The beginning of the Big East schedule proved to be just what Creighton needed.
The Bluejays were on a two-game losing streak before crushing Xavier 98-57 in their conference opener on Wednesday.
Creighton (6-5, 1-0) will try to keep rolling on Saturday night when it meets Marquette (5-7, 0-1) in Omaha, Neb.
“We moved the ball around, and that is the way Creighton basketball is supposed to be played,” Bluejays coach Greg McDermott said. “We made the extra pass all night. On the other end, we took away their transition. I needed to be more positive with this group. We have had a lot of growing pains.”
Creighton led 49-22 at halftime and went on an 8-1 run to start the second half. The Bluejays hit 16 of 33 shots from 3-point range for the game, including three by senior guard Josh Dix. He has connected from beyond the arc in 23 straight games.
“We have worked on those (3-pointers), and it is really paying off,” McDermott said.
Dix averages a team-best 12.0 points per game. Sophomore guard Austin Swartz sank seven 3-pointers vs. Xavier to highlight his 27-point performance. He also had seven rebounds.
The Golden Eagles, meanwhile, are coming off a 78-69 loss to Georgetown in their Big East opener Wednesday. Marquette led 29-20 before the Hoyas went on a 17-4 run to end the first half.
“I’m extremely disappointed in the last five minutes of the first half,” Golden Eagles coach Shaka Smart said. “When they made that run late in the first half, you could see it clearly affected the spirit and the energy we had.”
Marquette made just 7 of 26 shots from 3-point range in losing its third straight game.
“We need more from all our guys right now,” Smart said. “We need to try and find five guys who are playing well at the same time.”
The Golden Eagles are led by senior guard Chase Ross, who averages a team-high 17.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, and senior forward Ben Gold is at 6.8 rpg.
