WICHITA, Kan. (AP)—Creighton blew a 12-point lead with five minutes to play but held off Wichita State 68-65 Saturday night.
Creighton’s P’Allen Stinnett, whose two free throws broke a tie with 1:09 remaining, missed a free throw with 12.9 seconds left to give Wichita State a chance, but Gal Mekel’s rushed 3-pointer missed just before the buzzer.
Creighton (12-3, 3-2 Missouri Valley) was led by Stinnett’s 16 points and 15 from Nick Bahe. The Shockers (8-8, 1-4 MVC) got 21 points from P.J. Couisnard.
Wichita State never led in the second half, but pulled even five times in the first nine minutes—the last at 48-48 with 11:30 to play.
The Bluejays then went on a 15-3 run, ending when Cavel Witter’s gave Creighton a 63-51 lead with 5:15 to play. Wichita State responded with a 12-0 run, ending when a 3-pointer by Mantas Griskenas made it 63-63 with 1:28 to play.
Stinnett then hit two free throws, the Shockers turned the ball over and Creighton’s Josh Dotzler hit a layup to give the Bluejays control.
Creighton hit six of its first 10 three-pointers to lead 28-21 with 7:45 remaining before halftime. The Shockers responded and trailed just 34-32 at the break.
