Creighton University
Savannah State
Bench Leads Men's Hoops Past Tigers, 78-52
11/29/2007 10:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
OMAHA, Neb. -- Creighton scored 60 points off the bench and tied a school-record with 18 steals in a 78-52 victory over Savannah State on Thursday night. Creighton never trailed in the final game of a four-game season-opening homestand while improving to 4-0. Savannah State dropped to 5-5 with the loss.
Creighton opened the game with leads of 9-0, 14-2 and 22-4 in its first-ever meeting against the Division I school from Savannah, Ga. The Bluejays scored 47 first-half points, leading 47-28 at intermission just five days after posting a 47-20 halftime lead over Nebraska in a 74-62 win over the Cornhuskers.
Creighton shot 50 percent in the first half as all 14 players on the roster played multiple minutes before the break. Savannah State used 14 players in the opening half as well but could not match CU's pressure defense and 14-0 lead in second-chance points.
The Bluejay lead reached as large as 32 (65-33) before it unneccesarily turned into a free-throw shooting contest down the stretch. The teams were whistled for 50 combined fouls and shot 62 free throws between them. CU made 19-of-32 at the stripe while SSU hit 20-of-29 at the stripe.
Three freshmen led Creighton in scoring, paced by 13 points from P'Allen Stinnett and 10 from Kaleb Korver. Casey Harriman added nine points and three steals in the triumph. Despite being held without a field goal in the final 7:18, CU shot 47.3 percent for the game and outrebounded the smaller Tigers 41-24. CU owned a 30-18 advantage in the paint and scored 24 points off 24 Tiger turnovers.
Savannah State, which was starting a six-game road trip, shot 34.9 percent from the field just 2-of-9 (22.2 percent) from downtown. Raye Bailey was the lone player in double-figures, scoring 11 on the evening.
Creighton plays its first road game of the year on Saturday at 3:30 pm (Central) with a game at Drexel. The game will be televised in Omaha on Cox 2 and be broadcast on radio on KXSP (Big Sports 590 AM).
NOTES: Creighton's 60 points off the bench were its most since scoring 61 against Texas-Arlington on Nov. 17, 2002 ...Creighton's bench has outscored its starters this year by a 173-129 margin ...Creighton's18 steals was a Qwest Center Omaha record and tied the school record in any game previously set Dec. 12, 1999 vs. Illinois State and Dec. 18, 1991 at Cleveland State ...Dustin Sitzmann hit a free throw 2:46 left to give the fans free "Godfather's Pizza" whenever CU scores 75 points or more at home. Stizmann also had the pizza-clinching points on Nov. 17 vs. Mississippi Valley State.
