Jays vs. Nevada first half
The score is 19-14 Nevada with 11:35 left in the first half.
Anthony Tolliver just picked up his first foul, oddly enough it was without Fazekas in the game. Tolliver had played well so far for the Jays, getting a few buckets from the elbow.
Jays have looked a little lost on offense.
Tolliver picked up his second foul, with a little under eight minutes left in the second half. This was something that the Jays did not want to happen. Manny Gakou will need to have some strong minutes for the Jays.
Creighton seems to be picking things up on defense but have missed some open shots offensively. Dane Watts is scoreless so far with three missed threes. And Nick Porter, considered the Jays "X-factor" by many, has two points but has not been able to drive to the basket, which is his biggest strength. The two of them will need to pick up the pace with Tolliver on the bench. 23-18 with 7:56 left.
Pierce Hibma tied the game with a three. If Watts isn't stepping up Hibma will need to have some big minutes for the Jays. The score is 25-25, 3:31 left in the first half.
Although neither team has looked strong offensively, the pace seems to favor Creighton, which is known for playing a slower more defensive minded game. Nevada would like to pick things up.
HALFTIME: Jays up 1 at the half, 32-31. This is the first halftime lead for Creighton in the NCAA tournament under coach Dana Altman. Both teams have looked rusty at times but have also made some unbelieavable shot, including Kyle Shiloh's shot-clock beater with 4 seconds left in the half. That three cut the Jays lead from four points to 1.
Notes of the first half: Funk has 12 points on 6 of 8 shooting compared to Ramon Sessions 9 points on 4 of 6 shooters for the leading scorers. Both big men, Tolliver and Fazekas have two fouls and have seen somewhat limited action. Tolliver has six points and three rebounds while Fazekas has four points and three rebounds. He also has three blocks, his defensive presence throwing of the Jays down low.
Looking at the box score, Creighton shot 43 percent from the field but only 18 percent from beyond the arc. Nevada has shot 41 percent from the field and 40 percent from beyond the arc. The rebounding edge goes to Nevada by four points, but Creighton wins the turnover advantage with only two.
More to come in a separate post about the second half.
Update: Swing in favor of the Jays, CU leads 32-28 with 38.3 seconds left in the half. Nate Funk leads with 10 points, 6 of 7 from the field. Fazekas has four points and three boards with two fouls. He has looked winded and out of it this half. Much like Randal Falker of the Salukis did in St. Louis. With that said, he still has the talent to get hot here soon.
