DES MOINES, Iowa – No. 16 Drake scored the game’s final 10 points to break a 65-65 tie with 3:20 remaining to defeat the Creighton men’s basketball team, 75-65, Wednesday night at the Knapp Center. Creighton’s bench scored 49 of its 65 points, led by junior Booker Woodfox’s 19 points, but hot shooting by Drake helped push the nation's second-longest active winning streak to 18 games.
Two baskets by sophomore Cavel Witter evened the score at 65-65, marking the third tie of the second half. However, two free throws by Drake’s Jonathan Cox and a three-pointer by Leonard Houston gave the Bulldogs a 70-65 lead with 1:50 remaining and CU was unable to score another basket the rest of the way. Drake added five free throws, to finish 15-of-16 for the game, to give the Bulldogs a deceptive 10-point victory.
Woodfox and freshman P'Allen Stinnett combined to score 20 second-half points to highlight a tremendous night for the Bluejay bench. After a Kenny Lawson Jr. jumper at the 18:36 mark in the second half, CU’s bench accounted for CU’s next 16 points. An emphatic dunk by Stinnett pulled CU within 49-47 at the 10:43 mark. Senior Dane Watts then gave CU its first lead since a 3-2 advantage in the first half with a three-pointer from the top of the key with 10:19 remaining.
A back-and-forth battle ensued, with the lead changing five times in the final 10 minutes. Stinnett buried two three’s in a 1:23 span to give Creighton a 58-55 lead with 7:00 minutes to play. Drake answered with a 5-0 run before Woodfox put CU back in front, 61-60, with his third three-ball of the game.
However, it would be Creighton’s last lead as Drake finished the game on a 15-4 run.
Four Bulldogs scored in double-figures, led by Josh Young’s game-high 24 points. Jonathon Cox added 16 points, including four three-pointers, while Houston and senior guard Adam Emmenecker finished with 14 and 12 points, respectively.
Stinnett scored 15 points, 12 coming in the second half, as Creighton out-scored Drake’s bench 49-2 in the game.
The Creighton bench kept the game within reach in the first half, scoring 20 of the Bluejays’ 29 first-half points. Woodfox scored 11 points in the first 20 minutes, including two three-point plays and another triple from behind the arc. He shared the half’s scoring high with Drake’s Young, who went 3-of-5 from downtown to lead the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs took a 9-3 lead out of the gate and held an advantage of at least three points the rest of the half. A deep three by Drake’s Cox at the 1:13 mark gave the Bulldogs their largest lead of the half at 32-23. Woodfox scored CU’s final six points of the half to cut the deficit to 34-29 at the break.
Two treys by Drake’s Cox in the first five minutes of the second half pushed the Bulldog lead to 45-37 at the 15:32 mark. Creighton would respond with an 8-2 run to pull the score within two at 47-45 with 12:28 remaining.
The Jays will return to Qwest Center Omaha on Saturday, Feb. 2, for an MVC battle against Wichita State, set to begin at 7:05 p.m
Game Notes: Creighton’s bench out-scored Drake’s reserves 20-0 in the first half ... Drake sweeps regular-season series with CU for first time since 1994-95 ... Drake shot 15-of 16 tonight and 17-of-18 in Omaha from the free throw line in the team’s two meetings ... Today marked the 83rd birthday of former Creighton men's basketball coach Red McManus (1959-69), who made the trip over to Des Moines with the team on Tuesday ... Pierce Hibma returned to the starting line-up for the first time since Jan. 9 against Evansville, and 15th time overall this season ...Josh Young's 24 points tied a career-high ...Drake senior Klayton Korver surpassed the 1,000 point mark in his career during the game.
