Jim Calhoun's grandson lauds Stevie Mitchell as star guard and Kam Jones lead Marquette in win over Creighton

The grandson of UConn coaching great Jim Calhoun was so impressed with Stevie Mitchell's stellar performance against Creighton on Friday night that he posted a six-word tweet on X (formerly Twitter).

The 6-foot-3 guard finished with 18 points, on 7-of-17 shooting, six rebounds, two assists and three steals in 29 minutes of action to help No. 8 Marquette to a 79-71 win over Creighton at the Fiserv Forum.

Mitchell provided additional firepower to Golden Eagles top scorer Kam Jones, who came up with 22 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals for Marquette, who improved to 13-2 (4-0 in Big East).

It was the fourth straight double-figure game and seven in eight games for the senior guard, who averages 12.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals. He has provided the needed efficiency for the team, making 54.7% of his shots, including 41.9% from the 3-point line in 26.7 minutes per game.

Mitchell scored 14 points in the first half to keep Marquette in the game despite Kam Johes' slow start. He was also instrumental in the Golden Eagles' 12-0 crucial surge in the last 2:25 that turned a 35-27 deficit into a 39-35 lead at the half.

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Marquette relies on Kam Jones' second-half surge, Mitchell's playmaking in win over Creighton

Stevie Mitchell continued his scoring attack in the opening minutes of the second half, as Marquette built a 15-point lead. Mitchell scored four quick points and a hand-off to Ben Gold, who buried a 3-pointer, giving the Golden Eagles a 53-38 advantage at the 15:09 mark.

Creighton, however, retaliated with a 15-3 run to cut the deficit to three, 56-53, with 11:18 remaining. Kam Jones finally made his presence felt in the crucial minutes of the second half, scoring 12 to keep Marquette out of harm's way until the final buzzer sounded.

David Joplin added 11 points for the No. 8-ranked Golden Eagles, who shot 41.4% from the field, including 32.4% from the 3-point line. Marquette's defense limited Creighton to 40% from the field and 22.6% from 3-pointers.

Ryan Kalkbrenner finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds for Creighton who dropped to 9-6 (2-2 in Big East). Jamiya Neal added 15 while Steven Ashworth contributed 13 for the Bluejays, who will next meet Butler on Jan. 11 at the Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The Shaka Smart-coached team will next face Georgetown on Tuesday at the Fizerv Forum. The Hoyas are 3-0 in the conference and 12-2 overall. They beat Xavier in their last game 69-63 on Malik Mack's 26 points.