No. 10 Marquette tops No. 22 Creighton 72-67 to tie record with 20th straight home Big East win
Marquette's Chase Ross and Creighton's Steven Ashworth go after a loose ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023, in Milwaukee. Credit: AP/Morry Gash
MILWAUKEE — Sean Jones never stopped believing he could hit 3-point shots in critical situations, even as he continually misfired earlier this season.
His confidence was rewarded Saturday when he helped No. 10 Marquette tie a Big East record with its 20th consecutive home conference victory.
Jones scored a career-high 15 points and Tyler Kolek also had 15, leading the Golden Eagles to a 72-67 victory over No. 22 Creighton.
Jones shot 3 of 5 from 3-point range. The reserve had been 4 of 28 on 3-point attempts this season before Saturday.
“The whole season really I've been struggling, but I just stayed with the work that I've put in every day and I've stayed with the belief that I can make them,” he said.
Jones said he also has benefited from the assistance of teammates. Kolek had kept his spirits up for much of the season. Kam Jones, who isn't related to Sean, offered encouragement during Saturday's game.
“Honestly, it really carries me more than I can carry myself," Sean Jones said.
Marquette's Stevie Mitchell tries to get past Creighton's Mason Miller during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023, in Milwaukee. Credit: AP/Morry Gash
Kolek also had eight assists in a victory that helped put Marquette in the record books. The only other Big East teams to win 20 straight home games were Pittsburgh from 2002-04, Notre Dame from 2006-09 and Marquette from 2012-14.
Marquette hasn’t lost a Big East home game since falling 75-69 to Creighton in double overtime on Jan. 1, 2022. This latest victory came in front of 18,086 fans, Marquette's largest home crowd since the Golden Eagles moved into Fiserv Forum for the 2018-19 season.
“For the crowd to have that type of energy and passion and enthusiasm on Dec. 30th, when most of our students are home, it just says a lot about Marquette nation,” Marquette coach Shaka Smart said.
Marquette (11-3, 2-1) has won 19 straight home games overall. Its last loss at Fiserv Forum was an 80-77 overtime setback against Wisconsin on Dec. 3, 2022.
Marquette's Tyler Kolek tries to get past Creighton's Trey Alexander during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023, in Milwaukee. Credit: AP/Morry Gash
Kam Jones added 12 points and David Joplin scored 10, while Oso Ighodaro had seven points and 16 rebounds.
Creighton (9-4, 0-2) lost for the third time in four games despite getting 23 points from Baylor Scheierman and 18 from Trey Alexander. Scheierman went 7 of 13 on 3-point attempts and set a career high for 3-point baskets.
The Bluejays are 0-2 in conference play for the first time since 2014-15. Creighton committed 18 turnovers Saturday and had 16 in its previous game, a 68-66 overtime home loss to Villanova.
"That has not been who we've been this year or in the past," Creighton coach Gregg McDermott said. “We're going to have to clean that up in a hurry, or we're asking for trouble.”
Creighton hadn’t played since that Dec. 20 loss to Villanova. Marquette’s last game was an 81-51 blowout of Georgetown on Dec. 22.
Marquette looked rustier in the early going.
The Golden Eagles fell behind 14-3 and didn't take their first lead until 12:46 remained in the game. They missed 18 of their first 22 shots overall and 11 of their first 12 attempts from 3-point range.
Marquette pulled ahead for good when Sean Jones hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Golden Eagles a 52-48 edge with 8:40 left.
Sean Jones had some unlikely help on the perimeter. Stevie Mitchell, who had been 3 of 23 on 3-point attempts before Saturday, returned after missing four games with a hamstring injury and went 2 of 5 from beyond the arc while scoring seven points.
“Obviously we had a game plan, and our game plan was kind of to let (Sean Jones) shoot and do what he does,” Scheierman said. “Unfortunately, he made some shots. Credit to him and credit to Stevie Mitchell as well. They both made key 3-pointers throughout the game.”
BIG PICTURE
Creighton: The Bluejays' 12 first-half turnovers prevented them from fully capitalizing on Marquette's cold start. That proved critical once Marquette heated up in the second half.
Marquette: The Golden Eagles entered Saturday with a negative rebound margin, but they outrebounded Creighton 42-32 and had an 18-2 advantage in second-chance points. Ighodaro had nine of Marquette's 18 offensive rebounds.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
This result likely assures Marquette will stay in the top 10 and could cause Creighton to fall out of the rankings.
UP NEXT
Creighton: At Georgetown on Tuesday.
Marquette: At Seton Hall next Saturday.
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