Creighton claims heavyweight title at basketball Main Event

So, what do you get the man who has everything for his birthday?

How about a nice belt?

But not just any belt. We're talking a championship belt, like the ones Floyd Mayweather Jr. used to collect.

Greg McDermott was the recipient of just such a present Wednesday after he celebrated his 51st birthday in style with his Creighton basketball team winning the Men Who Speak Up Main Event Heavyweight Division at the MGM Grand Garden. The Bluejays prevailed, 97-76, over Massachusetts in a game that saw 59 personal fouls called.

"It's one of the more unique birthday presents I've received but this was a unique game," McDermott said. "With all the fouls, it tested our depth and our kids did a good job playing through the adversity of all the whistles."

Three years ago, McDermott came to town with his team the week of his birthday and won the Las Vegas Invitational at the Orleans Arena. Wednesday, he brought a new group to a different tournament and still walked away with the title.

"I think we're a little better than people think," McDermott said. "Anytime you win a tournament, it's going to help your confidence."

It also helped having the ultra-quick Maurice Watson Jr. on the floor running things. Watson was virtually unstoppable as he took the Minutemen apart with 16 points and five assists as Creighton improved to 4-1.

Watson set the tempo early, dribbling around or simply sprinting past UMass defenders en route to easy layups. He had 11 first-half points as the Bluejays held a 37-29 lead.

Watson showed no signs of slowing down in the second half as he continued his single-handed assault on the Minutemen defense. Creighton led by as many as 27 in the second half, and with teammates Geoffrey Groselle and tourney Most Valuable Player Cole Huff pitching in with 20 and 12 points respectively and five players in all finishing in double figures, the Bluejays cruised to the title.

"Getting off to that quick start was critical," McDermott said of the second half. "You don't want to give them a chance to gain any momentum and we had a lot of contributions from a lot of guys. Our depth showed its face (Wednesday)."

UMass, which lost for the first time this season and went to 4-1, struggled from the perimeter. The Minutemen were just 1 of 9 on 3-point tries in the opening 20 minutes and finished 3 for 16 from long distance.

Trey Davis led UMass with 19 points.

Clemson got off to a fast start and defeated Rutgers 76-58 in the Heavyweight consolation game. The Tigers, who bounced back from Monday's loss to UMass, improved to 4-1 and were led by Jaron Blossomgame and Donte Grantham with 22 points apiece.

The Scarlet Knights, who dropped to 3-3, saw their chances to come back compromised when talented freshman guard Corey Sanders injured his left ankle late in the first half and did not return. Deshawn Freeman led Rutgers with 13 points.

In Wednesday's Middleweight Bracket championship game, Howard handled Central Arkansas, 73-54 for the school's first tournament victory in 15 years.

Howard (3-2) played a smart 40 minutes, using a 3-2 matchup zone defense to frustrate the Bears while getting balanced scoring on a day leading scorer James Daniel struggled to knock down shots.

"This team has bought in to what we've been trying to teach," Howard coach Kevin Nickelberry said. "We're starting to change the perception people have of us."

The zone used by Howard was effective from the outset as Central Arkansas turned it over three straight possessions. The Bears were struggling mightily trying to finish and quickly fell behind 17-4 5:47 into the contest.

Howard increased the lead to 34-12 with 7:14 to go in the first half and at intermission, led 40-24.

"When we first put the matchup in, guys were saying, "I want to play man-to-man," Nickelberry said. "But that's what defines us now. The guys get after it from the opening tip and we're creating tempo for our offense off our defense."

Daniel, who came into Wednesday's game as the nation's leading scorer in men's Division I with a 29-point average, was not able to shake free as the Bears did a good job of contesting his attempts. Daniel would finish with 20 points on 8-of-20 shooting.

But his teammates were there for him, mainly Damon Collins. The junior swingman finished with a double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 12 rebounds while shooting an efficient 7 of 8 from the floor.

Marcel Boyd also posted a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds with six of his 10 points coming down the stretch as Howard closed out the Bears.

Central Arkansas, which trailed by as many as 24 in the first half, got as close as 50-39 six minutes into the second half. The Bears, who fell to 1-4, were led by Jordan Howard, who had 16 points.

In the Middleweight consolation game, David Blanks and Chris Thomas scored 23 points apiece as Texas Southern defeated UTSA 91-80 for the Tigers' first win of the season.

TSU (1-4) managed to win despite shooting just 52 percent from the foul line (26 of 50). Ryan Bowie had 22 points to lead UTSA (1-5).

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj