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Creighton tops unbeaten Western Illinois, 97-67

Posted at 12:50 PM, Nov 29, 2015
and last updated 2015-11-29 13:50:50-05

Creighton Men's Basketball had four men in double-figures and never trailed in a 97-67 win over previously unbeaten Western Illinois on Saturday.

Khyri Thomas led Creighton (5-1) with 18 points while Geoffrey Groselle had another strong performance with 17 points and nine rebounds. Also in double-figures was James Milliken (12) and Isaiah Zierden (11). CU scored on 42-of-66 possessions, averaging 1.47 points per trip against a scoring defense that came in ranked ninth nationally while allowing just 57.6 points per contest.

Western Illinois (5-1) was led by 14 points from Garret Covington. The Leathernecks, who entered the night leading the country in three-point percentage at 51.8 percent from deep, finished 10-of-22 (45.5 percent) from downtown on Saturday.

The Bluejays led 44-31 at the half thanks in part to a 28-15 edge on the glass in the opening 20 minutes. Milliken (12 points) and Groselle (9 points, 6 rebounds) were the main beneficiaries before the break.

Any chance of a Western Illinois comeback was quickly squashed as CU opened the second half with a 14-7 blitz that seven points by Thomas and five more from Maurice Watson Jr. Thomas would score 14 points in 10 minutes of play after intermission as Creighton sank 20-of-32 field goals in the second half.

Creighton's offensive outburst made it the nation's only team this season to score 97 or more points in a game in which it's had four or fewer turnovers.

Creighton returns to action on Wednesday when it hosts Arizona State in a game that starts at 8:05 pm Central and will air on CBS Sports Network.

This content provided from a Creighton Athletics press release