CALGARY – Stifling defense, outstanding work off the glass, and second-half offensive struggles by Calgary propelled the Creighton Bluejays to a 97-78 victory over the host Dinos Monday afternoon in the Jack Simpson Gym. The win improves Creighton’s record to a perfect 5-0 at the 2007 Battle of the Border CIS vs. NCAA men’s basketball event.

Freshman centre Kenny Lawson Jr. (Oceanside, Calif.) led the way for the Bluejays with 22 points, while Dane Watts (Sr., Warrensburg, Mo.) added 18 and hauled down seven boards as Creighton outperformed the Dinos’ normally solid rebounding, especially in the second half. As a team the Bluejays brought in 42 rebounds, compared with only 30 for Calgary.

Two of the Dinos’ key offensive weapons were held in check by Creighton’s tight defensive play. Ross Bekkering (3rd year, Taber, Alta.) was held to only seven points and three rebounds, while Robbie Sihota (3rd, Calgary) went 0-for-6 from the field for no points in 20 minutes on the court.

Creighton raced out to an early 6-0 lead in the first minute before Calgary coach Dan Vanhooren called time out to settle the troops. The Dinos did settle down and kept pace with the Bluejays through the remainder of the opening quarter, heading into the second down 25-24. Jeff Price (3rd, Calgary) gave the Dinos a 26-25 lead early in the quarter, and solid shooting put the Dinos up 47-43 at the half.

Things began to unravel offensively for the Dinos in the third quarter as the Creighton defense gave them very little to work with and the hosts had all kinds of difficulty squeezing the ball off the glass on both ends of the court. Tied at 54-54 midway through the frame, the Bluejays went on a 17-4 run to end the third quarter – a deficit from which the Dinos would not recover.

Though the margin in the fourth quarter was smaller, Creighton still outscored the Dinos 26-19 in the final quarter.

Nick Bahe (Sr., Lincoln, Neb.) and Booker Woodfox (Jr., Lewisville, Tex.) joined Lawson and Watts in double-digit point totals for Creighton, with 12 and 15 respectively as the Bluejays spread out their offense. Henry Bekkering (3rd, Taber, Alta.) led the way once again for Calgary with 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field and 8-of-11 from the line. Cody Darrah (5th, Edmonton) was also solid in a losing cause for Calgary, pouring in 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting with five from behind the arc.

Calgary finishes the tournament with a 1-2 record following a pair of losses to Creighton and an entertaining 81-74 victory over Weber State Sunday night.