FAIRFAX, Va. — Technically speaking, missed free throws and turnovers ultimately cost Creighton dearly in Saturday’s game against George Mason.

But there’s no denying the impact the technical foul that referee Brad Gaston whistled on Bluejays coach Dana Altman had on the final 18 seconds of basketball drama that ended in a 75-72 George Mason win before 5,502 at the Patriot Center.

Creighton was clinging to a 72-70 lead when forward Justin Carter was called for a blocking foul, one of 28 called on the Bluejays by the Missouri Valley officiating crew of Gaston, John Moore and Dan Daily.

Altman yelled at Gaston when he made the call. As the official approached the scorer’s table, he stopped, started to signal a technical foul, lost his whistle and, after slipping it back into his mouth, finished the task.

Altman said afterward that he used no profanity in his protest.

“I didn’t say anything,’’ Altman said. “I thought it was a charge. I swung my arms and said it was a charge.’’

George Mason freshman Luke Hancock tied the game by making the two technical foul shots. Cam Long, fouled by Carter on the play, missed his first free throw but sank the second to give the Patriots a 73-72 lead with 18 seconds to play.

Creighton failed to get a shot on its next possession as Carter lost control of the basketball near midcourt, the last of the Bluejays’ 16 turnovers. Andre Cornelius came up with the loose ball and fed Hancock for a dunk that put the Patriots ahead 75-72 with 2.1 seconds left.

Creighton did get one last attempt, with Carter coming up with a long inbounds pass near halfcourt. He turned and fired up a shot that banged hard off the bracket and bounced away, sealing the Bluejays’ fifth loss in eight games.

This one was by far the toughest to swallow. The Bluejays knew that they had themselves to blame for failing to put away George Mason when they had a chance.

“That’s a tough way to lose, man,’’ guard Darryl Ashford said. “I wouldn’t say we were robbed because we missed some free throws down the stretch. If we would have hit those free throws, that would have taken care of it.’’

The Bluejays missed three free throws, including the front end of a one-and-one opportunity by Carter, in the final 2:45. They also had four of their turnovers in the final 12 possessions.

“We had some chances,’’ Altman said. “Nevertheless, I can’t excuse myself.’’

P’Allen Stinnett, who led Creighton with 21 points, said Altman apologized to the team in the locker room after the game.

“But it shouldn’t have come down to that,’’ Stinnett said. “You don’t think about the turnovers and missed free throws until a time like this. To be honest, we’d like to have a couple of those possessions back.’’

In a game such as Saturday’s, one almost knew that mistakes could figure into the outcome. There were 20 lead changes and 12 ties, with 14 of the changes and 10 of the ties coming in the first half alone.

George Mason led 34-33 at the break, and the back-and-forth trend continued early in the second half until Josh Jones buried a 3-point shot to put Creighton ahead 47-46 with 16:04 to play. The Bluejays led the rest of the game until the final 18 seconds.

“I’d have to say, that was one of the most exciting games we’ve had here,’’ said Jim Larranaga, in his 13th season as George Mason’s coach. “Creighton was outstanding. You can’t take anything away from them, but I was proud of my team.’’

Long scored 22 points to lead the 5-5 Patriots, who avoided what could have been a second straight loss at home. Dayton snapped George Mason’s 18-game home-court winning streak last Tuesday with a 56-55 win.

Creighton made a season-high 12 3-point baskets, and the Bluejays’ 72 points were the most they’ve scored since an 83-76 overtime loss to Michigan on Nov. 26.

“Scoring points today wasn’t our problem,’’ Altman said. “The turnovers hurt us at times, the missed free throws and a bad technical. At least he could have given me a real one.’’

Contact the writer:

679-2298, steve.pivovar@owh.com

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