Creighton guard Antoine Young aggravated his injured knee Tuesday against Florida A&M, but coach Dana Altman said he didn't think it would keep the sophomore from Bellevue West out of the Bluejays' next game.

Young limped to the bench 1½ minutes into the second half after taking a hard tumble to the floor. Young originally twisted his knee three days before Saturday's season opener against Dayton but played 19 minutes in that game.

He started against Florida A&M and had two assists, a turnover and a steal in 12 minutes against the Rattlers. He did not return after the play in the second half that came in a battle for a loose ball near midcourt. He was seen leaving Qwest Center Omaha on crutches.

“He just bumped his knee and I think he's OK,'' Altman said. “It's the same knee he twisted in practice, so there is some concern there.''

Asked if he thought Young would be available for Sunday's game against Arkansas-Little Rock, Altman replied, “I don't see why not.''

Creighton forward Chad Millard said before the game that his injured foot was feeling better and that he expects to suit up for either Sunday's game or the Bluejays' first game at the Old Spice Classic Nov. 26 in Orlando.

“Hopefully, this is the last time you'll see me dressed like this,'' said Millard, in a tie and sport coat for Tuesday's game.

Two other Bluejays were in street clothes Tuesday. Forward Justin Carter is in the second week of a two-to-four-week recovery from a ligament tear in his knee, while forward Casey Harriman continues to recover from complications of the H1N1 flu.

Eight-game stretch to test Rattlers

Tuesday's game was Florida A&M's second in an eight-game stretch on the road to open the season. The Rattlers opened their season Saturday at Georgia Tech, and will play at Cleveland State, Stanford, Alabama-Birmingham and Florida in addition to facing Rider and either Oral Roberts or Sam Houston in Cancun, Mexico.

“What makes it really tough is that we only have one day to prepare for a game,'' Florida A&M coach Eugene Harris said. “Our bus broke down after Saturday's game, and we didn't have a chance to watch film of Creighton until Monday. The inability to break things down really hurts you as a staff.''

The Rattlers will play their first home game Dec. 3 against Florida International and open conference play in early January against North Carolina A&T.

“We're a young ballclub and we're learning; we're using these games to get us ready for conference play,'' Harris said. “The trip will show us the things that we need to work on for our team to get better.''

Lawson trying to fill leadership void

In addition to scoring 11 points, Creighton center Kenny Lawson grabbed six rebounds, had a career-best three assists and tied his career high with three steals.

Lawson said with seniors Carter and Millard sidelined that he's tried to pick up some of the slack, from a production standpoint as well as leadership.

“I've been here for four years, and I need to step up a little bit more and be a leader,'' said Lawson, who redshirted his first season. “Guys like Casey and me have been in the system, and we definitely have to step up.''

Bluejays continue home-opener success

Tuesday's win was Creighton's 15th straight in a home opener and left the Bluejays 81-11 all-time in their first game at home. ... The Bluejays avoided their first 0-2 start since the 1993-94 season. ... Creighton finished with a 33-14 advantage in points off turnovers. ... Wayne Runnels, who scored 16 points against Dayton, missed all three of his field-goal attempts Tuesday. He did grab nine rebounds for the second straight game. ... Altman is 30-0 in November home games at Creighton.

— Steven Pivovar

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