WBB Final: Creighton 70, Villanova 57
Villanova, Pa. -- Seniors Morgan Maly and Lauren Jensen combined for 48 points, 14 rebounds and five assists to power Creighton Women's Basketball to a 70-57 road win over Villanova on Saturday, February 8.
The win pushed Creighton to 20-4 on the season and 12-1 in BIG EAST action, while Villanova fell to 13-11 overall and 7-5 in conference play.
Down 7-2 (7:58) in the opening moments, the Bluejays closed the opening frame on a 17-4 run to take control. Creighton's surge began with 11 straight as Maly sandwiched buckets around a jumper from junior Kennedy Townsend, then senior Molly Mogensen scored five straight to give the Bluejays a 13-7 edge (3:14). Jensen capped the quarter with a trey and junior Kiani Lockett dropped in a driving layup as the Bluejays led 19-11 after ten minutes.
Villanova closed within one (28-27) with just over four minutes remaining in the half, but triples from Mogensen and senior Jayme Horan kept the Wildcats at bat as the Bluejays led 36-31 at the half.
The Bluejay advantage was trimmed to one point three more times in the third quarter, but each time Maly or Jensen answered the bell. Twice Maly delivered on the inside, while Jensen connected from long range to put Creighton up 50-46 (2:31). Jensen and Maly accounted for all 16 of Creighton's third quarter scoring, with 12 points coming from LJ.
The knockout blow came with Creighton leading 56-54 (5:37), the Bluejays used a 10-0 to race out to a 66-54 edge with 1:47 remaining. The turning point in the game saw Villanova's Denae Carter dive out of bounds trying to save a ball underneath the Wildcat basket. Creighton quickly took advantage of the 5-on-4 with a three-pointer from Townsend to push its lead to 61-54 (4:37). Maly salted the game away with five more points over the next three minutes, capped by a traditional three-point play.
Jensen led all scorers with 25 points, including 18 in the second half, while Maly posted her second consecutive double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Mogensen contributed 12 points to round out the Bluejays in double figures. Jasmine Bascoe led Villanova with 21 points in the loss, while Denae Carter finished with 13 points in the loss.
Creighton returns to action on Saturday, February 15 as the Bluejays host Georgetown on senior day at 3:00 p.m. in D.J. Sokol Arena
Notes:
Head Coach Jim Flanery led Creighton to 20-wins or more for the 13th time in his 23-years at the helm for the Bluejays ... The win over VIllanova was all the more special as it came on Flanery's 60th Birthday ... The Bluejays have topped 20-wins or more in each of the last four seasons.