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Creighton's offensive attack sinks Mavericks

Jays make 14 triples in exhibition win
Creighton's offensive attack sinks Mavericks
Posted at 9:19 PM, Oct 26, 2017
and last updated 2017-10-26 22:19:58-04

On a night to benefit hurricane relief efforts, it was raining 3's inside the CenturyLink Center. 

Creighton hit 14 of 33 shots from behind the arc en route to a 96-67 victory over Omaha. The Jays were especially lethal in the first half, connecting on 8-19 from deep. 

To their credit, the Mavs made a splash from deep as well, connecting on 6 of 29. 

While the game may have ultimately not counted for anything, it was a chance for coaches, fans, and the media to learn a little something about these teams. 

Here's a few takeaways from the night. 

FOR CREIGHTON

The Jays' primary wings, Marcus Foster and Khyri Thomas, are going to be really, really good this year. Foster finished the night with 22 points, while Thomas chipped in 19. No matter who ends up starting at the point, Thomas looks like the floor general for the Jays. He's gotten even better during the offseason, especially at the offensive end. 

Speaking of the point, although Davion Mintz started the game, Kaleb Joseph, Tyler Clement, and even freshman Ty-Shon Alexander all saw action at the spot. It looks like Mintz will get the first crack, but it will likely be a fluid position.  

Grad transfer Manny Suarez had impact moments in the post, finishing with 14 points and 8 rebounds in just 11 minutes. He's not likely to get pushed around, but will need to stay out of foul trouble. 

Big picture, Creighton's offense will have to lead the way early this year. The Jays have never been an elite defensive team under Greg McDermott, and that's likely the case again. Creighton looks set at the wing, but will have some moving parts at both the point and the post. 

FOR OMAHA

Omaha enters the season in a bit of rebuilding mode after losing their top three scorers off of last year's squad. The new Maverick attack centers around junior Mitch Hanh, who averaged 11.7 points per game off the bench last year. He'll have help from fellow returners Daniel Norl, KJ Robinson, and Zach Jackson.

Hahn finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Robinson added 15 points to lead UNO in scoring. 

Inconsistent shooting and shaky defense on the night ultimately sunk the Mavs, who shot just 29.9 percent on the night, while allowing the Jays to hit 50 percent from the floor. 

Much like Creighton, UNO will need their offense to lead the way - nothing new under Derrin Hansen - and it'll take a better shooting performance than what they showed against Creighton, which is far from a great defensive team.

In the post game, Hansen made the comment that 1-4, the Mavs are about as good of a shooting team as he's had. First game under the lights, and a few things didn't go. 

OTHER NOTES:

Game officials John Higgins, Trent Lovewell, and Pete Larson donated their game fee to hurricane relief efforts. 

Announced attendance was 8280.