With curious onlookers watching, eight boys posed for photos and then climbed into a black Cadillac Escalade limousine for a two-hour trip to Des Moines, Iowa.

Business sophomore Ben Bertolini and seven of his friends got to ride in style to Des Moines to see the Jays take on the Drake Bulldogs on Wednesday night. The game was a 79-68 victory for the Jays, and gave head coach Dana Atlman his 300th victory as Creighton’s coach.

Bertolini won the rare opportunity to take a limo to Des Moines by tying with business senior Michael Ritchie in the shooting competition held during halftime at men’s home basketball games. As a tiebreaker, Bertolini’s friends paid Ritchie to let them have the limo.

“I did not pay him a dime, it was my seven friends that wanted to go on the trip that paid him,” Bertolini said.

The Escalade limo was a surprise for Bertolini and his friends.

“It definitely exceeded my expectations,” he said.

Besides the limo, State Farm supplied the students with “Go Jays” signs, blue “State Farm” headbands and complimentary ice.

After a “spacious” ride, the students arrived in Des Moines early enough to decide if they wanted to go somewhere else before the game started, or straight to their seats. They chose to go to their seats.

Bertolini and his friends attend every Jays home game and can always be seen in one of the front two rows. Although they sat farther back in Drake’s Knapp Center than they do in the Qwest, the boys were surrounded by other Creighton fans, so it was still fun. Despite their distance from the court, they were still able to see the game well.

“We’re farther back, but this arena isn’t a Qwest-style arena,” Bertolini said. “It’s more of a high school-style arena, so we’re not too far from the action.”

Bertolini and his friends traveled to Des Moines last year to see the game on the Birdcage’s sponsored bus. The Birdcage charges $25 for a spot on the bus. Bertolini and his friends all saved money this year, though Bertolini saved more than the rest of them.

“Our logic was that last year it cost $25 to go on a school bus sponsored by the Birdcage, and we were stuck with the Blue Crew, and we found that a tiny bit annoying,” Bertolini said. “This year, my friends saved $5 and are going to be riding in a better atmosphere.”

Bertolini doesn’t travel to many of the away games, but he does plan on going to Carbondale, Ill. for the game against Southern Illinois.

“I’m gonna go to one more this year, but this one is definitely going to be my best trip,” Bertolini said.