Ryan Kalkbrenner thrilled with 49 in the opening win for Creighton

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Big East Conference preseason player of the year Ryan Kalkbrenner scored a career-high 49 points, and 15th-ranked Creighton needed nearly every one in its season-opening 99-86 win over UT-Rio Grande including Valley on Wednesday evening.

The 6-foot-11 Kalkbrenner, a fifth-year center, was 20 of 22 from the field, including 2 of 2 on 3-pointers, and he made 7 of 8 free throws. He also grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked three shots.

“We went into the game with the plan to establish me in the position and we implemented that,” he said. “I kept working and didn’t really think about what happened in the previous piece. I was just trying to do the next thing.”

The eye-opening statistics placed him at or near the top of a number of records, including:

• Fifth-most points in a game in Big East history

• Second-most points in Creighton history behind Bob Portman's 51 against UW-Milwaukee in 1967

• Second-most points by a player in a season opener in the last 25 years (Arkansas' Rotnei Clarke had 51 in a win over Alcorn State in 2009)

• The 20 field goals made tied the Big East record in a single game (Providence's MarShon Brooks against Notre Dame in 2011).

• The 91% shooting percentage from the field was the highest field goal percentage in a 45-point game by any Division I player in the last 25 seasons and the highest by a player in a game in the Attempted 20 or more shots in the last 25 years

“To go to work like he did in the offseason and then really be under the lights for the first time to do something superhuman is pretty special,” Bluejays coach Greg McDermott said. “And he deserves it. There is no person on the planet more deserving of success than Ryan Kalkbrenner because he goes after everything every day.”

Towards the end of the game, the crowd began chanting encouragement, begging Kalkbrenner to shoot so he could reach the 50-point mark. Kalkbrenner, not knowing he was only one point away, decided to pass the ball to a guard and let the clock run out.

“Having a good first game is great,” Kalkbrenner said, “but we still have about 30 games left and hopefully games that mean a lot more.”

As he left the court after the buzzer and walked down the tunnel, nearby fans chanted “MVP!” MVP!”

Even with Kalkbrenner's effort, Creighton, a Sweet 16 team three times in the last four seasons, was only able to shake off the Southland Conference Vaqueros in the final two minutes.

Hasan Abdul Hakim had 24 points and Cliff Davis and DK Thorn added 17 each for the Vaqueros (0-2), who were within 87-82 when Howie Fleming Jr. made a fifth-chance basket with 2:37 left.

Kalkbrenner, who is averaging 14 points per game for his career, considered leaving Creighton after last season to enter the NBA draft. He decided to return to school for a fifth season to improve his game.

“This is my 15th year and five with him,” McDermott said. “He was a blessing to coach and watch. He's just as eager to learn as he was when he walked across campus as a freshman. He treats the film and his work in the same way. He decided to come back because he believed he could progress and prepare for the next level. Tonight is a good first step in that direction.

Information from ESPN Research and The Associated Press was used in this report.