OMAHA, Neb. – Creighton used an 11-0 run over the final four minutes to score a come-from-behind 70-65 win over SIUE Saturday in front of 16,417 at CHI Health Center Omaha.
The Cougars slipped to 2-5. Creighton improved to 6-1.
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"These guys gave everything they could today," SIUE Head Coach Brian Barone said of his team. "We came down the stretch and we couldn't get some baskets late."
The Cougars built a 12-point lead at halftime thanks to shooting 50 percent (19-38) from the field. SIUE pushed its lead to 16 with back-to-back baskets from DeeJuan Pruitt and Ray'Sean Taylor. The teams traded points several times and SIUE had pushed the lead back to 16 (56-40) on a Shaun Doss, Jr. bucket with 15:33 to play, when Creighton started it run back.
"The ball kinda stuck," Barone continued. "We gave up a late three and couldn't overcome it."
The three came from Trey Alexander with 3:11 to play which cut SIUE's lead from 65-61 to 65-64. Alexander's bucket with 2:10 to play put Creighton on top for good at 66-65.
Barone and the Cougars were making a bid to pull off the upset where his father, Tony Barone, Sr. was head coach for six seasons.
"It was an emotional day and an emotional game," Barone said. "They left it out there tonight. I have said I believe in this team. They believe in one another. They give everything they can to one another."
Taylor paced SIUE with his first career double-double. He led all players with 17 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Pruitt scored a career-high 13 points. Shamar Wright added 13 points of his own and Lamar Wright notched 10 points for the second consecutive game.
"We have the horses," Barone added. "We just have to get it together consistently. We have to trust each other. We revert to what we're good at individually.
"It's frustrating, because you have an opportunity in a great place and you feel like it slipped out of your hands," Barone continued. "We have to go back to work tonight to get better."
Ryan Hawkins led Creighton with 14 points. Ryan Kalkbrenner added 13 points.
SIUE hit on 43 percent of its shots for the game, hitting just 9 of 27 shots after halftime. The Cougars outrebounded Creighton 39-35 and scored 44 points in the paint.
The Cougars continue their road swing with a Tuesday night game at Omaha.
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