Creighton countered a slow start with a full sprint in a convincing win in its season opener on Monday.
While pleased with the final result, coach Alan Huss said he would like to see a better beginning from his Bluejays (1-0) on Thursday night when they play Le Moyne (0-1) in Omaha, Neb.
“We have to figure out a way to learn from it. It’s great if we learn from it,” Huss said after winning his head-coaching debut with his alma mater. “And if we come back and let history repeat itself here (on Thursday), then we have problems.”
Wes Enis was a problem solver on Monday — especially after halftime. The transfer from South Florida scored 17 of his team-high 25 points after intermission in Creighton’s 76-61 victory over Kansas City.
The Bluejays fell behind 44-38 early in the second half before embarking on a 17-0 run, with Enis draining a pair of 3-pointers to highlight his personal eight-point performance during that surge.
“We were just stagnant. … We didn’t play with enough force in the first half,” said Enis, who finished with five 3-pointers.
BJ Davis, a transfer from San Diego State, contributed 13 points and four steals, and Creighton’s newcomers were responsible for 56 of the team’s 76 points on Monday.
The Bluejays would be wise to keep tabs on Trevor Roe, who scored a career-high 20 points in Le Moyne’s 106-64 loss Monday at Nebraska.
Roe, who sank five 3-pointers, also had personal bests in rebounds (six) and assists (six). Former Sacramento State guard Jayden Teat scored 10 of his 14 points in the second half.
Teat also had a career-high five assists for the Dolphins, who will wrap up play in the Northeast Conference this season before heading to the Metro Conference in July.
“That’s an NCAA Tournament team; they went to the Sweet 16 last year,” Le Moyne coach Nate Champion said of the Cornhuskers. “They do such a good job at taking our mistakes and exploiting them on the other end.”