OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Trey Alexander scored 18 of his 20 points in the first half, and No. 8 Creighton opened with a 105-54 victory over Florida A&M on Tuesday night.
The Bluejays, coming off an NCAA Elite Eight appearance, turned in a mostly polished performance against the overmatched Rattlers of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
Creighton had turnovers on its first two possessions and Baylor Scheierman hit the side of the backboard with a shot before Utah State transfer Steven Ashworth's 3-pointer and Alexander's layin started a 22-4 run.
Creighton was up by as many as 32 points in the first half and 56-27 at the break. All the Bluejays starters were done for the night eight minutes into the second half.
Alexander was 7 of 8 from the field and had five assists and four turnovers in a team-high 26 minutes.
Ashworth, sixth nationally in 3-point shooting at 43.4% last season, was 5 of 7 from distance and finished with 17 points and four assists. Scheierman had 15 points and eight rebounds.
Keith Lamar had 16 points to lead the Rattlers, who lost four of their top five scorers from last season.
Mason Miller and Ashworth made their first starts for Creighton. Miller took over at power forward for Arthur Kaluma, who transferred to Kansas State, and Ashworth replaced point guard Ryan Nembhard, who transferred to Gonzaga.
Ryan Kalkbrenner, the Bluejays' All-Big East center, had a quiet opener. Shannon Grant, the Rattlers' 6-foot-10, 300-pounder, was assigned to Kalkbrenner and held him in check early. Kalkbrenner took only three shots in the first half and finished with nine points and four rebounds.
BIG PICTURE
Florida A&M: The Rattlers, picked 11th in the 12-team SWAC after going 7-22 last season, take their lumps for a paycheck this time of year. They play seven Power Five opponents on the road before New Year's.
Creighton: Coach Greg McDermott got a chance to look at a lot of different combinations. Ten players got minutes, and all of them scored.
UP NEXT
Florida A&M: visits Nebraska on Thursday.
Creighton: hosts North Dakota State on Saturday.
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