc.

Allen complemented Palmer's scoring with 18 of his own, while Roby found time for a game-high eight rebounds to go with 15 points.

Glynn Watson Jr. added 13 points and five assists, and Isaac Copeland had 11 points for Nebraska, which had lost 85-78 at Minnesota on Wednesday.

Ballock shot nothing but 3-pointers and free throws in the game, going 7-for-10 on threes to account for all but two of his 23-point total.

Creighton shot 11-for-27 (40.7 percent) on threes.

Davion Mintz had 15 points, and Ty-Shon Alexander 10 for the Bluejays, who were coming off a 103-92 loss to top-ranked Gonzaga.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Creighton   Nebraska
Mitch Ballock 23 Scoring James Palmer Jr. 30
Ty-Shon Alexander 3 Assists Glynn Watson Jr. 5
Ty-Shon Alexander 5 Rebounds Isaiah Roby 8
Ty-Shon Alexander 5 Free Throws Made James Palmer Jr. 6
Damien Jefferson 2 Steals Nana Akenten 3
Damien Jefferson 1 Blocks Isaiah Roby 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Creighton 75 43.3 11-27 12-21 10 29 1 7 12
Nebraska 94 53.3 14-27 16-20 15 35 5 9 10