Creighton University
Drexel
Men's Basketball Drops Drexel, 72-48
12/1/2007 7:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- Cavel Witter scored 20 points on his 20th birthday and the Creighton men's basketball team forced 29 turnovers in a 72-48 road win at Drexel on Saturday. The Bluejays won their first road game of the season to improve to 5-0, while Drexel dropped to 5-3 in the BracketBusters rematch.
Down 8-6, the Bluejays put together an 11-0 run early to take a 19-8 lead, holding Drexel without a point for a span of 6:43 while building a lead they would hold the rest of the afternoon. CU would later close the first half on an 8-0 run, with all those points coming after Drexel turnovers. The Dragons would commit a season-high 29 turnovers in the contest, including 18 in the first half.
CU's lead remained in double-digits throughout the second stanza. A key six-point possession with 6:47 left sealed the game for the visitors.
Drexel got within 12 points after five straight points from all-CAA center Frank Elegar. Elegar missed a shot on DU's next trip, and Randy Oveneke missed a tip-in. While scrambling for the rebound, Elegar was whistled for going over the back of Bluejay big man Dane Watts, his fifth personal. A frustrated Oveneke slammed the ball down, earning a quick technical foul. Drexel coach Bruiser Flint was also assessed a technical foul for continued dissent while the officials were sorting out the calls.
Witter, who was 10-for-10 at the line on the day, drained four straight free throws for the technicals, and Watts then converted a pair at the line as a result of the Elegar personal foul. The Drexel meltdown left Creighton with a 54-36 lead and quashed any momentum the hosts were building.
Witter would also score eight of CU's final 10 points while scoring a personal-best 20 points. Watts also finished in double-figures, scoring 10 points, grabbing six rebounds and limiting Elegar to just nine points and one rebound.
Creighton shot 43.6 percent from the field overall, but just 4-of-24 (16.7 percent) from downtown. CU made up for their long-range struggles with a 20-for-23 showing at the charity stripe, good for a season-best 87 percent at the line.
Drexel was led by 12 points from Tramayne Hawthorne, though he was just 4-of-12 from the field. The Dragons 29 turnovers were the most by a Bluejay foe since Nebraska on Dec. 11, 2005, and converted into 26 Creighton points.
Creighton returns to action on Wednesday, Dec. 5 with a 7:05 pm (Central) game at nationally-ranked Xavier. The game can be heard on Big Sports 590 (590 AM) and will be televised on KMTV.
NOTES: Cavel Witter's 20 points came in just 16 minutes of play. He is the third different Bluejay to score 20 or more points this season, joining senior Dane Wats and freshman P'Allen Stinnett ...All five of Creighton's wins have been by 12 or more points ...Creighton head coach Dana Altman improved to 7-1 all-time against CAA foes ...Cavel Witter's perfection in 22 free throw attempts is the longest free throw streak to open a season in school history, two more makes than Kyle Korver's start to the 2001-02 season ...Among those in attendance at the soldout John A. Daskalakis Athletic Center was Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell.
