Creighton 73, Bradley 64
Blue Bombers
Sorry this took so long; I just finished watching Creighton’s road win in Peoria. Seriously.
Saturday evening, a group of friends and I went out to celebrate a dear friend’s birthday, an event that had been put off and rescheduled for any number of reasons too many times. So, instead of fretting about the Jays game in the comfort of my own home (or The Stadium Club downtown), Panon, Dance Cam Guy, and I were left to stretch our necks and stare into the distance looking at a television across the dining room at Blue Sushi Sake Grill in the Old Market.
Actually, our table was located on the second floor of the building, in what is known as the Sake Bombers Lounge. The entire level is bathed in glowing red lights; not the kind of atmosphere you want when peering at a TV screen featuring the bright red and white jersey of the Bradley Braves. Between Creighton’s recent play and the laundry list of scenarios stacked against the Jays — Booker Woodfox missing the game due to injury, Bradley just having knocked off in-state (and previously undefeated) rival Illinois State, and BU themselves being unbeaten in MVC play — the red aura surrounding our table felt apropos. We were going to lose.
But between servings of edamame and Crunchy Blue roll, and as the sake bombs started to flow, one thing was clearly evident from following the shaky video on Cox Channel 2; the Jays seemed intent to play physical, hardnosed basketball from the very beginning. We tried to keep one collective eye on the TV and the other focused on the table and the great conversations going on, and strategic trips to the restroom (to catch a closer glimpse at the score) were clutch.
And as the final second ticked off the clock at Carver Arena, and as the Jays continued to make free throw after free throw to ice any comeback attempt from the Braves, everyone around the table let slip some grins and smiles, as if to say, “WOW. I didn’t see that coming, but I shouldn’t be surprised.” But we all were, especially considering the way the Jays won and where they picked up the victory.
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It was merely coincidence that we caught parts of the game while sitting in a lounge with “bombers” in the title; Creighton has lived by the long-range shot all season. 34.4% of their points come from 3-point baskets, a percentage that ranks 37th in the nation. They also score 23.3% of their points from free throws, good for 47th in the country. They get only 42.3% of their scoring from the field, ranking 335th among all Division I teams. To beat Bradley on the road, one would think, the Jays would need to be pouring it in from outside. And while they did make 8 3-pointers for the game (and shot 47% from long range), it was the concerted effort to score inside and draw contact that allowed Creighton to control the tempo for most of the game.
Without Woodfox in the lineup and with the Jays looking to avoid a 3-game losing streak, Dana Altman reached into the coaching bag of tricks for some pregame prep work. The Visionary of the Valley, as dubbed by Peoria Journal Star writer Dave Reynolds, pushed the right buttons and had his players ready to compete and contribute — each and every one of them. Ten Jays saw action, and each of them played at least 10 minutes. Antoine Young, arguably Creighton’s best on-the-ball defender (although just a freshman) saw his most extensive minutes in an MVC game so far and took advantage of the opportunity: he scored a career-high 13 points (including his first 2 3-pointers of the year), dished 2 assists, swiped 2 steals, and grabbed a rebound in 21 minutes of play.
Four Bluejays scored in double figures, led by Cavel Witter’s 14 points. Justin Carter went for 9 points and handed out 4 assists (to just 1 turnover, which have been problematic for him lately). The California Connection combined for 16 points and 14 rebounds in 34 minutes of action. And even though he didn’t score, Chad Millard continued to elevate his game defensively: he joined Kenny Lawson and Kenton Walker with 2 blocked shots and grabbed 2 rebounds in 14 minutes of play.
So the Jays got on the plane in Peoria headed home with a win earned the right way — through teamwork, unselfish play, and focused attention on doing the tough, difficult things needed night in and night out to win games. With 2 of their next 3 games on the road, the Jays will need to adopt these traits and consistently perform as they did at Bradley in order to permanently bounce back from losses to Illinois State and (league-leading) Northern Iowa. It starts Wednesday against Southern Illinois, a team that has made NCAA tournament trips doing exactly what the Jays now must emulate: playing hard-nosed defense, getting timely scoring from the perimeter, and puffing out their chest and treating every game as if it is the most important game on their schedule.
For all intents and purposes, the home game against SIU is just that.
Sorry this took so long; I just finished watching Creighton’s road win in Peoria. Seriously.
Saturday evening, a group of friends and I went out to celebrate a dear friend’s birthday, an event that had been put off and rescheduled for any number of reasons too many times. So, instead of fretting about the Jays game in the comfort of my own home (or The Stadium Club downtown), Panon, Dance Cam Guy, and I were left to stretch our necks and stare into the distance looking at a television across the dining room at Blue Sushi Sake Grill in the Old Market.
Actually, our table was located on the second floor of the building, in what is known as the Sake Bombers Lounge. The entire level is bathed in glowing red lights; not the kind of atmosphere you want when peering at a TV screen featuring the bright red and white jersey of the Bradley Braves. Between Creighton’s recent play and the laundry list of scenarios stacked against the Jays — Booker Woodfox missing the game due to injury, Bradley just having knocked off in-state (and previously undefeated) rival Illinois State, and BU themselves being unbeaten in MVC play — the red aura surrounding our table felt apropos. We were going to lose.
But between servings of edamame and Crunchy Blue roll, and as the sake bombs started to flow, one thing was clearly evident from following the shaky video on Cox Channel 2; the Jays seemed intent to play physical, hardnosed basketball from the very beginning. We tried to keep one collective eye on the TV and the other focused on the table and the great conversations going on, and strategic trips to the restroom (to catch a closer glimpse at the score) were clutch.
And as the final second ticked off the clock at Carver Arena, and as the Jays continued to make free throw after free throw to ice any comeback attempt from the Braves, everyone around the table let slip some grins and smiles, as if to say, “WOW. I didn’t see that coming, but I shouldn’t be surprised.” But we all were, especially considering the way the Jays won and where they picked up the victory.
---
It was merely coincidence that we caught parts of the game while sitting in a lounge with “bombers” in the title; Creighton has lived by the long-range shot all season. 34.4% of their points come from 3-point baskets, a percentage that ranks 37th in the nation. They also score 23.3% of their points from free throws, good for 47th in the country. They get only 42.3% of their scoring from the field, ranking 335th among all Division I teams. To beat Bradley on the road, one would think, the Jays would need to be pouring it in from outside. And while they did make 8 3-pointers for the game (and shot 47% from long range), it was the concerted effort to score inside and draw contact that allowed Creighton to control the tempo for most of the game.
Without Woodfox in the lineup and with the Jays looking to avoid a 3-game losing streak, Dana Altman reached into the coaching bag of tricks for some pregame prep work. The Visionary of the Valley, as dubbed by Peoria Journal Star writer Dave Reynolds, pushed the right buttons and had his players ready to compete and contribute — each and every one of them. Ten Jays saw action, and each of them played at least 10 minutes. Antoine Young, arguably Creighton’s best on-the-ball defender (although just a freshman) saw his most extensive minutes in an MVC game so far and took advantage of the opportunity: he scored a career-high 13 points (including his first 2 3-pointers of the year), dished 2 assists, swiped 2 steals, and grabbed a rebound in 21 minutes of play.
Four Bluejays scored in double figures, led by Cavel Witter’s 14 points. Justin Carter went for 9 points and handed out 4 assists (to just 1 turnover, which have been problematic for him lately). The California Connection combined for 16 points and 14 rebounds in 34 minutes of action. And even though he didn’t score, Chad Millard continued to elevate his game defensively: he joined Kenny Lawson and Kenton Walker with 2 blocked shots and grabbed 2 rebounds in 14 minutes of play.
So the Jays got on the plane in Peoria headed home with a win earned the right way — through teamwork, unselfish play, and focused attention on doing the tough, difficult things needed night in and night out to win games. With 2 of their next 3 games on the road, the Jays will need to adopt these traits and consistently perform as they did at Bradley in order to permanently bounce back from losses to Illinois State and (league-leading) Northern Iowa. It starts Wednesday against Southern Illinois, a team that has made NCAA tournament trips doing exactly what the Jays now must emulate: playing hard-nosed defense, getting timely scoring from the perimeter, and puffing out their chest and treating every game as if it is the most important game on their schedule.
For all intents and purposes, the home game against SIU is just that.
posted by Creighton Otter at 9:02 PM
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