OMAHA, Neb. (AP)—Anthony Tolliver scored 23 points on 11-of-11 shooting to lead Creighton past Illinois State 79-71 on Monday at the Qwest Center.
Tolliver also grabbed nine rebounds while teammate Nate Funk scored 19 points for the Bluejays (8-4), who improved to 6-0 at home and 2-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Creighton held a 38-30 advantage at halftime, thanks to a 15-2 first-half run that gave it a 12-point lead. Nick Porter had six of his 13 points during the surge.
The Jays shot 65 percent (15 of 23) from the field before halftime and a season-high 64 percent for the game.
Illinois State (8-6) hit 12 three-pointers, including eight by freshman guard Osiris Eldridge, but never fully recovered from Creighton’s first-half run.
Eldridge, who was 8 of 11 from three-point range, finished with 28 points in his first collegiate start.
He pulled the Redbirds within five at 44-39 in the second half before the Bluejays pushed their lead to 14.
Levi Dyer scored 13 points and Anthony Slack added 12 for Illinois State, which slipped to 0-3 in the MVC.
