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Brown, Illinois State take down No. 16 Creighton

Feb 10, 2013 - 6:27 AM Omaha, NE (Sports Network) - Tyler Brown scored a game-high 27 points and Johnny Hill nailed two free throws with 11 seconds remaining, as Illinois State took down No. 16 Creighton, 75-72, on Saturday.

Hill finished with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field and grabbed seven rebounds for the Redbirds (15-10, 6-7 MVC), who have won three straight. Jackie Carmichael added 16 points and six rebounds in the win.

Doug McDermott ended with 24 points and 13 boards for the Bluejays (20-5, 9-4), who have lost their last two contests following a three-game winning streak. He was, however, 0-for-5 from behind the arc, while Creighton as a team shot 4-of-23 from 3-point range and 37.9 percent from the floor.

In a highly competitive first half, Carmichael's jumper with 4:08 remaining tied things at 31-31. The Jays responded with an 8-5 surge to end the half, and went into the break up 39-36.

Brown gave the visitors some momentum to start the second stanza, as he accounted for eight straight points, highlighted with back-to-back 3-pointers, which gave Illinois State a 48-44 edge 3 1/2 minutes into the action.

The Jays answered back with a 6-0 run, all thanks to Nevin Johnson, to put the Bluejays back on top, 50-48.

As the contest neared the 10-minute mark, Brown stayed hot, accounting for 13 straight ISU points, helping the Redbirds turn a 52-51 lead into a 65-60 edge with 6:41 to play.

Hill and Carmichael then combined for all the points during a 7-4 run which gave Illinois State a 72-64 margin with just 1:19 remaining.

Things got interesting briefly, as Grant Gibbs connected on two quick 3- pointers -- while ISU made just 1-of-2 free throws -- to pull Creighton within 73-70 before Hills' final clinching free throws secured the victory.

Game Notes

The Redbirds have won six of their last seven after losing their first six conference games ... Gibbs donated 16 points and Jahenns Manigat added 11 in the loss ... Illinois State shot 49.2 percent from the field (30-of-61) ... Brown scored 23 points alone in the second half ... ISU ended a six-game losing streak in the series ... Creighton fell to 13-2 at home this season.