Creighton goes cold in loss

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Evansville finally figured out how to close out a game Tuesday night: with timely shooting and near perfect defense.

The Purple Aces almost held No. 17 Creighton scoreless over the final five minutes and broke a tie at 56 on Colt Ryan's 17-foot jumper with 3:08 left, rallying from a seven-point deficit for a 65-57 upset of the Bluejays.

It was such a stunning turnaround for a team that had lost three of four that students rushed the court in celebration.

"We had lost so many games because we were not listening," said senior swingman Kenny Harris, who scored 15. "Tonight, we just came out and paid attention to the details."

Evansville (12-12, 7-7 MVC) had lost six times by three or fewer points. But it delivered one of its strongest defensive games against the nation's best shooting team.

Creighton (21-4, 11-3) entered with the nation's top field-goal percentage (51.2) and 3-point percentage (44.8) and was in the top 10 in scoring per game (81). It also had the nation's No. 3 scorer in Doug McDermott (23.4) and a six-game winning streak over the Purple Aces.

Tuesday, Evansville kept Creighton out of sync by forcing nearly half of its shots from 3-point range and holding the Bluejays' possessions to a season-worst 57.

"We just couldn't get that separation we needed," Creighton coach Greg McDermott said.

NO. 3 OHIO ST. 87, PURDUE 84: William Buford scored a career-high 29 and hit a pivotal dunk in the final minute as the Buckeyes (21-3, 9-2 Big Ten) won their 39th game in a row at home.

Women

NO. 2 NOTRE DAME 74, SYRACUSE 55: Devereaux Peters had a season-high 21 points, and the visiting Irish (24-1, 11-0 Big East) won their 21st straight.

NO. 3 UCONN 56, NO. 20 LOUISVILLE 46: The visiting Huskies (22-2, 10-1 Big East) held the Cardinals (17-7, 6-5) to 25 percent shooting (14-of-56).