McDermott fuels Bluejays in Valley tournament win
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mcdermott fuel bluejays valley tournament win
McDermott <m> fuels </m> Bluejays in Valley tournament win
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McDermott <m> fuels </m> Bluejays in Valley tournament win
Doug McDermott got a scoring record Friday , Will Artino got a chance to showcase his skills on the big stage and Gregory Echenique got mad .
The first two factored heavily into Creighton ’ s 65 - 53 victory against Drake in the quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament , but the last one might have been the deciding factor in moving the Bluejays along to Saturday ’ s semifinals .
Echenique scored all 11 points of his points in the second half , grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked six shots .
Six of his points , five of his rebounds and five of the blocks came after Echenique got roughed up — tackled , he said — while cutting toward the basket midway through the second half .
No foul was called , but Drake might have wished one had been .
After the no - call , the 6 - foot - 9 , 260 - pound Echenique turned up the intensity to fuel a 15 - 2 run that turned a 47 - 44 Creighton lead into a 16 - point cushion .
“ It made me kind of mad when that happened , ” Echenique said .
“ It changed my attitude a little , and gave me a little more of an edge .
I had to find a way to get that anger out , and I couldn ’ t say anything to the ref and risk getting a technical or something .
“ I think I did the right thing , and it kind of capped my focus .
It made me play harder . ”
With Echenique leading the late charge , Creighton finally subdued a stubborn Bulldog team that was playing to extend its season in an atmosphere that resembled a Bluejays home game .
Creighton fans filled almost two - thirds of the 9 , 000 seats in the lower bowl of the Scottrade Center , and experienced some anxious moments before their team finally took command .
McDermott , Artino and Echenique figured heavily into the outcome that improved the Bluejays to 25 - 7 and advanced them to a 1 : 35 p . m . semifinal meeting against Indiana State , which defeated Evansville 51 - 50 in Friday ’ s second quarterfinal .
“ Will was great the first half and made some great plays in the second half , ” Creighton coach Greg McDermott said .
“ Doug was consistent offensively throughout , and I thought Gregory really changed the game defensively in the second half .
“ There was nothing that happened in the paint because of his energy and his ability to block some shots and change shots .
And he went and got the basketball off the boards . ”
Doug McDermott finished with 23 points , setting the school scoring record when he got his 11th point on a free throw with 4 : 43 left in the first half .
He made 8 of 14 shots from the field , including 3 of 4 3 - pointers , and grabbed seven rebounds .
Artino , whose role has grown as his productivity has increased during the second half of the season , had a career - high 14 points and six rebounds .
Five of his points came in a 7 - 0 run in the first half that turned a 12 - 12 tie into a lead Creighton never relinquished .
Still , things were getting tight when Drake , which had defeated Bradley in Thursday ’ s play - in round , closed to 47 - 44 on Seth VanDeest ’ s basket with 10 : 03 to play .
On their next possession , the 15 - 17 Bulldogs missed an open 3 - pointer that would have tied the game .
In between , Echenique found himself sprawled on the court after getting bumped hard as he moved toward the basket on a pick - and - roll play .
He stayed down for several seconds , then glared at a referee as he got to his feet .
Echenique turned into an aggressive force in the final 10 minutes .
“ We are a totally different team , ” Greg McDermott said when asked what a fired - up Echenique means to his club .
“ We don ’ t resemble the team that we are when he isn ’ t playing like that .
He is so active .
He made multiple plays on several possessions .
“ I ’ m really proud of him , because sometimes it ’ s hard to get the switch flipped .
When it gets flipped , he ’ s hard to deal with . ”
Echenique ’ s dunk and free throw after being fouled started Creighton ’ s decisive run , putting the Bluejays ahead 50 - 44 .
A VanDeest layup would cut the Bulldogs ’ deficit to four , but they wouldn ’ t score again for almost eight minutes while Creighton stretched its lead to 62 - 46 .
“ You have to know how to use it when you get mad , ” Echenique said .
“ I think I used it the right way out there today . ”
His teammates know the Bluejays are a different team when Echenique is engaged , one reason Doug McDermott pulled him aside at halftime .
Echenique had missed both of his shots in the first 20 minutes and , McDermott said , appeared to be down on himself .
“ I just told him , ‘ Greg , you have to be the man here , ’   ” Doug said .
“ I told him he was going to be our guy and we were going to feed him the ball .
He took that to heart and played with a command .
“ I ’ m proud of him , and hopefully he can continue to bring that night after night . ”
Echenique scored five of Creighton ’ s first eight points in the second half .
Artino then had four in row as Creighton opened its first 10 - point lead of the game before Drake countered with a 9 - 2 spurt that got the Bulldogs back with three points .
Echenique “ was definitely a big factor , ” said VanDeest , who had 13 points .
“ He has a huge body and uses his body around the basket .
He really stepped up in the second half . ”
Drake coach Mark Phelps agreed .
“ Look at his numbers , ” Phelps said .
“ He had 11 and 11 , and had six blocks .
He was really good tonight . ”
Artino was never better .
His 14 points bettered his career high of 13 .
He was two rebounds off his personal best , and his play , especially in the first half , gave Creighton a huge boost .
“ Will was tremendous , ” Doug McDermott said .
“ He ’ s so easy to play with because he can see over the defense , he ’ s good at the high - low pass and he crashes the boards every time .
It ’ s great to have a guy like Will on the team . ”
It goes without saying that it ’ s pretty valuable to have McDermott around , too .
He came in needing 11 points to break Rodney Buford ’ s scoring record of 2 , 106 .
McDermott had 10 points in the first 7 ½ minutes , then broke the record when he made the first of two free throws with 4 : 43 left in the half .
McDermott now has 2 , 029 points in 106 games as a Bluejay , but who ’ s counting ?
“ It ’ s a special feeling that I can ’ t explain to pass guys like Kyle Korver , guys I looked up to in my childhood , ” he said .
“ And to do it in front of a big crowd here in St . Louis is cool .
“ But I don ’ t even think about that stuff .
You guys are going to make the most of it , but I ’ m just out there trying to win and play hard every night . ”