ORLANDO, Fla. — One could argue whether Creighton let a big win slip away Thursday or whether Michigan’s Manny Harris simply stole it from the Bluejays’ clutches.

Harris scored the Wolverines’ final four points of regulation and half of their 14 in overtime as No. 15 Michigan held off the Bluejays in posting an 83-76 win in the opening game of the Old Spice Classic at Disney’s Milk House.

Harris also had assists on three of the four baskets his teammates scored in rallying from a 63-58 deficit with 5:17 to play. The 6-foot-5 guard finished a rebound shy of a triple double, as he scored 20 points, handed out 11 assists and grabbed nine rebounds.

“I just tried to do anything to win,’’ said Harris, an All-Big Ten selection last season as a sophomore. “Coach had confidence to keep me out there when my shot wasn’t falling, so I knew I had to do something to help the team.’’

Harris, who didn’t come off the court in the final 25 minutes, missed 9 of his first 12 shots but made his last three. One came on a drive early in overtime, and he tacked on a free throw after being fouled to put Michigan ahead for good at 74-71.

“Down the stretch is what we see everyday,’’ Michigan coach John Beilein said. “That was him.’’

Harris’ heroics, which offset a career-high 21 points by Creighton’s Justin Carter, allowed Michigan to slip the Bluejays’ upset bid. Creighton led by six points with 8:09 to play and still held a 65-60 advantage after Casey Harriman made two free throws with 4:17 to play. Michigan scored 9 of the next 11 points, with two Harris free throws putting the Wolverines ahead 69-67 with 5.7 seconds to play.

Antoine Young took the inbounds pass for Creighton and drove the length of the court, nailing a runner with two-tenths of a second left to force the overtime.

“I was just being aggressive,’’ Young said. “You always want the ball in situations like that. I just tried to make a play and it worked out for us.’’

Darryl Ashford’s jumper put Creighton ahead to start the overtime before DeShawn Sims tied it 71-71 with a layup with 4:06 to play. On the Bluejays’ next possession, Ashford got an open look but his 3-point shot from the corner went halfway down before popping out. Harris scored the next five points, and Zack Novak nailed a 3-point shot for a 79-73 lead with 1:59 to play.

“I thought that one went down, and that could have really lifted us,’’ said Ashford, who finished with 16 points. “Stuff like that happens. We just had to come back down and get a stop, and we didn’t.’’

Ultimately, the Bluejays’ inability to get stops, as well as make shots and avoid turnovers down the stretch, was what cost them the chance to post their first win over a ranked team since beating No. 11 Southern Illinois at the 2007 Missouri Valley tournament.

After Kenny Lawson’s layup put Creighton ahead 61-55 with 8:09 to play, the Bluejays’ next 11 possessions produced four turnovers and 7 of 8 missed shots from the field. A basket by Carter and Harriman’s two free throws were Creighton’s only points in a span of seven minutes and 54 seconds.

“We had our opportunity, but we had a couple of bad turnovers and we couldn’t get a defensive rebound,’’ Creighton coach Dana Altman said. “Our guys played hard, but we just didn’t play very smart.’’

The Bluejays dropped to 2-2, with the other loss coming in the season opener to a Dayton team that was ranked No. 21 at the time. Creighton led much of that contest but wound up dropping a 90-80 decision.

That loss, combined with Thursday’s disappointment, raises the question: What must the Bluejays do to finish out games to keep potential marquee wins from slipping through their fingers?

“We need to play 40 minutes of basketball,’’ said Creighton center Kenny Lawson, who scored 10 points and had a team-high nine rebounds. “We kind of let it slip in the last five minutes. If we had played 40 minutes, there would have been no need for the extra five.’’

Said Ashford: “It comes down to getting stops. We didn’t get stops, and against a team like Michigan, you can’t do that.’’

Creighton shot the ball well enough to win, making 50 percent of its field-goal attempts. The Bluejays held a rebounding advantage most of the game before a late surge gave Michigan a 39-37 edge.

But 18 turnovers against Michigan’s 1-3-1 zone, four missed free-throw attempts in the first half and the inability to come up with defensive plays in crunch time left Creighton facing a 1:30 p.m. game today against Xavier, a 71-61 loser to Marquette in Thursday’s second game.

“Our depth is good enough that we should be able to finish it out,’’ Altman said. “But it’s a couple of key possessions offensively and defensively. We just can’t seem to get over that hump.’’

• Box Score

Contact the writer:

679-2298, steve.pivovar@owh.com

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