Creighton's early 23-0 run dooms Iowa State in 71-58 men’s basketball loss

OMAHA, Neb. — Iowa State fell victim to a 23-0 run in the first half of Friday’s exhibition men’s basketball game at Creighton.

The No. 16 Cyclones simply couldn’t shoot straight — nor effectively rotate — as they struggled on both ends and eventually fell behind by 28 points.

But then the light flickered on for ISU. The Cyclones forced 10 second-half turnovers and pulled within eight late before falling, 71-58, in front of 15,571 fans at CHI Health Center.

“Obviously, (it’s) clear to see the second half is who we are from an identity standpoint,” said ISU head coach T.J. Otzelberger, who faced his mentor and former Cyclone head coach Greg McDermott. “We want to be disruptive. We want to turn people over. … I felt like we did a better job disrupting their rhythm in that second half, (and) obviously, the first half was exactly how they want to play.”

Creighton drilled eight of its 18 3-point attempts before the break. ISU went 0-for-14 from beyond the arc and finished with just six assists on 22 made baskets. It’s hard to win any game when that type of disparity exists, but the Cyclones crafted a 12-0 run to make the score, 65-57, on forward Blake Buchanan’s layup with 2:52 left.

ISU got no closer, but it did learn a lot about itself. Senior forward Joshua Jefferson notched his 14th career double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Freshman Killyan Toure, Dominykas Pleta and Jamarion Batemon logged considerable minutes as senior starting point guard Tamin Lipsey remains out for at least a couple more weeks because of on MCL sprain. Toure started at point in Lipsey’s stead and finished with seven points on 3-for-4 shooting while grabbing four rebounds.

“I thought he made some big energy plays for us on the glass,” Otzelberger said. "He had one turnover in 27 minutes and was very disruptive defensively.”

So were all the Cyclones early in the exhibition. ISU took a quick 6-0 lead and held an 8-4 edge before the Bluejays’ big run led to a 46-23 halftime lead. The Cyclones shot just 33 percent from the field in the first half and missed several layups.

“I just don’t think we were playing to our identity,” Jefferson said. “We weren’t pressuring the ball. We let them get to the middle too many times and then I think I just need to be a little more aggressive — a couple missed ones early. So just coming out with the right intensity at the get-go is how we need to start.”

It’s also how they need to finish. Friday’s stats won’t count this season. Nor will the loss — or from Creighton’s perspective — the win. The two teams will meet again on Nov. 25 in the stacked Players Era Championship event in Las Vegas — and let’s just say they’ll both look entirely different when that game rolls around.

“It means absolutely nothing,” McDermott said. “There’s a ton of stuff that we didn’t use tonight that we’re saving for when we play them in November, and I’m pretty certain that T.J. — even though his sleeves are much shorter than mine, I think he’s got some things up his sleeve that he’s saving for November as well.”

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