No. 14 Creighton likely will be shorthanded in its bid to bounce back from its first setback of the young season when it faces San Diego State on Tuesday afternoon in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas.
The availability of Steven Ashworth is in question after the senior guard sustained a right ankle injury during the Bluejays’ 74-63 setback to in-state rival Nebraska on Friday.
Ashworth matched his scoring average by totaling 16 points against the upstart Cornhuskers. He trails only Big East Preseason Player of the Year Ryan Kalkbrenner (21.4) for top honors on the team, while Ashworth’s 6.4 assists lead the club.
“We have no idea how long Steven’s going to be out,” Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. “I think it’s going to be a while.”
The timing of the injury is troublesome for the Bluejays (4-1), who have a busy slate ahead. Creighton will square off against No. 23 Texas A&M on Wednesday at Las Vegas and another opponent in the tournament on Saturday before facing top-ranked Kansas on Dec. 4.
Nebraska clamped down on Kalkbrenner, forcing the Bluejays to navigate away from the 7-foot-1 star center and try their luck from the perimeter.
“Great defensive plan to keep the ball out of the paint,” McDermott said. “When they do that, we’ve gotta take advantage and make some 3-point shots, and obviously we didn’t shoot it very well.”
The Bluejays made just 12 of a program-record 42 attempts from 3-point range. Texas Tech transfer and Las Vegas native Pop Isaacs highlighted his season-high 25-point performance by connecting five times on 12 shots from beyond the arc.
Kalkbrenner, who erupted for a career-high 49 points in the season opener, finished with a paltry four points — all free throws — for his lowest scoring output since Christmas 2022 against DePaul.
“I think that what this team has shown so far is not what its ceiling is,” Kalkbrenner said. “I know we have a lot more in us than what we’ve shown.”
San Diego State (2-1) is well rested since dropping an 80-67 decision at home to Gonzaga on Nov. 18.
Nick Boyd collected 23 points and nine rebounds before exiting with 13 minutes to play due to muscle cramps.
“I started cramping in the second half when I was about to check back in,” Byrd said, per the San Diego Union-Tribune. “That’s why they held me out the rest of the game. It was just probably that I didn’t really do anything on my ankle all week. It was just getting a little dehydrated. I’ll take (responsibility) for that one.”
Boyd averages a team-leading 14.7 points per game for the Aztecs, who will need all hands on deck considering they face Oregon on Wednesday at Las Vegas and another foe on Saturday.
“We have a tall task ahead of us,” San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher said. “This is all good for us, in November. We want to find a way to win these games. But this will serve us well moving forward, regardless of the result.”
–Field Level Media
