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McDermott drops career-high 45 points as Creighton routs Providence

Mar 9, 2014 - 6:01 AM Omaha, NE (SportsNetwork.com) - Creighton senior forward Doug McDermott saved his best collegiate performance for his final regular-season game.

McDermott tallied a career-high 45 points on Creighton's Senior Night, as the 13th-ranked Bluejays cruised to an 88-73 triumph over Providence on Saturday at CenturyLink Center.

McDermott shot 17-of-25 from the floor, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range, as he moved into 7th place in NCAA history with 3,011 points, passing both Oscar Robertson and Hersey Hawkins following his fantastic effort against the Friars.

With the win, Creighton secured the second seed in the upcoming Big East tournament, giving the Bluejays a bye into the quarterfinals, where they will meet the winner of the first-round matchup between DePaul and Georgetown on March 13.

Austin Chatman chipped in 11 points and seven rebounds for the Bluejays (24-6, 14-4 Big East), who snapped a two-game slide by shooting an impressive 64.7 percent (33-of-51) from the floor.

Bryce Cotton paced Providence (20-11, 10-8) with 23 points, while LaDontae Henton had 21 points and seven boards for the Friars, who were looking for a season sweep of the Bluejays after besting them at home on Jan. 18.

Providence will play St. John's in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament on Thursday.

Kadeem Batts' layup had the Friars within 8-7 just over five minutes in, but the Bluejays used a 19-2 outburst to build a double-digit spread they would not relinquish.

McDermott donated the first 10 points in the surge, which Avery Dingman capped with two free throws for a 27-9 lead with 10:24 left in the half.

McDermott finished the first half 9-of-15 from the floor, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range, as he matched the entire Providence squad with 22 points to help Creighton carry a comfortable 23-point cushion into halftime.

With the game well in hand, the second half turned into a victory lap of sorts for McDermott, who drained a 3-pointer with just under 11 1/2 minutes left to cross the 3,000-point plateau for his career and give Creighton a 68-45 lead.

Providence got as close as 14 on Cotton's 3-pointer with 3:25 left, but McDermott hit 1-of-2 free throws and then finished a layup to cap his impressive outing and seal the outcome.

Game Notes

Providence leads the all-time series with Creighton, 7-5 ... Providence registered 15 second-chance points, compared to just two from Creighton ... The Bluejays shot 50 percent (10-of-20) from 3-point range ... Batts totaled 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Friars ... Creighton's bench outscored Providence's reserves, 15-0.