No. 16 Iowa State drops exhibition opener at No. 23 Creighton, 71-58
Opening a season with an exhibition game in front of spectators for the first time in eight years, 16th-ranked Iowa State fell to #23 Creighton 71-58 on Friday night.
The Cyclones struggled early, falling behind by as many as 23 points in the first half after the Bluejays went on a 23-0 run. Iowa State tightened up defensively after halftime, outscoring Creighton by 10 in the second half, but couldn’t overcome its cold shooting from 3-point range.
Creighton connected on nine 3-pointers while Iowa State went 0-for-14 from deep. Both teams finished with 22 made field goals, but the Bluejays shot 40-percent from the floor to the Cyclones’ 36-percent and went 18-for-22 from the free-throw line. Iowa State shot just 58-percent at the stripe.
Forward Joshua Jefferson led the Cyclones with 18 points and 12 rebounds, the lone ISU player to finish in double figures. Newcomer Dominick Nelson and sophomore Milan Momcilovic each added nine points, while Virginia transfer Blake Buchanan contributed eight points and seven rebounds.
Nik Graves led Creighton with 13 points on 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc. Blake Harper added 10 points and a team-high six rebounds for the Bluejays.
Iowa State jumped out to an early 8-4 lead before Creighton’s big first-half run swung momentum. The Bluejays led by 23 at the break and extended the margin to 28 early in the second half before the Cyclones chipped away, cutting the deficit to as few as eight late in the game.
Iowa State returns to action Sunday, Oct. 26, for its second and final exhibition game against Northwestern. Tipoff is set for noon on ESPN+.
