OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Doug McDermott, the nation’s top returning scorer and two-time First Team All-American, scored 37 points to lead Creighton to a 96-70 thumping of Kansas City in front of a CenturyLink Center Omaha crowd of 16,859.
McDermott hit 15 of 25 shots and was 5 of 10 from beyond the arc.
Nelson Kirksey and Trinity Hall paced the Kangaroos (0-2) with 15 points each. Kansas City is playing its first season in the Western Athletic Conference.
McDermott scored the first nine Creighton points of the game as the Bluejays (2-0) took a 16-8 lead. But the Kangaroos went on a 12-2 run sparked by 3-pointers from Kirksey and Caleb Johnson.
Creighton responded by outscoring UMKC 28-13 for the remainder of the half, taking a 48-31 lead into the locker room, then picking up right where they left off to open the second half.
