OMAHA, Neb. – Point guard Maurice Watson Jr. racked up a 10-point, 11-assist double-double to spark undefeated and 10th-ranked Creighton to a 113-58 win over Longwood Friday evening at the CenturyLink Center.
 
Playing on national television on Fox Sports 1, Watson was the fulcrum of a dominant all-around effort that saw Creighton (10-0) shoot .586 (41-of-70) from the field and .545 (12-of-22) from three-point range. He was one of five double-figure scorers for the Bluejays, who showcased a deep bench that contributed 56 of the team's 113 points.
 
The NCAA's second-leading assist man, Watson dished his 11 dimes to five different players, orchestrating 28 points with his passing. He set up six of Creighton's 12 three-pointers and hit a pair of his own en route to his third double-double of the season.
 
"What a prolific scoring basketball team," said Longwood head coach Jayson Gee. "Dominant in transition and tremendous depth. They have a dynamic point guard, probably one of the best point guards in the country. I'm not talking about a lottery pick, I'm talking about a pure point guard who's an extension of the coach. His skillset makes everybody better."
 
The triple-digit game was the third of the season for a Creighton team that entered the game ranked second in the nation with a .538 field goal percentage, fourth with a .437 three-point percentage and 10th with 89.2 points per game. That scoring came from the entire lineup as all 13 players Creighton used hit at least one field goal and three reserves – Roby Hegner, Martin Krampelj and Isaiah Zierden – all scored in double figures off the bench.
 
"I'm a believer," Gee said. "I've been doing this for 27 years, and I've coached as an assistant and head coach against a lot of really good basketball teams. I've coached against Syracuse when we upset them at Cleveland State, played Wake Forest when they were fourth in the country with Jeff Teague, and we upset them in the NCAA Tournament. And that team is every bit as good if not better. Not because of their individual talent, but because of the strengths of each part and how they complement each other. They're a very, very impressive basketball team."
 
Creighton flummoxed Longwood (2-5) on the defensive end as well, holding the Lancers to just 58 points and a .375 field goal percentage, both season lows. Keyed by a three-steal, three-block effort from Justin Patton, the Bluejays allowed just six Longwood three-pointers and outscored the Lancers 49-28 in the paint.
 
Longwood got 12 points from Khris Lane, 12 from freshman JaShaun Smith and 11 from redshirt sophomore Isaiah Walton. Smith and Walton both hit a pair of three-pointers, while Walton added three steals and four assists. Chris Shields added seven points and six rebounds, while leading scorer Darrion Allen hit his team-leading 20th three-pointer as part of a nine-point night. Junior center and Saint Joseph's transfer Obi Romeo also hit career highs with three points and three rebounds off the bench.
 
"In the second half we had chances to totally give into it, and we didn't," Gee said. "So I was certainly pleased that our guys showed some fight there at the end. Chris Shields, whom we started tonight, we've needed him to rebound more and he did that with six rebounds tonight.
 
"We'll draw some positives from this, but I think the best thing we can do is move on. This was another level basketball team, and they showed that in every facet of the game. My hat's off to them."
 
Creighton was the ninth top-25 program Longwood has faced in the Division I era and the sixth top-10 team from that group. The Bluejays were the first top-25 program Longwood played since facing both No. 12 Creighton and No. 23 Georgetown during the 2012-13 season, falling to 0-9 all-time against ranked foes.
 
Friday's game is the first of two contests during a five-day road swing for the Lancers, who had to Fairfax, Va., for Monday's 7 p.m. meeting with Commonwealth rival George Mason.
 
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