OMAHA, Neb. – The North Dakota State men’s basketball team lost 69-58 to No. 11-ranked Creighton on Sunday afternoon inside CHI Health Center Omaha. Senior forward Rocky Kreuser led the Bison with 16 points.
NDSU fell to 0-3 on its season-opening road trip, of which all three games were finalized and added to the Bison schedule within the past seven days. The 11-point final margin was NDSU’s closest against a nationally ranked opponent since falling 75-65 at No. 10/11 USC on Nov. 13, 2017.
Junior Tyree Eady finished with 12 points and seven rebounds for NDSU, and sophomore Maleeck Harden-Hayes added a career-high 11 points and six boards.
Sunday’s contest was the season-opener for Creighton. The Bluejays were led by 16 points from forward Christian Bishop.
The Bison jumped out to an early 10-4 lead, but a 16-2 run by the Bluejays erased that advantage. NDSU trailed by five with 2:00 left in the opening half before Creighton closed the period with a 7-0 run to lead 36-24 at halftime.
Creighton shot 43 percent for the game, edging NDSU at 40 percent. The Bluejays hit 8-of-35 (23 percent) from three-point range, while the Bison knocked down 4-of-16 (25 percent).
NDSU posted a 41-27 rebounding advantage for the game, but 16 turnovers proved costly for the Bison.
The Bison will return to the court next Saturday, Dec. 5, playing at No. 6-ranked Kansas.
