The night started a little eerie as we made our way into the Qwest Center and the sirens were going off for a Tornado Warning for the area. As that was happening, I was wondering if it was Kentucky since I remember the last post season they endured tornadoes at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta in the SEC tournament. It sort of made people wonder if the game would start as scheduled. They finally had us all file into the arena and the storm had passed and the game started as scheduled.
The game was everything it was built up to be. Both teams came out with a lot of energy and the crowd was loud the whole game. The Jays played so hard and fought their way to a hard fought halftime lead. Things were going their way. They held Jodie Meeks to 3 points at halftime and sent Patrick Patterson to the bench early with 2 quick fouls.
P’Allen Stinnett, Antoine Young, Cavel Witter and even Booker Woodfox was denying Meeks the whole game, but it was a basket with about 10 seconds left that could have gone either way as a charge or a block. Woodfox had the shot to win it at the end and just missed and the Wildcats escaped the Qwest Center with a 65-63 win. The Jays had their chances to put the game away but missed 5-6 free throws in the last few minutes and it slipped away.
Booker Woodfox finished his Creighton career with 18 points in the game. However, fans will still get to see him one more time as he participates in the 3-point contest on Final Four weekend in Detroit. He will be missed. Josh Dotzler the other Senior fouled out, but had 6 big assists and made some great plays in only playing 16 minutes due to the foul trouble.
There is a lot to look forward too for next year. Justin Carter was all over the court getting 14 rebounds and 8 points and just seemed to be everywhere. He had a great steal against Jodie Meeks late in the game, but missed both free throws to try and extend the lead. However, his play this season has been great and there is a lot of great things to look forward to from him for next season. Along with Carter, having P’Allen, Kenny Lawson, and all of the bench returning next season, this will be a veteran team and playing these type of games will prepare them to get excited about the seemingly tougher schedule next season.
Though we were disappointed with the loss, you can’t really complain about the effort. This team has had some roller coaster times throughout the season, but you can tell how much they have grown as well. Looking forward to next season..