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Creighton gets past Missouri State 76-72

Jan 25, 2010 - 3:37 AM OMAHA, Neb.(AP) -- Kenny Lawson Jr. had 20 points and Darryl Ashford added 15 as Creighton edged Missouri State 76-72 Sunday night.

Lawson's go-ahead dunk with 59 seconds left gave the Bluejays (10-10, 5-4 Missouri Valley Conference) the lead for good in the back-and-forth contest. Ashford had four free throws in the closing seconds.

Nafis Ricks led the Bears (14-6, 4-5) with a career-high 18 points. But he couldn't handle a pass from Jermaine Mallett while open under the basket with 12 seconds left in a three-point game. The ball bounced off Ricks' hands to Ashford, who hit two free throws at the other end.

Creighton led 35-34 at the break after scoring 12 of the final 14 points of the first half. There were six ties and 14 lead changes after intermission, and neither team led by more than six points during the final 20 minutes.