The Creighton men’s basketball team suffered its first loss of the season but rebounded to end its holiday trip to Florida with a win.
Both games were part of the Emerald Coast Classic in Destin, Florida. The Bluejays (6-1) lost a tight game with Ole Miss on Friday then beat Middle Tennessee State in Saturday’s third-place game.
Ole Miss went on to beat Cincinnati 66-54 to claim the tournament title.
Sophomore guard Isaiah Zierden was named to the all-tournament team after scoring 52 points in the four games that made up the tournament.
Creighton led for nearly 38 of the 40 minutes on Saturday and was up big at halftime en route to a 57-47 win over Middle Tennessee.
The Jays steadily pulled out ahead as the first half played out and took a 36-15 lead into the break. Creighton’s offense was hitting on all cylinders as the Jays shot 60.9 percent from the floor, including 4 of 7 from 3-point range. On the other end, Creighton held Middle Tennessee to 26.1 percent shooting and 2 of 7 from deep.
The script flipped in the second half, however.
After hitting everything in the first half, the Jays couldn’t buy a bucket in the second. Creighton scored on the first possession then went more than 16 minutes without a made field goal. During that stretch, Creighton made eight free-throws, missed nine field goals and turned the ball over nine times.
In contrast, Middle Tennessee finally found its offense, doubling its shooting percentage in the second half and pulling within eight at the 5:48 mark. That was as close as the Blue Raiders got, however.
Zierden finally snapped the streak of misses in a big way, drilling a 3-pointer as he was being fouled; he sank the free-throw to complete the four-point play and end any hope of a Middle Tennessee comeback.
The Blue Raiders outscored the Bluejays 32-21 in the second half and the Jays made just three field goals, but they went 14 of 16 at the free-throw line to maintain the lead.
Zierden was the only Bluejay to reach double digits with 10. Senior center Will Artino had nine points, four rebounds and a block in 15 minutes. Senior point guard Austin Chatman played all 40 minutes and scored eight points.
Before taking on Middle Tennessee, Creighton lost for the first time in its first game away from CenturyLink Center Omaha on Friday as the Ole Miss Rebels came out on top 75-68.
After falling behind early, a layup by Chatman sparked a 17-2 run that included nine points (three free throws and two 3-pointers) from Zierden and two 3-pointers from senior guard Devin Brooks. At the end of the run, the Jays led 27-18 with 8:28 to go in the first half.
The Rebels pulled back within two on a pair of free throws by Jarvis Summers, but Creighton scored the last two buckets to take a 37-31 lead into the locker room.
The Rebels retook the lead at 41-39 at the 16:24 mark, and the two teams played hot potato with the lead throughout the rest of the half, as the lead changed hands five times.
Creighton took its last lead at the 2:11 mark, but gave it up almost 30 seconds later when Martevious Newby drained a 3-pointer. The Jays made just one shot – a banked 3-pointer from the corner by Chatman – during the final two minutes and the Rebels went 7 of 8 from the free-throw line in the final minute to maintain their lead.
Summers led all scorers with 23 points and went on to earn a spot on the all-tournament team.
Zierden led Creighton with 18 points (including five triples) and tied for the team lead with five rebounds. Chatman and Brooks combined for 29 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds.
Senior wing Avery Dingman made his season debut and scored two points in five minutes. Dingman missed the first five games after suffering a severe ankle sprain in preseason practice.
Creighton’s road trip continues on Wednesday against Tulsa and concludes on Sunday in Lincoln. Tip-off against the Huskers is set for 6 p.m.