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Score: No. 9 Creighton 93, Kennesaw State 58
Records: Kennesaw State (2-2, 0-0), Creighton (3-0, 0-0)
Key Players: Alex Peterson (14 pts, 5 rebs), Chris Youngblood (13 pts, 3 rebs), Spencer Rodgers (10 pts, 6 rebs, 5 asts) and Brandon Stroud (7 pts, 1 reb, 1 ast).
 
THE STORYLINE
The Kennesaw State men's basketball team started off strong, but could not maintain its early momentum against No. 9 Creighton as the Blue Jays pulled away to defeat the Owls 93-58 Friday night in Omaha.
 
ABDUR-RAHIM QUOTES
On playing a top-ranked team...
"Tonight was a great experience for us. Competing against a great program like Creighton and a great coach like Greg McDermott, we were able to learn some great things about our team. The pace and ball movement Creighton plays with tested our transition defense and communication. I was pleased with the growth that we showed from last game to this game and throughout the game tonight in that area."

On the offensive play...
"Offensively we have to clean our turnovers up. We had 11 turnovers in the first half that led to 19 points, and against good teams on the road that can't happen. In the second half we only had three turnovers which allowed our offense to flow better. We missed some shots that we'd normally make, but I was pleased with the way we took care of the ball in the second half. Overall a great trip for us and I feel that we got better as a program because of this trip."

On Alex Peterson...
"Alex did a great job establishing a post presence for us tonight. We are trying to get him in a rhythm offensively and tonight I thought he did a great job of being aggressive in his sweet spots."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Alex Peterson put the Owls on his back in the opening minutes, going 3-for-3 from the floor to give KSU an 8-6 lead just over five minutes in. Creighton answered with a 19-2 run to lead 25-10. Chris Youngblood eventually put an end to the run netting back-to-back three-pointers to make it 28-16 with 8:32 left in the half.
 
The Blue Jays pushed their lead to 20 behind a 10-0 run before Kasen Jennings netted a triple of his own to keep KSU within shooting distance, 38-19. Much like he opened the game, Peterson closed out the half recording four of the Owls final six points as KSU went into the locker room trailing 52-25.
 
Youngblood picked up where he left off with a triple to open the second half, but Creighton extended its lead to 64-30 as a jumper from Spencer Rodgers marked the only other bucket for KSU over the next five minutes. Brandon Stroud finally snapped the cold streak with a three-pointer, netting all seven of his points in the second half before fouling out.
 
The Owls eventually managed to find their groove going 5-for-5 from the floor, but Creighton matched KSU shot-for-shot to maintain an 83-45 lead at the under-eight media timeout. The Blue Jays pushed their lead to 40 points, but five points from freshman Mayson Quartlebaum down the stretch and an ally-oop from Rodgers to Youngblood in the final seconds earned the final score of 93-58.
 
Notes
- Alex Peterson netted double-figures for the first time at KSU.
- Chris Youngblood had his third game with three or more three-pointers.
- Spencer Rodgers logged his fourth straight game in double-figures with 10 points. He finished one rebound and one assist shy of tying his career-highs.
- KSU committed 11 turnovers in the first half, but only three in the second. Creighton recorded 24 points off the Owls' 14 total turnovers.
- Creighton recorded 50 of its points in the paint, compared to 28 for KSU.
 
Up Next
KSU returns to the Convocation Center next Saturday (Dec. 12) to host Thomas University at 2 p.m. ET.