Wichita State only trailed by two at the half but Creighton destroyed the Shockers from the three-point line, going on to win 68 to 65. That gives Creighton the team's second straight Valley Tournament championship.
Malcolm Armstead hit a 3 pointer with less than a minute to play to put Wichita State within 1 but Jahenns Manigat drove the lane for a quick bucket to seal the win. Armstead missed a three at the buzzer that would've tied the game.
Armstead was the catalyst for Wichita state, scoring 18 points in the first half to keep the Shockers in the game. He would finish with 28 points. However the Bluejays were just deadly from three-point range, shooting almost 50% for most of the game.
Ethan Wragge and Jahenns Manigat shot a combined 11 of 20 from the field scoring 15 and 16 points respectively.
Creighton's win gives them an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Wichita State will have to wait one week to see if they officially make the field of 68.
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First half:
Malcolm Armstead scored 16 of his 18 points in the final 8 minutes of the first half to keep Wichita State in it, but Creighton leads the Shockers 30-28 at halftime.
Ethan Wragge was hot for the Bluejays hitting from three-point range 4 times in the half to push Creighton out to an early lead. The Bluejays led by as many as 12 in the first half but Malcolm Armstead was a one-man wrecking crew, forcing turnovers and hitting shots late in the first half to cut Creighton's lead.
The Shockers were getting outrebounded early by Creighton but at halftime the Shocks have 20 boards while Creighton had 22.
Wichita State's defense has done a good job keeping the Valley Player of the Year under wraps; Doug McDermott has just 2 points at halftime on 1 of 6 shooting.
