LAS VEGAS (AP) — 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 BetMGM Sportsbook, snapped a mini two-game skid against nationally ranked teams with the win.
Takeaways
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.
Key moment
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.
Key stat
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.
Up next
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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