Jays defense stops Sycamores

Photos by Courtney Wittmann
Senior center Anthony Tolliver goes up for a rebound against the Indiana State Sycamores in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament quarterfinal. The Jays won 59-38.

By BRIAN NORTON
Online / Presentation Editor

ST. LOUIS – Sluggish starts to both halves were the norm in the fifth game of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament as the Creighton men’s basketball team finished the first half strong to gain a lead they would not relinquish and beat the Indiana State Sycamores 59-38.

Within the first 12 minutes to start each half the two teams combined for a total of only 56 points, largely as a result of poor shooting.

For the game, Creighton shot 41 percent to the Sycamores 23 percent.

The 38 points scored by the Sycamores in the game were the lowest scored in conference tournament history.

Senior center Anthony Tolliver credited a strong overall defensive effort for the Sycamores low scoring output. The Jays forced 17 turnovers and had 10 steals and four blocks.

In spite of a 37 percent shooting first half, the Jays rallied from a 12-6 deficit at the 13-minute mark to a 32-20 halftime lead.

The 26-8 run propelled the Jays and jumpstarted the Creighton contingent of the crowd.

Freshman guard Isacc Miles and senior guard Nate Funk led the first half rally with 21 points combined, including 3 of 4 from 3-points for Miles. The freshman also led the team with five rebounds and added a steal. He finished the game with nine points.

Funk led the Jays with 14 points for the game, adding in five rebounds, a block and two steals.

The Sycamores did not have any players in double-figures, with forward Adam Arnold leading with nine points and six rebounds.

With a double-digit lead for the entire second half, Creighton was able to rest starters Funk, Tolliver, senior guard Nick Porter and Miles in preparation for the semifinals of the tournament.

“It’s even bigger that the guys that came in after us did their job,” Funk said. “That was a key thing. It’s nice to have some rest going into tomorrow.”

Tolliver agreed with Funk but also said that resting was tough because he wanted to get back out and compete.

Altman said he did not know if the extra rest would be beneficial or not, suggesting he had seen both positive and negative reactions to rest during his time at Creighton.

“Manny [Gakou] probably got tired playing that many minutes,” Altman jokingly added. “He won’t be able to play tomorrow.”

Junior guard Brice Nengsu saw his first extended stretch of playing time in the second half, playing eight minutes. He scored two points and grabbed two rebounds for the Jays. Sophomore walk-on Dustin Sitzmann also saw action, finishing the final 3:37 of the game.

The win was the 20th of the season for the Jays, extending their streak of 20 win seasons. Altman said that the leadership of Tolliver was a big reason for the success this season.

“I think this team has done a good job of overcoming adversity,” Altman said. “Anthony Tolliver is a fine young man. I don’t know if there is any area he has a weakness … he did a great job of keeping this team together.”

The Jays will Missouri State in the semifinals Saturday at 4. The Bears defeated the Wichita State Shockers Friday night, 67-64.