LAS VEGAS — – BJ Davis scored a career-high 18 points and San Diego State defeated 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 went 30 of 62 (48.3%). San Diego State also finished 8 of 17 (47.0%) from three-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 entered the Sportsbook as 4.5-point underdogs, snapped a two-game mini skid against nationally ranked teams with the win.

Takeaways

Creighton: Isaacs, a native of Las Vegas, impressed his hometown crowd with his 18-point performance and is now five behind the 900 with 895 points. He scored 72 points for Creighton since transferring from Texas Tech.

San Diego State: Davis, who saw limited action as a freshman last season amid a guard-oriented roster, was the headliner for the Aztecs this season. He has now set career highs and single-game highs in four games this season. He averages 15.0 points per game.

Key moment

After falling behind 8-4 early in the match, the Aztecs rallied from 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 has never relinquished its lead.

Key stat

18 – San Diego State got a boost from its bench of reserves that outscored Creighton’s bench 18-7, including Las Vegas product Pharaoh Compton with six points.

Next

San Diego State continues to play in the event on Wednesday when it faces Oregon. Creighton will play No. 23 Texas A&M in the tournament on Wednesday.

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