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Young, No. 23 Creighton outlast Northern Iowa

Jan 11, 2012 - 4:42 AM Omaha, NE (Sports Network) - Antoine Young scored 21 points, including a backbreaking three-pointer in the final minutes, lifting No. 23 Creighton to a 63-60 win over Northern Iowa.

Doug McDermott, who originally committed to Northern Iowa, finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists for the Bluejays (14-2, 4-1 MVC), who have won four straight conference games since dropping their MVC opener to Missouri State.

Marc Sonnen scored 15 points -- on five three-pointers in the first 11 minutes -- to pace the Panthers (12-5, 2-3), who had a two-game winning streak snapped.

Down 56-54 with 4:12 to play, the Bluejays scored the next seven points to take a 61-56 lead.

Grant Gibbs hit back-to-back jumpers to start the spurt, and Young nailed a straightaway three-pointer with 2:07 remaining.

Anthony James knocked down a jumper to pull the Panthers within three and after a Josh Jones turnover, Northern Iowa got the ball back with 44 seconds left.

Jake Koch nailed a short jumper to make it 61-60 with 21 seconds left.

After Gibbs made two free throws on the other end, James had a chance to tie it, but his deep three from the right wing didn't go down.

McDermott corralled the rebound for Creighton and missed the front end of a 1- and-1, but Chip Rank's desperation heave from beyond halfcourt didn't fall.

James capped a 16-4 run with back-to-back three-pointers to give Northern Iowa a 31-20 advantage with just over seven minutes to play in the opening half.

The Bluejays, though, clamped down defensively and held Northern Iowa without a field goal for the final 7:12 of the half. The Jays outscored the Panthers 12-2 during the stretch and trailed, 33-32, heading into the break.

Game Notes

The sophomore McDermott originally committed to Northern Iowa because his father, Greg McDermott, -- who's now the head coach at Creighton -- played for the Panthers in the 1980s. He was the head coach at UNI from 2001-2006 and led the school to three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances from 2004-2006. Doug McDermott was released from his letter of intent so he could play for his father, who took the Creighton head coaching job following the 2009-10 season...Creighton holds a 28-15 lead in the all-time series.