San Diego State takes down No. 21 Creighton 71-53 in Players Era Festival event in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS -- — BJ Davis scored a career-high 18 points and San Diego State upended No. 21 Creighton 71-53 on Tuesday, the opening day of the Players Era Festival at the MGM Grand Garden.
The Blue Jays struggled to find their offensive rhythm against a San Diego State defense that generated eight steals and scored 13 points off turnovers.
Creighton finished 21 of 62 (33.8%) from the floor, while the Aztecs hit 30 of 62 (48.3%). San Diego State also finished 8 of 17 (47.0%) from 3-point range.
Miles Byrd added 16 for the Aztecs, while Davis grabbed nine rebounds.
Pop Isaacs led Creighton with 18 points and added five assists. Jackson McAndrew had a double-double for the Blue Jays with 12 points and 14 rebounds, while Ryan Kalkbrenner added 11 points.
The Aztecs, who closed as a 4.5-point underdog at the Sportsbook, snapped a mini two-game skid against nationally ranked teams with the win.
Creighton: Isaacs, who hails from Las Vegas, made a splash in front of a hometown crowd with his 18-point performance and is now five shy of 900 with 895 points. He’s scored 72 points for Creighton since transferring in from Texas Tech.
San Diego State: Davis, who saw limited action as a freshman last season amid a guard-oriented roster, has been the headliner for the Aztecs this season. He’s now set career and single-game highs in four games this season. He’s averaging 15.0 points per game.
After falling behind 8-4 early in the game, the Aztecs went on a 21-8 run to open a 25-16 lead, with a balanced effort from seven different scorers contributing to the breakout run. San Diego State never relinquished its lead.
18 — San Diego State got a boost from its bench with reserves outscoring Creighton’s bench 18-7, including Las Vegas-product Pharaoh Compton with six points.
San Diego State continues play in the event Wednesday when it faces Oregon. Creighton will play No. 23 Texas A&M on Wednesday in the tournament.
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Game Information
- Referees:
- James Breeding
- Randy Richardson
- Lucas Santos
2024-25 Big East Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| DePaul | 0-0 | - | 6-0 |
| Marquette | 0-0 | - | 6-0 |
| Xavier | 0-0 | - | 6-0 |
| Providence | 0-0 | - | 5-0 |
| Butler | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| Georgetown | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| St. John's | 0-0 | - | 5-2 |
| Creighton | 0-0 | - | 4-2 |
| UConn | 0-0 | - | 4-2 |
| Seton Hall | 0-0 | - | 4-3 |
| Villanova | 0-0 | - | 3-4 |
2024-25 Mountain West Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utah State | 0-0 | - | 5-0 |
| Nevada | 0-0 | - | 6-1 |
| Boise State | 0-0 | - | 5-1 |
| New Mexico | 0-0 | - | 5-1 |
| UNLV | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| Wyoming | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| San Diego State | 0-0 | - | 3-1 |
| Colorado State | 0-0 | - | 3-2 |
| Fresno State | 0-0 | - | 3-2 |
| Air Force | 0-0 | - | 2-4 |
| San José State | 0-0 | - | 2-5 |
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