McDermott, Creighton rout Southern Illinois
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Doug McDermott recorded a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds on Sunday, as the 17th-ranked Creighton Bluejays got back on track with an 81-51 rout of Southern Illinois at SIU Arena.
Grant Gibbs gave 13 points and six assists and Gregory Echenique chipped in 12 points and 11 boards for the Bluejays (18-3, 7-2 MVC), who snapped a two-game skid.
Jahenns Manigat and Ethan Wragge donated 12 points apiece in the triumph.
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"We made shots," said Creighton head coach Greg McDermott, who earned his 350th win as a college head coach. "When we make shots, we're a pretty good basketball team."
Desmar Jackson netted 16 points to lead the Salukis (8-12, 1-8), who have dropped four straight and nine of their last 10.
"When you're down, everyone wants to beat you up," SIU coach Barry Hinson said. "They could have beaten us a lot worse."
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Jackson poured in Southern Illinois' first 10 points to keep the Salukis within one just over five minutes in, but the Bluejays responded with a 13-2 run to grab a 24-12 edge just past the midpoint of the first half.
After SIU answered with four straight points, McDermott finished a layup to start a 17-4 Creighton run that pushed the advantage to 41-20 with 2:52 left in the first half.
Creighton carried a 43-25 lead into the break before opening the second half on a 9-0 surge to extend the margin to 27 just under four minutes in.
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The Bluejays led by at least 20 the rest of the way.
Game Notes
Creighton shot 63 percent (29-for-46) from the field and went 12-of-20 from three-point range ... SIU shot 37 percent (20-for-54) from the floor ... Creighton won the rebounding battle, 39-19, and had 20 assists, compared to just eight for the Salukis.