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Creighton handles Drake

Jan 26, 2012 - 7:18 AM Des Moines, IA (Sports Network) - Doug McDermott netted a game-high 30 points on 10-of-14 from the floor to go with nine rebounds as No. 15 Creighton topped Drake, 77-69, on Wednesday.

Jahenns Manigat drained five three-pointers en route to 15 points and Gregory Echenique scored 11 points to go with seven rebounds for the Bluejays (19-2, 9-1 MVC), who extended their winning streak to nine games.

"We feel fortunate to come in here and get a win," Creighton head coach Greg McDermott said. "They play with a lot of energy at home."

Rayvonte Rice led the Bulldogs (12-9, 5-5) with 23 points and 11 rebounds and Ben Simons contributed 18 points. Kurt Alexander donated 16 points for Drake, which has lost two consecutive games.

Trailing 37-26 at halftime, Drake opened the second half with an 18-9 spurt to pull within 46-44 with 13:23 to play in regulation.

Later in the half, a trey by Manigat put the Bluejays up 10 with under eight minutes to play, but Drake countered with an 8-2 spurt to pull within 63-59 with 5:16 left.

Creighton, though, kept the Bulldogs at bay, and a McDermott layup with three minutes left gave Creighton a 71-63 lead.

Alexander sank a layup with 54 seconds to play to make it 72-67. But McDermott, Echenique and Antoine Young all sank free throws in the final minute to seal the win for Creighton.

"We did some really good things in the second half," Drake head coach Mark Phelps said. "When you play a really good team, they can make you pay. Give credit to Creighton, they are who they are because they play consistently well."

Drake kept the game close early, trailing by one, 18-17, with under 10 minutes to go in the first half.

Creighton then began to create some separation, using an 8-0 run to take a 26-17 lead with just over seven minutes to go.

The Bluejays outscored Drake 11-8 over the final seven-plus minutes to lead 37-26 at the break.

Game Notes

Creighton leads the all-time series between the teams by a commanding 91-58 margin...The Bluejays shot 50 percent from the floor and 7-of-15 from three- point range, while the Bulldogs shot 45 percent from the floor and just 4- of-18 from beyond the arc...The Bluejays got the better of the play inside, scoring 34 points in the paint to 28 for Drake...Drake received 21 points from its bench, to only 10 bench points for the Bluejays...Creighton outrebounded Drake, 37-25.