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Creighton edges Missouri State

Jan 19, 2012 - 5:17 AM Springfield, MO (Sports Network) - Gregory Echenique scored 16 points, Doug McDermott had 15 and No. 19 Creighton held on to beat Missouri State, 66-65, on Wednesday night.

The Bluejays (17-2, 7-1 MVC) survived a last-second shot to win their league- leading seventh straight game.

All of those wins have come after Missouri State upset then-No. 21 Creighton in their Missouri Valley Conference opener on December 28.

In fact, Creighton had lost each of its last seven games to the Bears prior to Wednesday.

"It was a heck of a basketball game," said Creighton coach Greg McDermott.

Anthony Downing led Missouri State (11-9, 4-4) with 14 points in this one, but his jumper from the foul line didn't fall as time expired. Kyle Weems added 13 points in the loss.

Creighton is off to its first 4-0 road start in conference play since 1942-43 but needed to come back from a halftime deficit to get there, having entered the break down 34-30.

It was a close game -- the lead changed hands 10 times and there were 16 ties -- but Creighton went ahead for good on Grant Gibbs' free throw with 2:43 left, which made it 64-63.

Later, Gibbs knocked down a jumper for a three-point lead, but Jarmar Gulley's bucket on the other end got Missouri State within 66-65. After McDermott missed the front end of a 1-and-1 to give the Bears another chance, Downing's shot rimmed out.

Game Notes

Creighton has a 31-28 lead in the all-time series. Missouri State's six-game winning streak matched its longest ever against the Bluejays. It also won six in a row from 1996-98.