Indianapolis, IN (SportsNetwork.com) - Doug McDermott hit a 3-pointer with 47.8 seconds left to help lift 18th-ranked Creighton to a 68-63 win over plucky Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
McDermott's straight-away trey put the Bluejays ahead 64-63 and wrapped up a 26-point performance.
"It didn't feel good, I didn't think it was going in. That just shows what hard work will do. I got a lot of shots up this past week and I think it paid off for me," McDermott said.
Will Artino finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds for Creighton (20-4, 10-2 Big East), which next hosts No. 6 Villanova on Sunday in a critical conference matchup. The Wildcats are 10-2 in the Big East and will look to avenge a 96-68 thrashing they suffered at the hands of Creighton last month.
"We just believed in each other and did a great job of moving the ball and keeping our confidence high. We just brought a lot of energy on the defensive end and found a way to win," McDermott said.
Austin Chatman and Jahenns Manigat scored nine points apiece in Greg McDermott's 100th win as the Bluejays' head coach.
Kellen Dunham had 16 points to pace Butler (12-13, 2-11), which has lost four straight games.
"Tonight was a heck of a college basketball game," said Butler coach Brandon Miller. "Our guys fought, our guys competed, and our guys played Butler basketball from the start to the end. I couldn't be more proud of the way we played."
With the score tied at 61-all, Khyle Marshall scored inside with the left hand to give the Bulldogs the lead with 1:14 remaining.
After McDermott buried his three, Andrew Chrabascz twice missed on drives at the other end of the floor.
Butler then began fouling and Chatman sank two free throws with 18 seconds to go.
The Bulldogs played for the tie on the next possession and Dunham's 3-point attempt struck the front of the rim as the Bluejays won for the 15th time in their last 17 games.
McDermott scored 12 points during Creighton's game-opening 17-7 run, but the Bulldogs fought back and went up 27-26 on a Dunham trey with 4:52 left.
The Bluejays led 37-34 at halftime.
Game Notes
McDermott is now 15th on the NCAA Division I all-time scoring list with 2,824 points ... Chatman recorded six assists ... Alex Barlow had 13 points and three steals for Butler ... Creighton shot 50.0 percent and held the Bulldogs to 38.6.
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