Ryan Kalkbrenner had the best scoring night by a Creighton player in nearly 60 years on Wednesday night as he totaled 49 points on 20 of 22 shooting while leading the No. 15 Bluejays to a 99-86 win over Texas-Rio Grande Valley. The star center also added 11 rebounds and three blocks without committing a foul in 36 minutes of action.
Only one Creighton player has ever scored more points in a game. That was Bob Portman, who tallied 51 in a game vs. Milwaukee in 1967. But Kalkbrenner’s 20 made field goals set a new program record.
The outburst topped Kalkbrenner’s previous career high of 31 points and was much-needed as the Blue Jays found themselves in a battle with their Southland Conference foe. UTRGV drew within five points on multiple occasions late in the second half, forcing Creighton coach Greg McDermott to stick with his starters until the end.
Kalkbrenner’s performance made it worth the stress inflicted on the crowd of 15,969 at CHI Health Center as he went a perfect 11 of 11 from the floor in the second half while scoring 29 points. It was the fourth time in his career that he’s made multiple 3-pointers in a game as connected on both of his attempts from beyond the arc.
It was apparent early that UTRGV would have trouble matching up with Kalkbrenner. The 7-foot-1 veteran scored his team’s first eight points and never looked back.