Recap: Creighton vs. Illinois State

St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - Whether he was scoring in the post, knocking down mid-range jumpers or stepping out and nailing three-pointers, Illinois State had no answer defensively for Doug McDermott.

The Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year scored 33 points on 12-of-18 shooting from the floor and No. 25 Creighton edged Illinois State, 83-79, in an overtime classic in the championship game of the MVC Tournament Sunday.

Grant Gibbs had 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists while Antoine Young chipped in 14 points and four assists for second-seeded Creighton (28-5), which improved to 11-1 all-time in MVC Tournament title games.

Doug McDermott's father, Greg McDermott, became the first coach in MVC history to win the conference tournament at more than one school. He won a title in 2004 at Northern Iowa.

"It's just a really special feeling, we've come a long way," Doug McDermott said. "I remember it like yesterday, I was a fourth-grade kid up on that stage with my dad's team and it feels good to win one as a player."

The Bluejays last hoisted the conference tournament trophy in 2007 and have earned the MVC automatic bid in seven of the last 14 seasons.

Nic Moore had 20 points and five assists, Jackie Carmichael added 17 points and nine rebounds and Tyler Brown netted 16 points for fourth-seeded Illinois State (20-13), which defeated top-seeded Wichita State, 65-64, on Saturday to reach the title game. The Redbirds haven't been to the NCAA Tournament since 1998.

"They came a possession, one-possession, away from winning two top-25 back-to- back games and a championship," Illinois State head coach Tim Jankovich said. "I hope when the pain goes down, our motivation level goes way up."

In a scintillating last 1:29 of regulation, Gibbs made it 63-60 with a three- pointer from the left wing off a drive-and-kick by Young.

Moore made a pair of foul shots with 1:05 left, and Young nailed 1-of-2 from the line with 22 seconds to play, making it 64-62 in favor of the Bluejays.

Carmichael snatched Young's foul shot miss and outletted to Brown, who drove the length of the floor and tied the game with a layup as 16 ticks showed on the clock.

Gibbs was fouled by Moore with 11 seconds left and made both foul shots for a two-point Creighton edge, but once again, the resilient Redbirds did not go away.

Moore took the ensuing inbounds coast-to-coast for a layup, knotting the game at 66 with six seconds to go.

Young then drove the length of the floor, but his layup and Gregory Echenique's tip-in at the buzzer did not fall.

The extra session, though, belonged to the Bluejays.

McDermott found Gibbs for a three to start the extra frame, and his offensive rebound and putback a bit later made it 71-66 with 3:23 left in overtime.

The lead swelled to nine on Josh Jones' dunk, which made it 79-70 with 1:15 to play.

Carmichael, Moore and Jon Ekey made treys in a 27-second span, cutting the deficit to 82-79 with 10 seconds left, but Young made 1-of-2 from the line with nine seconds to go, sealing the win for the Bluejays.

Creighton led by as many as 11 in the first half, but the Redbirds closed the opening half on a 15-3 run to take a 31-30 advantage into the locker room. Bryant Allen and Brown nailed back-to-back triples to cap the surge.

Consecutive treys by Ekey gave Illinois State its largest lead, 51-45, midway through the second half, but the Bluejays responded as McDermott put the Bluejays on his back. He went on a personal 8-0 run and his layup with 6:27 left made it 53-51 in favor of Creighton.

Including that run, McDermott netted 17-of-19 Creighton points over a seven- minute span and his trey with 2:58 left gave the Bluejays a 60-58 lead.