Recap: Illinois State vs. Creighton

Normal, IL (Sports Network) - Grant Gibbs scored 16 points and dished out seven assists and Doug McDermott added 15 points and nine rebounds as 16th- ranked Creighton held off Illinois State, 79-72, on Wednesday.

Ethan Wragge scored 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from 3-point range and Gregory Echenique had 12 points for the Bluejays (13-1, 2-0 MVC), winners in seven straight.

"It was a fabulous win," said Creighton coach Greg McDermott. "There are not many teams in our league that could've come in here tonight and played a tough opponent like them and get away with a win. We'll take it."

Bryant Allen and Tyler Brown scored 15 points apiece and Jackie Carmichael added 10 for the Redbirds (9-5, 0-2), who have dropped two straight on the heels of a four-game winning streak.

"We really wanted this win tonight. And we came close. Creighton is a very good team, but we wanted this one," said Illinois State coach Dan Muller.

Avery Dingman's jumper with 11 1/2 minutes left gave Creighton a 61-55 lead, but Illinois State scored the next eight points to move back in front.

Echenique's 3-point play then sparked an 8-2 run that put the Bluejays ahead 69-65 margin with just over four minutes left, and teams traded scores until McDermott's layup put Creighton ahead 73-68 with just 1 1/2 minutes left.

Carmichael's slam pulled the Redbirds within 73-70, but the Bluejays outscored Illinois State 6-2 the rest of the way to seal the win.

Wragge's 3-ball at the 13:17 mark in the first half gave Creighton a 20-8 lead, but a 13-6 Redbirds' surge cut it to 26-21 with just under nine minutes remaining in the period.

A 12-5 Creighton run made it 42-30 with 2:20 to go before halftime, but Illinois State closed the frame on a 9-0 run to go into the break trailing by just three.