Omaha, NE (SportsNetwork.com) - Geoffrey Groselle scored a career-high 15 points to lead No. 23 Creighton to a 75-53 victory over Eastern Illinois in the Emerald Coast Classic on Tuesday.
Toby Hegner netted 13 points and James Milliken finished with seven points and 10 rebounds for the Bluejays (5-0), who kicked off their schedule with five straight wins for the fourth consecutive season.
"Our ball movement was as crisp as its been," Creighton head coach Greg McDermott said. "(Groselle) came off the bench and gave us a huge lift."
Trae Anderson and Jake Verhagen each had nine points for the Panthers (1-4), who were coming off a 54-49 loss to Cincinnati on Sunday.
Austin Chatman scored seven points as the Bluejays jumped out to an early 8-2 lead.
Hegner and Rick Kreklow netted five and four points, respectively in a 9-0 run in the final minutes of the first half as Creighton pulled away for a 39-20 advantage heading into the break.
Groselle scored five straight points to stake the Bluejays to a 60-29 lead nearly eight minutes into the second half.
Creighton's lead swelled to 33 points down the stretch.
Game Notes
The only other time Creighton started off 5-0 in four straight seasons was from 1916-17 to 1920-21 ... The Bluejays have won 83 straight home games against teams that own a record of .500 or worse ... Creighton shot 51.9 percent (27-for-52) from the floor, while Eastern Illinois shot 44 percent (22-for-50) ... Creighton will face Ole Miss on Friday.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.