Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
Ryan Kalkbrenner and Baylor Scheierman each scored 20 points as No. 22 Creighton celebrated its return to the polls with an 84-58 victory Tuesday over host DePaul in Chicago.
Trey Alexander scored 17 points, Kalkbrenner had nine rebounds and Scheierman grabbed eight as Creighton (12-4, 3-2) won its third consecutive game in Big East play after an 0-2 start.
The Bluejays earned their 19th consecutive victory over the Blue Demons. Creighton also was No. 22 two weeks ago but losses against Villanova and then-No. 10 Marquette to open conference play dropped the Bluejays from the Top 25.
Da’Sean Nelson and Jaden Henley each scored 12 points for DePaul (3-12, 0-4), which lost its 16th consecutive game in regular-season conference play going back to last season.
Creighton jumped out to a 10-2 lead just over seven minutes into the game and went up 15-4 on a Kalkbrenner dunk with 15:36 remaining in the first half.
The Bluejays led by as many as 23 in the first half and were up 47-30 at halftime.
Creighton shot 53.1 percent in the opening half and went 7-of-16 from 3-point range (43.8 percent).
A 13-0 run early in the second half gave the Bluejays a 65-36 lead with 12:34 remaining. DePaul ended a nearly five-minute scoreless drought on a layup from Jaden Henley with 11:33 remaining to trail 65-38 but never threatened the rest of the way.
DePaul shot 38.5 percent from the floor in the second half and 37.9 for the game.
One of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country, with 10.6 made baskets from beyond the arc per game, Creighton went 12-of-32 (37.5 percent) from 3-point range.
Scheierman was 6-of-9 from deep, one game after he was held to single digits for the first time this season with nine points against Providence on Saturday.
–Field Level Media