Creighton wins bracket buster

A 13-2 burst to start the second half helped key Creighton men’s basketball to a 78-58 victory over Loyola Chicago in a battle of Jesuit rivals on Saturday night at Qwest Center Omaha.
Creighton evened its record to 14-14, while Loyola fell to 14-13. The game was part of the 8th Annual BracketBusters series, though it was not televised.
Creighton led most of the first half, but Loyola scored the final seven points to close within 34-33 at the break. Kenny Lawson Jr. had 10 points in the opening half to lead CU, while Terrance Hill and Walt Gibler each scored eight for the Ramblers.
Creighton threw together a 13-2 run out of the second half gates, getting five points from Lawson before three-pointers from Casey Harriman and Kaleb Korver capped the surge. That gave the Jays a 47-35 lead, and Loyola would get no closer than nine points the rest of the night.
Creighton would coast from there, using a 15-5 run to go ahead 70-50, which matched CU’s largest lead of the game.
Lawson Jr. had his fifth double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Cavel Witter had 12 points and three assists in 19 minutes off the bench. Justin Carter approached his first career double-dip with eight points and nine rebounds. Creighton shot 48.3 percent for the game and hit 15-of-21 at the line. Creighton outrebounded Loyola Chicago, 38-31.
Loyola was paced by 15 points off the bench by Gibler. Hill (12 points) and Geoff McCammon (11 points) also scored in double-figures for the Ramblers. Andy Polka topped Loyola with 10 rebounds. The Ramblers shot 37 percent for the game but hit just 3-of-19 from downtown. The Ramblers were also 15-of-18 from the line.
Creighton returns to action on Tuesday with a 7:05 pm game at Southern Illinois.