McDermott drops career-high 45 points as Creighton routs Providence
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Omaha, NE (SportsNetwork.com) - Creighton senior forward Doug McDermott saved his best collegiate performance for his final regular-season game.
McDermott tallied a career-high 45 points on Creighton's Senior Night, as the 13th-ranked Bluejays cruised to an 88-73 triumph over Providence on Saturday at CenturyLink Center.
McDermott shot 17-of-25 from the floor, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range, as he moved into 7th place in NCAA history with 3,011 points, passing both Oscar Robertson and Hersey Hawkins following his fantastic effort against the Friars.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}With the win, Creighton secured the second seed in the upcoming Big East tournament, giving the Bluejays a bye into the quarterfinals, where they will meet the winner of the first-round matchup between DePaul and Georgetown on March 13.
Austin Chatman chipped in 11 points and seven rebounds for the Bluejays (24-6, 14-4 Big East), who snapped a two-game slide by shooting an impressive 64.7 percent (33-of-51) from the floor.
Bryce Cotton paced Providence (20-11, 10-8) with 23 points, while LaDontae Henton had 21 points and seven boards for the Friars, who were looking for a season sweep of the Bluejays after besting them at home on Jan. 18.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Providence will play St. John's in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament on Thursday.
Kadeem Batts' layup had the Friars within 8-7 just over five minutes in, but the Bluejays used a 19-2 outburst to build a double-digit spread they would not relinquish.
McDermott donated the first 10 points in the surge, which Avery Dingman capped with two free throws for a 27-9 lead with 10:24 left in the half.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}McDermott finished the first half 9-of-15 from the floor, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range, as he matched the entire Providence squad with 22 points to help Creighton carry a comfortable 23-point cushion into halftime.
With the game well in hand, the second half turned into a victory lap of sorts for McDermott, who drained a 3-pointer with just under 11 1/2 minutes left to cross the 3,000-point plateau for his career and give Creighton a 68-45 lead.
Providence got as close as 14 on Cotton's 3-pointer with 3:25 left, but McDermott hit 1-of-2 free throws and then finished a layup to cap his impressive outing and seal the outcome.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Game Notes
Providence leads the all-time series with Creighton, 7-5 ... Providence registered 15 second-chance points, compared to just two from Creighton ... The Bluejays shot 50 percent (10-of-20) from 3-point range ... Batts totaled 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Friars ... Creighton's bench outscored Providence's reserves, 15-0.