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McDermott, Gibbs lead Creighton past N'Western

Dec 23, 2011 - 6:07 AM Omaha, NE (Sports Network) - Doug McDermott scored 27 points on 10-of-14 shooting and added five rebounds and five assists, lifting No. 23 Creighton to an 87-79 win over Northwestern.

Grant Gibbs ran the offense beautifully for Creighton (10-1), continually setting up his teammates for open three-point looks. Gibbs had 12 assists and the Blue Jays connected on 12-of-21 shots from beyond the arc.

Antoine Young finished with 13 points and seven assists for the Blue Jays, who recorded their third win this season against a Big Ten team. Their other victories came against Nebraska and Iowa.

"We didn't have an answer for them. They scored on 11 of 16 possessions to start the game. The big difference was that they scored on two of 11 to start the second half," Creighton head coach Greg McDermott said.

Drew Crawford netted a game-high 34 points on 13-of-17 shooting for Northwestern (10-2), which had its three-game winning streak snapped.

18 of McDermott's 27 points came in an impressive second half for the sophomore forward, as he and Crawford, who had 15 second-half points, dueled it out in the second stanza.

McDermott scored six points in an 11-2 run for Creighton to give the Blue Jays a 50-44 advantage with 11:38 to play in regulation.

It was Crawford's turn to take over as he put in five during a 9-0 spurt for Northwestern to knot the game at 58-58 with 7:29 left.

But a pair of three-pointers by Jahenns Manigat and Ethan Wragge -- both set up by Gibbs -- quickly gave Creighton a six-point bulge with 6:50 remaining. It was a lead that the Blue Jays did not relinquish.

McDermott's layup with 2:31 gave Creighton an 80-70 lead, and the Blue Jays were able to hang on from there.

With the game tied at 25 apiece, Northwestern used an 8-0 run, capped by a Crawford reverse lay-in, to take a 33-25 lead with 5:42 left in the first half.

But Creighton countered with a 12-3 run to close the half, taking a 37-36 lead into the locker room after two Gregory Echenique free throws.

Game Notes

Despite the setback, Northwestern leads the series 3-2 and defeated Creighton, 65-52, last season...Creighton outrebounded Northwestern, 34-24...It was Northwestern's first game in Omaha...John Shurna had 18 points, nine rebounds and six assists for Northwestern.