Ryan Kalkbrenner collected 20 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks and Steven Ashworth added 20 points, lifting host Creighton to an 84-64 victory over Providence on Tuesday night in Omaha, Neb.
Kalkbrenner, who made 8 of 12 shots from the floor, was honored before the game in recognition of scoring his 2,000th career point in the Bluejays’ 79-71 loss to Marquette on Jan. 3.
Ashworth added six assists to propel Creighton (11-6, 4-2 Big East) to its fourth win in the last five games.
Ashworth sank 4 of 10 attempts from 3-point range and Isaac Traudt made all four of his shots from beyond the arc to highlight his 13-point performance.
Mason Miller drained two 3-pointers and joined Jamiya Neal with eight points for the Bluejays, who shot 51.6 percent from the floor and 43.8 percent from beyond the arc.
Providence’s Corey Floyd Jr. collected 10 points and eight rebounds and Ryan Mela added 10 and seven, respectively.
Wesley Cardet Jr. also scored 10 points for the Friars (9-9, 3-4), who have lost nine of their last 13 games. Providence did itself no favors by making just 4 of 20 shots from 3-point range.
The Friars kept competitive by holding a 44-30 advantage in points in the paint and winning the rebounding battle (40-35).
Ashworth and Kalkbrenner connected on four alley-oops to help Creighton seize a 43-34 lead at halftime. Neal made a 3-pointer as time expired to provide the exclamation point on the first half.
Traudt sank his fourth 3-pointer of the second half to stake the Bluejays to a 61-48 lead with 13:34 remaining. Miller made a pair of 3-pointers and Kalkbrenner added a layup to extend Creighton’s lead to 75-59 with 4:31 remaining in the second half.
The Bluejays put it on cruise control from there.
–Field Level Media
