Box Score OMAHA, Neb. ? Creighton (2-1) hit 11 three pointers and used a 17-2 run at the start of the second half to hand the UALR men's basketball team (1-3) an 80-65 loss at Qwest Center Omaha on Sunday. Five different players scored in double figures for the Bluejays, led by a team-high 13 points from P'Allen Stinnett.
The Trojans battled back from an 18-point deficit in the first half to make it a five-point contest at the break, 35-30, but Creighton opened up the second half on a 17-2 run and never looked back. UALR committed 18 turnovers on the night and was outrebounded 37-to-32, with the Bluejays grabbing 13 offensive boards.
Creighton's Kenny Lawson totaled 11 points off 4-of-8 shooting and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, while Kaleb Korver added 12 points off a 4-of-8 effort from three-point range.
Juniors Solomon Bozeman and Matt Mouzy paced the Trojan offense with 16 points apiece, with Mouzy going 4-of-8 from three-point range. Senior Mike Smith added 10 points and seven boards, while junior Alex Garcia-Mendoza chipped in eight points and a team-high nine rebounds in the losing effort.
Creighton forced UALR into three turnovers over the first two minutes and used a pair of three pointers by Korver to jump out to a quick 11-4 lead. Cavel Witter delivered a three pointer of his own moments later as the Bluejays' lead reached 10 points, 14-4, at the 14:17 mark.
The Trojans committed 10 turnovers over the first 20 minutes, and were forced to play most of the half without starting point guard Lionel Foster, as the Houston, Texas-native picked up his second foul just 2:37 into the game.
UALR saw its deficit reach as high as 18 points, 33-15, after a bucket by Darryl Ashford with 4:40 to go, but the Trojans made things interesting by closing out the half on a 15-2 run to make it a five-point game at the break, 35-30.
Mouzy scored eight points to fuel the run, hitting a pair of three pointers and two foul shots to bring the Trojans back. Mouzy capped off the 15-2 run with a three pointer with 39 seconds left in the half to make it a 35-30 contest.
After seeing its lead cut to five, Creighton ripped off a 17-2 run at the start of the second half to push its advantage to 20 points, 52-32, with 14:48 remaining. The Bluejays connected three times from beyond the arc during the 17-2 run, and took advantage of a pair of technical fouls against the Trojans ? as UALR was whistled for two over the first 2:50 of the half.
Antoine Young delivered a pair of three pointers and scored eight points during the run, while Stinnett scored six points from the free-throw line. Young capped off the run with a layup to put the Bluejays ahead by 20.
Trailing 65-43, UALR ripped off a quick 9-0 spurt to cut its deficit to 13 points, 65-52, with 4:38 to go, but the Bluejays used a dunk by Kenny Lawson and a three pointer by Cavel Witter to dash any hopes of a comeback.
UALR returns to action Wednesday at 7 p.m. when it squares off against Louisiana Tech in Ruston, La.
