If this was Creighton University’s final game as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, then it went out in style. The top-seeded Bluejays held on to defeat second-seeded Wichita State University 68-65 on Sunday afternoon at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo.  Playing in front of over 6,000 Creighton students and fans, the Bluejays (27-7) earned an automatic berth into the 2013 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. The Bluejays will learn of their seeding and next opponent on Sunday, when the NCAA tournament selection show airs at 5 p.m. on CBS.

Sunday’s championship game between the Bluejays and Shockers featured two NCAA tournament teams who had two distinct styles of play. The Bluejays are more of a finesse team, with a high-octane offense that features deadly 3-point shooters and a solid inside game. The Shockers are a physical, athletic team that plays lock-down defense while getting out and running the floor on offense. As it showed in the championship game, the more-experienced Bluejays were able to dictate the pace and flow of the game for the first 37 minutes. Tournament MVP Doug McDermott was in foul trouble for the first half, but junior sharp-shooting forward Ethan Wragge stepped up by hitting timely 3-pointers as the Jays led 30-28 at halftime. Wragge would finish with 15 points.

In the second half, the Bluejays built upon their lead. Junior guard Jahenns Manigat, who scored a season-high 16 points, and Gregory Echenique, who scored nine points and had 11 rebounds, limited the Shockers to few second chance opportunities. Foul trouble affected both teams, as each team had two players in foul trouble in the second half. Heading into the final media timeout at the 3:57 mark, the Bluejays led the Shockers 65-53.

In this rubber match between two rivals, it appeared as though the Bluejays had the game wrapped up and under control. However like a typical Gregg Marshall Shocker team, the Shockers caught fire and silenced the crowd of 16,659 by closing the deficit to 66-65 with 43 seconds left following a 3-pointer by Malcolm Armstead. Armstead, who would finish with a game-high 28 points, would later be named to the MVC All-Tournament team as he tried to carry his team to the title. However he had little scoring support from his team, and his efforts came up just short. The Shockers shot just 34 percent from the floor in the game.

Manigat gave the Jays some breathing room when he scored a layup with 12 seconds left to extend the lead to 68-65. Deciding not to call a timeout, the Shockers ran a ball screen at the top of the key with time running out. McDermott hedged off the ball screen and Armstead’s 3-point attempt as time expired was off the mark, giving the Bluejays their second consecutive MVC tournament title and 12th overall title. The Bluejays are now an eye-popping 9-0 in MVC tournament finals in St. Louis, while the Shockers are 0-3 in St. Louis tournament finals.

Following the game, Head coach Greg McDermott addressed the media.

“At times I think people thought we were a one-man team, and I think that idea has been put to rest today,” McDermott said. “It’s been an unbelievable ride this season, and we had a couple goals, and two of them we fulfilled. We’ve got one more to go. Hopefully, we can do our job in the NCAA Tournament.”

Members of the MVC All-Tournament Team:

Doug McDermott, Junior, Creighton University

Gregory Echenique, Senior, Creighton University

Jackie Carmichael, Senior, Illinois State University

Malcolm Armstead, Wichita State University

Carl Hall, Senior, Wichita State University