Field Level Media
18 Mar 2023, 08:40 GMT+10
Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner poured in a career-high 31 points as the sixth-seeded Bluejays withstood 11th-seeded North Carolina State's comeback attempts in a 72-63 first-round victory in the NCAA Tournament on Friday afternoon at Denver.
Kalkbrenner, a junior, made 11 of 14 shots from the field and also pulled in seven rebounds and blocked three shots.
Creighton (22-12) will meet third-seeded Baylor (23-10) in Sunday's second round. Baylor eliminated UC Santa Barbara 74-56 in the first game at the site on Friday.
Baylor Scheierman, Ryan Nembhard and Arthur Kaluma all scored 10 points for Creighton, which made 17 of 19 free throws to compensate for 3-for-20 shooting on 3-pointers. Kaluma had nine rebounds.
NC State's Terquavion Smith racked up 32 points -- two shy of his career high -- by making 12 of 27 shots from the field with one 3-pointer and going 7-for-9 at the foul line.
NC State shot 37.5 overall from the field and went 3-for-13 on 3-pointers.
NC State used an 11-0 run in the second half for a 37-30 lead. The Bluejays responded to gain a 56-47 edge with seven minutes left.
Then Smith and Jack Clark bagged 3-pointers for the Wolfpack.
NC State was within three points, but Creighton converted on offense regularly. Scheierman's 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down made it 65-59 with 2:25 remaining. The Wolfpack never made it a one-possession game again.
Smith had eight of NC State's final 10 points.
Creighton scored the first seven points before NC State caught up later in the first half. The Bluejays led 28-26 at halftime.
NC State, which missed its first eight shots, shot 11-for-33 from the field in the first half without registering an assist. That included going 0-for-5 on 3-point shooting, though Creighton was only 1-for-13. The teams combined to miss the last 17 attempted 3-pointers in the half.
This was the first postseason meeting between the teams, which split two previous matchups in in-season tournaments.
--Field Level Media
Get a daily dose of Santa Barbara Post news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Santa Barbara Post.
More InformationBy Reena BhardwajWashington [US], March 23 (ANI): More than 200 protesters waving Khalistan flags descended upon the Indian Consulate in ...
Nikola Jokic scored 31 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and passed for seven assists, and the Denver Nuggets held off a ...
The Los Angeles Clippers will be without All-Star forward Paul George when they wrap up their two-game set against the ...
WORLD CAPITALS, 22nd March, 2023 (WAM) -- Gold prices climbed on Wednesday after the U.S. Fed toned down its aggressive ...
ABU DHABI, 22nd March, 2023 (WAM) -- The central banks of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar raised their benchmark borrowing ...
Jonathan Quick continues to climb the charts among the NHL's greatest goaltenders. The Vegas Golden Knights continue in their quest ...
MENINDEE, Australia: After recent floods and hot weather, millions of dead fish have washed up in southeastern Australia, which authorities ...
BOISE, Idaho: Under a bill passed by the Idaho Legislature thios with a veto-proof majority, the state will allow firing ...
SACRAMENTO, California: The state of California and generic drug manufacturer Civica have announced a 10-year partnership to produce affordable, state-branded ...
CHEYENNE, Wyoming: A Wyoming bill outlawing the use or prescription of medication abortion pills, which was passed by the state's ...
DENVER, Colorado: The Southern Nevada Water Authority has voted to accept a $2.4 million grant from the US Bureau of ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: The US government has reported that the exceptionally wet winter in California this year will offer relief from ...