Creighton overcame a nine-point deficit in regulation and knocked off San Diego State 62-53 in overtime in their first-round Midwest regional game in the NCAA Tournament.
Trey Alexander led five Bluejays players in double figures with 18 points while Ryan Kalkbrenner recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Chad Baker-Mazara was San Diego State's leading scorer off of the bench with 17 points as the Aztecs lost in the first round for a third straight tournament appearance with their last win coming in 2015.
Story of the game
Early in the game, San Diego State jumped out to a 21-10 advantage, keyed by a 9-0 run. Baker-Mazara then took over for the Aztecs, scoring 16 of 18 points in a span of seven minutes to push the lead to 29-17.
Down 35-21 at one point, Creighton closed the first half with a 9-2 run to trail only 37-30. Baker-Mazara led all players with 15 points in just eight minutes, while the Bluejays were paced by 10 points and eight rebounds by Kalkbrenner.
The second half saw San Diego State match every Creighton run for the first 16 minutes as the Bluejays closed to within 54-50, before falling behind 62-53 to set the stage for the dramatic finish.
With 2:28 left, Alex O'Connell knocked down a pair of free throws. Following a defensive stop, O'Connell drained a three-pointer from the right wing to make it 62-58 with 1:55 remaining.
An turnover by San Diego State led to a fast break layup by sophomore Kalkbrenner, getting the Bluejays within one possession at 62-60 with 1:07 remaining.
Another Aztecs turnover gave Creighton the ball back with 1:01 on the clock, but a trio of close misses gave San Diego State the ball with 34 seconds remaining. Arthue Kalumba made a critical steal to give the Bluejays one additional possession.
Alexander made the most of the chance with a game-tying jumper from the left baseline to knot the game at 62-62 with 11 seconds left.
San Diego State had a chance to collect the win in regulation as Matt Bradley was fouled, but he missed the front end of a one-and-one to force overtime.
Both offenses opened the extra session with precision as San Diego State scored on its first three possessions, while Creighton got to the foul line for four points.
The Aztecs held a 68-66 advantage with 2:06 left in the extra session after O'Connell fouled out. San Diego State hit one of two at the charity stripe, but Creighton found a way to rally without Kalkbrenner, who left with a knee injury with 2:45 remaining. He did not return and left the arena in a wheelchair.
Alexander got Creighton to within 69-68 and after a Ryan Hawkins rebound, he pushed to the hoop for the bucket and a foul to give the Bluejays their first lead since 8-7. He hit the free throw to complete the three-point play.
Creighton secured the win with a pair of defensive stops down the stretch and a free throw from KeyShawn Feazell in the final second.