UNI’s buzzer-beater stuns No. 13 Creighton, 65-62

CEDAR FALLS (AP) — No. 13 Creighton discovered a lesson nearly as old as college hoops itself. When you’re playing a league game on the road against a team hitting its shots, you’re probably in trouble.

Antoine Young and the Bluejays did nearly everything they could to stave off the upset, but Anthony James buried a 3 as time expired as Northern Iowa upset the Bluejays 65-62 on Saturday, snapping their 11-game winning streak.

James scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half and Seth Tuttle added 13 points for the Panthers (16-9, 6-7 MVC), who handed visiting Creighton (21-3, 11-2) its first loss since late-December.

“He makes them from a lot of places,” Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson said about James. “He got himself to a spot where he was closer to the basket and just felt more comfortable. That was a big play.”

The first big play of a thrilling finale came from Young, who saw his teammates heavily guarded and pulled up from the top of the key to tie it at 62. James dribbled the length of the court, stepped back from the wing and kept his shooting hand in the air after the game-winner, which sent Panthers fans streaming onto their home court.

Young scored 23 points and Doug McDermott, who originally committed to Northern Iowa, had 18 points and 12 rebounds for Creighton. The Bluejays shot 42 percent from the floor and got just 10 points from their bench.