Ryan Kalkbrenner erupted for a career-high 49 points to go along with 11 rebounds, lifting No. 15 Creighton to a 99-86 victory over UT Rio Grande Valley on Wednesday in Omaha, Neb.
Kalkbrenner, the Big East Conference preseason player of the year, made 20 of 22 shots from the floor and also sank both of his attempts from 3-point range. He fell just shy of the single-game school record set by Bob Portman, who scored 51 points against Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Dec. 16, 1967.
Kalkbrenner easily eclipsed his previous career high of 31 points, set during the Bluejays’ 72-63 win over North Carolina State in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
With 1,820 career points, Kalkbrenner moved past Kyle Korver (1,801) into sixth place all-time in school history.
Steven Ashworth drained all 17 of his free-throw attempts to highlight his 25-point performance.
Isaac Traudt made three 3-pointers and finished with 11 points for Creighton (1-0), which recorded its 30th consecutive home-opening win on the strength of shooting 60.0 percent from the floor.
The Bluejays played without Texas Tech transfer Pop Isaacs due to an undisclosed injury. He scored 24 points in Creighton’s 93-87 win over Purdue in a charity exhibition on Oct. 26.
UT Rio Grande Valley’s Hasan Abdul Hakim recorded a career-high 26 points to go along with 11 rebounds.
Cliff Davis sank four 3-pointers and matched Dekedran Thorn with 17 points for the Vaqueros (0-2), who kept competitive by shooting 42.9 percent from the floor and 40.0 percent from 3-point range.
Thorn’s 3-pointer allowed UT Rio Grande Valley to creep within five points at 75-70 with 7:39 remaining in the second half before Kalkbrenner responded with a layup and a 3-pointer. Jasen Green converted a three-point play to push the Bluejays’ lead to 83-72.
Davis drained a pair of 3-pointers as part of a 10-4 run for the Vaqueros, however Kalkbrenner halted the momentum with a layup and a jumper.
Abdul Hakim sank a pair of 3-pointers and a mid-range shot to stake UT Rio Grande Valley to an early 14-10 lead. Creighton responded with a flourish, with Kalkbrenner scoring 10 straight points for his team at one point to give the Bluejays a 33-27 advantage.