NEW YORK, N.Y. -- No. 8 Creighton's quest for its first BIG EAST Tournament title was thwarted on Thursday evening with a quarterfinal round loss to Providence, 78-73, inside Madison Square Garden. The Bluejays fell behind by 13 and would retake the lead before ultimately coming up just short.
Providence (21-12) advanced to Friday night's semifinal against the winner of tonight's final quarterfinal game between third-seeded Marquette and sixth-seeded Villanova. With the loss, Creighton (23-9) will wait to hear its named called during the NCAA Tournament selection show on Sunday.
After the teams exchanged the lead three times in the opening 12 minutes, Providence built a 29-20 advantage after a 12-0 run that featured eight points from BIG EAST Player of the Year Devin Carter.