01 December 2021 | Basketball

Arthur Kaluma was near perfect from the floor as Creighton men's basketball team coasted to an 80-55 win over North Dakota State on Tuesday, November 30.

Kaluma started the game and played 21 minutes in the win lifted Creighton to 7-1 on the season, while North Dakota State fell to 4-3 overall.

The Bluejays of Creighton used their athleticism and defense to force eight Bison turnovers in the opening eight minutes.

Creighton's offense proved equally impressive as nine different Bluejays scored as the side built a 20-12 edge midway through the opening half.

North Dakota State found its footing, trimming Creighton's advantage to just 2 (27-25) with 4:37 play in the half. However, a pair of free throws from Ryan Kalkbrenner and two jumpers in the paint by freshman Ryan Nembhard delivered a quick response to push the lead back to eight (33-25) with 3:24 and the Bluejays maintained that lead into the break, taking a 40-32 edge into the locker room at the half.

With a 10-0 run to start the second half, the Bluejays never looked back.

Kalkbrenner's 17 points led all scorers. Three other Bluejays reached double-figures with Ugandan power forward Kaluma finishing with 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field and 1-of-1 from the line. Nembhard as well Alex O'Connell closed with 10  points each.

North Dakota State got a team-high 13 points from Dezmond McKinney in the loss, while Rocky Kreuser finished with 12 points.

Creighton returns to the floor on Saturday, 4th December as the Bluejays host No. 19 Iowa State at CHI Health Center Omaha.

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