Nov. 24, 2000

Box Score

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Experience paid off for Creighton as the Bluejays held off Cleveland State 66-59 Friday in the first round of the Energia Systems Thanksgiving Tournament at Municipal Auditorium.

The Vikings, who suffered their first loss, knoted the game at 54-all on a Doc Taylor lay-up with 3:38 remaining for the seventh tie of the game. The 'Jays, who returned all five starters from last year's squad that was a #10 seed in the NCAA Tournament, answered with a jumper from senior guard Ben Walker and a layup from senior guard Ryan Sears to go up 58-54 at the 2:34 mark.

CSU's Theo Dixon then dropped in a pair of free throws at 1:34 to shave the lead to 58-56. However, sophomore forward Kyle Korver fired in a three on the next possession and the Vikes were forced to foul in order to catch up. Creighton, who had struggled at the line all game, sank 5-of-8 free throws in the last minute to seal the game, offsetting a three-pointer by Dixon with 11 seconds left.

"I thought it was a terrific game for an early-season contest," said CSU Head Coach Rollie Massimino. "Both teams played very hard, but their (Creighton's) experience down the stretch paid off. Korver made a big, big three."

Walker led all scorers with 18 points while Korver chipped in 12 markers to go along with a game-high 10 rebounds for the Bluejays. Dixon paced four CSU scorers in double figures with 15 points, followed by guards Jamaal Harris and Jermaine Robinson with 12 apiece and Doc Taylor with 10. For the third straight game, Cleveland State outrebounded its opponent, holding a 39-34 edge on the boards.

Neither squad fared well from the line as CSU connected on 62.5% (15-of-24) and Creighton dropped in just 51.3% (20-of-39).

The Vikings will face the loser of the UMKC-Providence game Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET while Creighton gets the winner of that contest at 7:30 p.m. ET.