Omaha, Neb.--Wichita State snapped a three-game win streak at the hands of Creighton in the teams' Missouri Valley Conference season opener, 68-56.
Once again junior Clevin Hannah paced the Shocker offense with 17 points and five assists. Freshman Toure' Murry followed closely with 16 points, including nine points from three-point range in the second half. WSU won the battle of the boards, 38-32, but trailed in field-goal and three-point percentage for the majority of the game.
Creighton's Booker Woodfox led the Bluejays with 16 points off of a 67 shooting percentage in front of more than 16,000 at the Qwest Center in Omaha.
The Shockers traded points with the Bluejays for the game's opening six minutes before taking their first lead with a Ramon Clemente free throw, 12-11. Creighton junior Justin Carter tied the game, 14-14, with a three-point play. Despite the low score midway through the first half, each team hovered around 50 percent accuracy from the floor in the game's first 10 minutes.
Quick ball movement and the 21-13 rebounding edge gave the Shockers the weapons they needed to keep the first half close. Hannah played a large role as well, leading his team in the first half with 11 points, including nine straight for the Shockers. On the flipside, Carter led the Jays with eight points in the opening 20 minutes.
With less than three seconds to play in the first half, a Shocker turnover resulted in a goal tending call on an attempted Bluejay lay up, finishing off the first half in Creighton's favor, 33-28.
Woodfox helped along an early second half offensive surge with a three, giving the Jays their largest lead of the game, 38-30. Scoring slowed for the next five minutes, as Creighton dipped below 40 percent from the floor and Wichita State hit less than 30 percent with close to 14 minutes to play.
After holding sophomore P'Allen Stinnett scoreless in the first half, his back-to-back field goals stretched the Jays' lead, 44-35 in the second. WSU answered with a 4-0 run to bring the game within five, but a made three and a Josh Dotzler lay up quickly reversed the Shockers' work. Creighton took its first double-digit lead, 49-39.
Creighton's offensive attack continued. At the eight minute mark, the Jays had overtaken the Shockers with a 14-12 second-half rebounding advantage. Murry sunk a three, but twenty seconds later Creighton knocked down one of its own. With less than seven minutes on the clock, the Shockers trailed, 58-44. Unfazed, Murry added two more from behind the arc.
Unfortunately for the Shockers, it wasn't enough. Carter connected for a three with exactly two minutes remaining, adding to WSU's deficit, 66-50. A fast break lay up by Reggie Chamberlain ended the game as the Shockers lost, 68-56.
-Wichita State-
