Creighton 72, Ohio 58
Bluejays break away to oust Ohio
By MIKE SMITH
INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- Marcus Zegarowski led five Bluejays in double figures as Creighton defeated Ohio 72-58 in NCAA Tournament play Monday at Hinkel Fieldhouse.
With its victory, Creighton (22-8) earned a Sweet 16 berth and will meet the tourney's No. 1 overall seed -- Gonzaga Sunday. The Zags defeated Oklahoma 87-71 earlier to advance. Ohio, meanwhile, ends . . .
INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- Marcus Zegarowski led five Bluejays in double figures as Creighton defeated Ohio 72-58 in NCAA Tournament play Monday at Hinkel Fieldhouse.
With its victory, Creighton (22-8) earned a Sweet 16 berth and will meet the tourney's No. 1 overall seed -- Gonzaga Sunday. The Zags defeated Oklahoma 87-71 earlier to advance. Ohio, meanwhile, ends . . .
. . . up with a 17-8 record that included a MAC championship and upset NCAA first round victory over No. 4 seed Virginia.
Ohio (17-8) scored the game's first five points and stayed in front until Zegarowski nailed a trey at 10:44 to put the Bluejays up 13-11. There were two ties and the teams traded leads until 7:39 when Jason Preston hit one of two free throws to give the Bobcats a 20-19 edge.
That would be Ohio's final lead, as the fifth-seeded Bluejays scored 20 of the game's next 24 points before halftime. When play resumed, Creighton builts its advantage to 21 points before Ohio began to chip away. The No. 13 seed managed to pull within nine points (65-56) following a Sears free throw with 2:26 remaining. Zagarowski, however, hit a bucket and two charity tosses while Creighton outscored the 'Cats 7-2 in the final 2:05.
Joining Zegarowski in double figures for Creighton were Damien Jefferson (15 points), Christian Bishop (12 points, 15 rebounds), Denzel Mahoney (11 points) and Mitch Ballock (10 points). While all five starters reached double figures, only one Bluejay sub scored, chipping in four points.
Creighton connected on 45 percent (27/60) from the field overall and 42.9 percent (9/21) outside the arc. Both teams hit nine free throws while making under 70 percent.
Ohio's offense struggled at times shooting the ball. The Bobcats were good on 31.8 percent (21/66) from the field and 23.3 percent (30/7) on triples.
Dwight Wilson III led Ohio with 12 points, hitting 5-of-8 from the field and both free throws. He was one short of a double, gravving nine rebounds. The 'Cats owned a 44-39 rebounding advantage on the night. Lunden McDay had 11 points, while Ben Roderick added 10.
Junior guard Jason Preston, who averaged 16.3 points on the year, was unable to get untracked as a scorer. He sank just 1-of-10 shots from the field and finished with four points but contributed nine rebounds and dished out seven assists.
"Number one, congratulations to Creighton," head coach Jeff Boals said. "They're a very good team and well-coached, and I hope they continue this journey. I'm really proud of our guys. I thought they battled, competed.
"This is a special group, on and off the floor. The way the represented Ohio University. The way they represent their families, our basketball program. It's just a high-character group of guys. You hate to see something like this end the way that it ended, but that does not take away anything that they've done."
Ohio (17-8) scored the game's first five points and stayed in front until Zegarowski nailed a trey at 10:44 to put the Bluejays up 13-11. There were two ties and the teams traded leads until 7:39 when Jason Preston hit one of two free throws to give the Bobcats a 20-19 edge.
That would be Ohio's final lead, as the fifth-seeded Bluejays scored 20 of the game's next 24 points before halftime. When play resumed, Creighton builts its advantage to 21 points before Ohio began to chip away. The No. 13 seed managed to pull within nine points (65-56) following a Sears free throw with 2:26 remaining. Zagarowski, however, hit a bucket and two charity tosses while Creighton outscored the 'Cats 7-2 in the final 2:05.
Joining Zegarowski in double figures for Creighton were Damien Jefferson (15 points), Christian Bishop (12 points, 15 rebounds), Denzel Mahoney (11 points) and Mitch Ballock (10 points). While all five starters reached double figures, only one Bluejay sub scored, chipping in four points.
Creighton connected on 45 percent (27/60) from the field overall and 42.9 percent (9/21) outside the arc. Both teams hit nine free throws while making under 70 percent.
Ohio's offense struggled at times shooting the ball. The Bobcats were good on 31.8 percent (21/66) from the field and 23.3 percent (30/7) on triples.
Dwight Wilson III led Ohio with 12 points, hitting 5-of-8 from the field and both free throws. He was one short of a double, gravving nine rebounds. The 'Cats owned a 44-39 rebounding advantage on the night. Lunden McDay had 11 points, while Ben Roderick added 10.
Junior guard Jason Preston, who averaged 16.3 points on the year, was unable to get untracked as a scorer. He sank just 1-of-10 shots from the field and finished with four points but contributed nine rebounds and dished out seven assists.
"Number one, congratulations to Creighton," head coach Jeff Boals said. "They're a very good team and well-coached, and I hope they continue this journey. I'm really proud of our guys. I thought they battled, competed.
"This is a special group, on and off the floor. The way the represented Ohio University. The way they represent their families, our basketball program. It's just a high-character group of guys. You hate to see something like this end the way that it ended, but that does not take away anything that they've done."
Ben Vander Plas and Jason Preston discuss a situation during Ohio's loss to Creighton. (Photo courtesy Ohio Athletics)
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