with a 3.72 ERA in his first four career starts before s

OMAHA, Neb. -- Creightons up-tempo offense is hard enough to deal with for an opponent thats at full strength. One thats short-handed is going to be left gasping for air.The 10th-ranked Bluejays let Buffalo stick around into the middle of the second half and then pulled away against the worn-out Bulls for a 93-72 victory on Tuesday night.The reality of it is, our pace isnt going to have that much of an impact in the first half, but over the course of the game theyre going to get tired, Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. Were going to get easy ones in transition, theyre not quite as aggressive going to the glass because theyre tired, and theyre a little apprehensive to go to the offensive glass because they know whats coming when we get that rebound.Creighton (7-0) has outscored its last four opponents by 12, 15, 25 and 19 points in the second halves and are averaging 92 points a game.The Bulls (4-3) were winding up an 11-day road trip thats taken them 8,400 miles, with a week spent at the Great Alaska Shootout and the stop in Omaha before a return to western New York. They also were missing starters in point guard C.J. Massinburg (mononucleosis) and Quate McKinzie (concussion). Also, guard Dontay Caruthers was limited to 15 minutes because of foul trouble.Theyre deep and they play fast, and if youre not in shape or you dont have a deep team, youre in trouble with them, Bulls coach Nate Oats said.Marcus Foster scored 22 points and Justin Patton and Khyri Thomas had their first double-doubles. Patton had season highs of 21 points and 10 rebounds and Thomas had 18 points and 12 rebounds. Maurice Watson Jr. added 15 points and eight assists.Foster had nine points during the decisive 13-0 run that made it 67-51 after the Bulls had cut Creightons lead to 54-51.Thats part of my game, Foster said. Ill score a bunch of buckets real quick. Thats how Ive always been.The Bulls got no closer than 12 points the rest of the way.Blake Hamilton and Willie Conner scored 21 points apiece to lead the Bulls, and Raheem Johnson added 14.BIG PICTUREBuffalo: The Bulls made it a game until midway in the second half before losing a second game to a top-10 opponent. Xavier beat them by 33 two weeks ago.Creighton: The Bluejays elevated their game in the second half, getting a boost from Thomas, who had 14 of his 18 points and eight of his 12 rebounds in the final 20 minutes.POLL IMPLICATIONSCreighton has been one of the fastest movers in the Top 25 , going from No. 22 in the preseason to No. 10 this week. The Bluejays have never been higher than No. 9, but the way theyre playing, they could go higher than that soon.EMOTIONAL OATSOats became emotional at his postgame news conference when he brought up the support he received from McDermott after he found out in October 2015 that his wife, Crystal, had cancer. McDermotts wife, Theresa, also has battled the disease.He was unbelievable during the whole deal with my wife. Financially he helped out with some stuff, Oats said. For all you writers in Omaha, youve got a big-time coach. I called him when I found out because I knew his wife had gone through it. He talked to me the entire time Crystal was going through treatment. Hes been as good as anybody in the business on that deal.UP NEXTBuffalo visits St. Bonaventure on Saturday.Creighton hosts another MAC opponent, Akron, on Saturday.---More college basketball: http://collegebasketball.ap.org Stitched Padres Jerseys .Y. - Jerome Samson scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the St. Cheap Padres Jerseys . Argentina winger Ezequiel Lavezzi and France midfielder Blaise Matuidi scored, with star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic setting up both despite having a poor game by his high standards. Forward Eduardo gave Ajaccio the lead in the sixth minute after being set up by right winger Benjamin Andre, and the Corsican side looked comfortable in the first half, with the lively Johan Cavalli causing problems with his probing runs from midfield. https://www.cheappadresjerseys.us/ . -- The Sacramento Kings are set to become the first major professional sports franchise to accept Bitcoin virtual currency for ticket and merchandise purchases. Padres Jerseys 2019 .C. -- Chris Thorburn thinks one of the reasons the Winnipeg Jets have been successful under new coach Paul Maurice is that theyre playing together as a team. Custom San Diego Padres Jerseys . -- Aldon Smith believes he is on the path to being sober for good. CINCINNATI -- St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny isnt ready to concede the National League Central title to the Chicago Cubs even though the magic number is dwindling by the day.Not backing off that, Matheny said.Still, the Cardinals are very much in the thick of the playoff chase, holding a two-game lead over the New York Mets for the second NL wild-card spot entering Saturday.Despite the Cardinals rash of key injuries, Matheny is pleased with his teams position despite the outside noise to the contrary.It does feel like were a last-place team with some of the stuff you hear, Matheny said. We have high expectations from our fan base, our organization, and for ourselves. Sometimes it gets a little out of sight how well these guys are doing.St. Louis wraps up a three-game series in Cincinnati on Sunday afternoon.Right-hander Carlos Martinez will start Sundays series finale against the Reds at Great American Ball Park. In two starts this season against Cincinnati, Martinez is 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA in seven innings. In his career, Martinez is 4-1 with a 2.72 ERA in four starts against the Reds.Martinez struck out a career-high 13 batters through six innings in his last start on Aug. 29 at Milwaukee. He has given up one run in each of his last three outings.Cincinnati will counter with right-hander Tim Adleman, who will make his eighth career start on Sunday and first against the Cardinals.Adleman is 1-1 with a 3.94 ERA in three starts since being recalled from Triple-A Louisville on Augg.dddddddddddd 16.Adleman is in his second stint with the Reds this season, going 1-1 with a 3.72 ERA in his first four career starts before suffering a strained left oblique that landed him on the disabled list. Hes one of 11 Reds players this season to make their majorleague debut.The Cardinals hope to have Mike Leake back with the ballclub Sunday. Leake has been on the disabled list following a bout with shingles. The infection is gone, but the right-hander is working to regain his strength. Leake, a former Red, is expected to arrive in Cincinnati by Sunday morning and throw a bullpen before the game.Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina was given a day off Saturday, so Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton will have to wait until Sunday to resume wreaking havoc on the veteran backstop. Coming into Sunday, Hamilton is 23 of 25 on stolen base attempts against Molina. His 23 steals are the most by any player against Molina. Hamilton began his career 10-for-10 against him.Cincinnati hopes to have second baseman Brandon Phillips back in the lineup. He missed Saturdays game after fouling a pitch off his left foot. Its yet another in a series of injuries suffered this season by the Reds second baseman.Despite a 9-1 loss on Saturday, the Cardinals have won 19 of the past 25 series between the clubs. In the past 12 series at Great American Ball Park, St. Louis has gone 8-5. ' ' '