NEWARK, N.J. — Martin Krampelj knows he’s not the tallest or the strongest center in the Big East. But he might just be the fastest.
And he intends to use his quickness to his advantage all season long.
It was certainly on display Thursday during Creighton’s 90-84 defeat at Seton Hall, when Krampelj scored a career-high 23 points. He made 11 of his 16 shots. He had four dunks, including a couple of powerful slams in traffic. He regularly rolled (or slipped) to the rim off ball screens — Seton Hall’s big men just couldn’t keep up.
“I’m active,” Krampelj said. “I’m going to have to outrun them, I’m going to have to outsmart them. … I’m going to have to get around and find a way.”
The 6-foot-9 sophomore has been productive in this role all season, though. Thursday was more of the same, according to coach Greg McDermott.
Still, Krampelj averaged just 2.8 points and 2.2 rebounds during 29 games last year. He played 51 total minutes against Big East opponents.
Yet he’s up to 12.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per contest through 13 games. And he looked plenty comfortable in his first extensive duty in a conference game Thursday. Krampelj said he prepared himself behind the scenes last season.
“I might not have played as much last year, but I was playing against Big East dudes like Justin Patton in practice,” Krampelj said. “Now the lights are on.”
Offensive woes start on D
Creighton had a considerable drop-off in offensive efficiency after halftime Thursday, but McDermott thought that had more to do with its inability to get stops defensively.
Seton Hall scored 18 points on its first 11 second-half possessions. It had a 14-2 run over an eight-possession span where it scored on seven trips down the floor. The Pirates ended up shooting 53.3 percent from the floor after the break.
“When we’re taking the ball out of the net, like we did the second half, our transition game is not where it needs to be,” McDermott said. “That’s really the difference between the first half and the second half.”
Plus, there were turnovers — CU had just three before halftime but gave the ball away nine times in the second half (and five times in the final six minutes). The Jays probably settled for too many jumpers — Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard commended his players for doing better at keeping Creighton out of the paint.
But ultimately, CU wasn’t able to push tempo offensively — with the defense on its heels — at its preferred speed often enough. After shooting 54.1 percent in the first half, the Jays made 41.2 percent of their shots after the break. Their defensive breakdowns were to blame, according to McDermott.
“They did a good job of attacking us,” he said.
Foster goes back in after fall
Marcus Foster landed awkwardly on his right leg early in the first half Thursday and he immediately feared the worst.
“It didn’t feel right,” he said. “I’ve never had that feeling before.”
Two teammates had to help him to the bench. He walked down the arena tunnel for more tests.
But Foster eventually got enough assurance inside the locker room. He said he told athletic trainer Ben McNair that he was “going back in no matter what.”
Foster did return Thursday. He only missed about five minutes of action after falling down on the court.
On his third possession back on to the court, he dribbled into the lane, rose up and finished with a strong one-handed dunk.
But the injury did bother him a bit, Foster said. He finished with 14 points — just two after halftime. He’ll get the knee evaluated further Friday.
Bits and pieces
» The Jays’ 5 of 25 shooting performance from behind the 3-point line was their second-worst of the season. They went 5 for 30 in their loss to Baylor.
» Junior Khyri Thomas took a season-high 17 shots. He only made five of them. But he did finish with 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
» Sophomore Davion Mintz tied a season high with 10 points.
» Seton Hall outscored CU 22-9 in points off turnovers.
» Creighton’s next opponent, Providence, earned a convincing 94-72 road win over St. John’s on Thursday night. The Jays will host the Friars on Sunday.
