The No. 10 Creighton men’s basketball team overcame a slow start to defeat Buffalo 93-72 on Tuesday night. It was Creighton’s first game since cracking the top 10 of the Associated Press poll on Monday. The Jays improved to 7-0 with the win, while the Bulls fell to 4-3.

The Bluejays got out to a 15-6 lead eight minutes into the game, which was their largest lead of the half. The Bulls responded to every Creighton run with a punch of their own and stayed in the game.

After trailing through the first 17 minutes, Buffalo guard Blake Hamilton hit a jumper with 3:02 left in the first half to give Buffalo its only lead of the game, prompting a timeout by Creighton coach Greg McDermott.

At the end of the first half, the Jays held a 41-39 lead. The Jays were outrebounded 22-13 in the first half. Although Creighton forced Buffalo into 14 turnovers in the first half, Buffalo used a 53.8 percent shooting clip to stay in the game.

Creighton got off to a better start in the second half, as a jumper and a pair of free throws by junior guard Marcus Foster gave the Jays a 52-44 lead.

The Bulls again would fight back. A post move by senior Raheem Johnson brought Buffalo within three points, shrinking the Jays’ lead to 54-51 with 14 minutes to play in the game.

The Bluejays would respond with a 16-0 run spurred by Foster, who rattled off seven points in less than a minute and a half. The Jays extended their lead to a comfortable 67-51 with 11 minutes to play, and never looked back.

The Jays outscored the Bulls 52-33 in the second half to cruise to a 21-point victory.

Creighton continued its streak of red-hot shooting, going 50.7 percent from the field in the game, including 35 percent from the three. The Jays were able to penetrate the Bulls defense and get high-quality looks, scoring 44 points in the paint.

The Jays had a solid night defensively, limiting Buffalo to 42.4 percent shooting and forcing 21 turnovers.

Creighton was led by Foster, who scored 22 points on 8 of 16 shooting in 33 minutes.

Freshman center Justin Patton provided much-needed energy for the Jays, throwing down multiple emphatic dunks throughout the game. Patton finished with 21 points on 9 of 10 shooting and 10 rebounds in 32 minutes.

Patton is set to take on an increased role after junior center Zach Hanson suffered ligament damage in his ankle last week and is set to miss an extended period of time.

Sophomore guard Khryi Thomas, who was tasked with guarding Buffalo’s star guard Blake Hamilton, had another solid night on the offensive end. Thomas finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds, continuing his trend of contributing in multiple ways for the Bluejays.

Creighton is back in action on Saturday as it takes on Akron at the CenturyLink Center at 7 p.m.