Kent State Hands Men's Basketball First Loss, 67-58
12/7/2004 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Box Score
OMAHA, Neb. -- Creighton senior Kellen Miliner had a game-high 21 points, but it wasn't enough as Kent State (6-2) handed the Bluejays (7-1) a 67-58 defeat at Qwest Center OMAHA on Tuesday.
Kent State's Kevin Warzynski had 11 of his team-best 15 points in the second half, including a pair of three-pointers during a 13-2 stretch that helped the Golden Flashes put the game out of reach.
The Golden Flashes wasted no time building an early 22-11 lead, forcing Creighton into eight turnovers in the opening 11 minutes of the game. However, the Bluejays would creep back late in the half, closing to 30-29 when Tyler McKinney made a driving lay-up in the waning seconds of the first half.
Creighton would take a 35-32 lead early in the second half, only to see Kent State score eight straight points to go up for good. Creighton got within one point at 45-44 with 9:47 to play, only to have a trey by DeAndre Haynes spark the game-clinching 13-2 spurt.
Kent State would build its lead as large at 65-49 with 2:20 to play before Creighton scored nine of the final 11 points.
In addition to 21 from Miliner, Nate Funk had 14 points and seven rebounds for the Bluejays.
Warzynski had 15 to lead Kent State, while Jason Edwin added 10. In addition, Haynes finished with a double-double with 13 points and 11 assists to go with eight turnovers.
Kent State shot 49.1 percent for the game, including 53.8 percent in the second half. KSU also outrebounded the Jays 34-29 and forced Creighton into 18 turnovers.
Creighton returns to action on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. when they travel to Lincoln to face in-state rival Nebraska. The game will be televised by Fox Sports Midwest.
NOTES: Creighton had won its last six home games in which it faced a double-digit deficit ...Creighton had won its last eight home games in which it trailed at halftime ...Creighton's nine-point home loss was its worst since Feb. 19, 2000 to Southern Illinois (92-83). The Bluejays have not lost at home by double-digits since Jan. 3, 1996 ...Creighton's 58 points matched its lowest output in 21 games at Qwest Center OMAHA. CU hasn't scored less than 58 in a home game since Dec. 29, 1996 ...Creighton had won the last 17 games that Tyler McKinney had played in dating to the end of the 2002-03 season. The Bluejays have never lost consecutive games with McKinney in the starting line-up.
