CINCINNATI -- Creighton built an 11-point lead in the second half Monday without injured point guard Maurice Watson Jr. But it was in the closing minutes with their backs against the wall in a hostile environment that the Bluejays learned to win without him.
Justin Patton's putback with 49 seconds left helped No. 7 Creighton hold off a late surge by No. 22 Xavier for a 72-67 victory at raucous Cintas Center.
"This was a culture win," said Creighton coach Greg McDermott. "An incredible win for our program."
Marcus Foster scored 15 points and Toby Hegner added 12 for Creighton (18-1, 5-1 Big East), which won despite losing Watson to a knee injury with six minutes remaining in the first half.
Watson came in averaging 13.4 points and a nation-leading 8.8 assists. He had three assists prior to the injury, moving him into eighth place on the school's all-time list.
McDermott does not believe Watson's knee has ligament damage but won't know more until he undergoes an MRI.
"It hurt really badly when the adrenaline wore off," Watson said. "I'm going to live in the training room for a while. At the end of the day, things happen. My trust for these guys is off the charts. I can't be a leader only when things are going well for me."
Trevon Bluiett scored 17 points for Xavier (13-5, 3-3 Big East), which saw its 15-game home winning streak come to an end. Bluiett missed two key shots in the closing seconds.
"We had some good looks (in the closing seconds)," said Musketeers head coach Chris Mack. "If one of those goes in, you're talking about how good of a team we are. People will throw dirt on our grave. I can't worry about that."
There were 18 NBA scouts in attendance for Monday's game. The 7-foot Patton must have impressed them with 10 points, including the game-winner, and nine rebounds despite foul trouble. "Justin Patton didn't have a great day, but he had a couple huge tip-tins," McDermott said.
Among the key questions for Xavier going into Monday's matinee was the condition of point guard Edmond Sumner, who injured his shoulder in the final second of Saturday's loss at Butler. Sumner did not start Monday's game but appeared to be fine physically, finishing with 10 points, six rebounds and five assists in 35 minutes off the bench.
Xavier committed 17 turnovers, leading to 17 points for Creighton. The Musketeers also went 16 of 29 from the free throw line.
"We were just careless with the ball," said Xavier guard J.P. Macura. "We showed toughness and hustled as a team. If we continue to play hard defense, sky's the limit for us."
The turnovers continued to mount for the Musketeers, who committed seven in the first eight and a half minutes as Creighton pushed the lead to as many as nine points in the first half.
After Watson left the game for the first time, the Musketeers went on an 8-0 run to tie the score 17-17.
Watson returned shortly but with a visible limp. Moments later, he scored on a tremendous drive and was fouled. But, he never got up after hitting the court.
Two Bluejays players came off the bench to assist in carrying him into the locker room with 6:55 left in the first half. He was on crutches during halftime warmups then sat on bench with ice on his knee for the remainder of the second half.
"We haven't played much without Maurice," McDermott said. "He wasn't sulking on the bench, so nobody else was. We showed a tremendous amount of character today."
Creighton led 32-29 at halftime, paced by Foster's eight points. The Bluejays scored 11 points off 12 Xavier turnovers in the half.
Creighton led 55-50 when the Xavier bench was whistled for a technical following a charging foul on Malcolm Bernard. Following that sequence, the Bluejays' lead was nine.
The Bluejays' lead swelled to 61-50 with 7:32 left before a 7-0 run got Xavier back in the game.
Sumner's slam ignited the crowd and cut the Musketeers' deficit to 64-60 with 3:51 left.
Xavier led 67-66 before Patton grabbed an offensive rebound and scored to put Creighton ahead by one with 49 seconds left.
At the other end, Xavier missed four potential go-ahead shots, including a pair of put-backs from close range.
Cole Huff hit two free throws to put the Bluejays up three. Bluiett's potential game-tying 3-point attempt from the left baseline was off target.
Xavier has lost three straight games, but all to teams ranked 12th or higher. When asked what he takes from the toughest three-game stretch in program history, Mack said: "Three losses".
NOTES:
-- Creighton's No. 7 ranking in the latest AP Top 25 Poll is its highest since being ranked ninth during the 2014 season.
-- The Bluejays owned a double-digit lead in every game they've played this season, including its lone loss to then top-ranked Villanova.
-- Xavier had never played three straight top-12 teams in consecutive games prior to this past week.
-- Xavier leads the all-time series against Creighton 12-11, but the teams split the season series each of the past two years. Seven of the eight meetings since the teams joined the Big East were decided by eight points or less.
