Doug McDermott scored x27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the No. 7 Creighton Bluejays past the the No. 10 Cincinnati Bearcats, 67-63, in the second round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa.
March Madness 2013 results, Creighton vs. Cincinnati: Bluejays fend off Bearcats, 67-63
Cincinnati and Creighton went down to the wire on Friday after the Bearcats rallied to wipe out an eight-point second-half deficit but didn’t quite have enough to overtake the Bluejays and move on to the next round.
For more on this game, head over to Down the Drive.
As is often the case in the game of basketball, this was a game of runs. Creighton fought back early after finding itself in an 8-2 hole, using a 10-2 surge to take a two-point lead which would eventually increase to five by halftime. Cincinnati cut that lead to one point early in the second half, but the Bluejays embarked on an 8-2 run to open up an eight-point lead with less than 10 minutes remaining.
The Bearcats responded with a 10-2 run to tie the game at 54 apiece on Sean Kilpatrick's jumper with three and a half minutes to play. Creighton bounced back with a 6-0 run and looked poised to put the game away, but McDermott was whistled for a flagrant 1 after elbowing Cincinnati's Shaquille Thomas while trying to shake off defenders, giving the Bearcats a chance to climb back into the game. Thomas missed both shots, but Kilpatrick drilled a three-pointer on the ensuing possession to get his team to within three.
With the Bearcats still down three with less than 20 seconds remaining, Kilpatrick slashed to the basket and scored to cut the deficit to one. Creighton made its free throws to go back up by three, and Kilpatrick missed a three-point attempt that would have tied the game, allowing the Bluejays to finish off the Bearcats in the final seconds.
Creighton advances to face No. 2 Duke in the third round on Sunday. Here is an updated Midwest Region bracket:
More in College Basketball:
See More:
