Omaha, NE – Avery Dingman was 5-for-6 from 3-point range en route to a game-high 21 points as No. 17 Creighton downed Tulsa, 71-54, at CenturyLink Center on Wednesday.
Doug McDermott had 16 points and Gregory Echenique scored 15 to go with eight boards for the Bluejays (11-1), who have won five straight since falling to Boise State on Nov. 28.
"There's a lot that I didn't think we did well, but we still found a way to get a pretty significant victory," Creighton coach Greg McDerrmott said.
James Woodard had 15 points, 10 rebounds and four steals for the Golden Hurricane (6-5), who remain winless on the road this season.
The teams traded blows early in the first half until the Bluejays managed to open a 14-7 lead midway through the frame. Creighton kept its foot on the gas and pushed their lead to 29-14 with just 4:12 left and McDermott led a 9-6 sequence to put the Bluejays up 38-20 at the break.
Tulsa scored the first eight points of the second half, but Creighton answered back with an 18-9 surge to take a 56-37 lead with just over eight minutes remaining.
The Golden Hurricane used a 10-2 run to pull within 58-47 with five minutes to go, but Creighton countered with an 13-2 run to push its lead 71-49 with two minutes to go. Tulsa scored the final five points of the game to account for the decisive margin.
Game Notes
Tulsa leads the all-time series 43-34, but Creighton improved to 23-15 as the home team ... This was Creighton's final home non-conference game of the season ... The Bluejays won the turnover battle 17-23.