OMAHA, Neb. — In an impressive showing, Steven Ashworth led Creighton to a 77-67 victory over the 11th-ranked Marquette on Saturday afternoon, contributing 22 points along with a season-best six 3-pointers, including a critical shot in the closing minute.

This win marks the Bluejays’ ninth consecutive victory, bouncing back from a previous 79-71 defeat to Marquette on January 3. With this triumph, Creighton improves to 18-6 overall and 11-2 in conference play, placing them just one game behind Big East frontrunners St. John’s.

Ryan Kalkbrenner was also a standout for the Bluejays, scoring 19 points and recording four blocked shots, while Jamiya Neal contributed 14 points, with 10 coming during the second half.

On the other side of the court, Marquette’s Kam Jones was the game’s high scorer with 27 points, and David Joplin supported with 22 points of his own. Unfortunately for Marquette (18-6, 9-4), this defeat cements their current rough patch, marking their third consecutive loss.

During the game, Marquette managed to erase an 11-point margin in the second half and briefly took the lead at 61-60 after a layup from Joplin with just over six minutes remaining. However, Kalkbrenner’s timely 3-pointer boosted the Bluejays ahead at 67-63 with only 3.5 minutes on the clock.

**Key Takeaways:** For Marquette, this ongoing losing streak is their longest since they dropped four games in a row back in late 2021 and early 2022. Conversely, for the Bluejays, they achieved a new program milestone with their ninth consecutive win in the Big East, matching their strongest start through 13 games since joining the conference in the 2013-14 season. This is their longest win streak since they had a perfect 13-0 run in the 2016-17 season.

**Crucial Moment:** A critical play occurred when Neal managed to finish a tough layup, pushing Creighton to a 72-67 advantage. Following this, he secured a defensive rebound after a Marquette miss, setting the stage for Ashworth’s decisive three-pointer that extended their lead to eight points with just 43 seconds left on the clock.

**Statistics Highlight:** Notable was Ashworth’s turnaround performance from 3-point range, as he had only made three of his last 26 attempts before this game. He finished the night impressively, hitting six out of nine from beyond the arc, a significant improvement considering he went just one for 13 in their earlier matchup against Marquette last month.

**Upcoming Matches:** Looking ahead, Marquette will host DePaul on Tuesday, while Creighton prepares to take on No. 19 UConn at home on the same day.