Cincinnati, Ohio — Seven straight points late in the fourth quarter turned the game in No. 16 Creighton’s favor as the Bluejay Women’s Basketball team defeated Xavier 57-51 in the opening game of BIG EAST action on Friday, November 25.
The win lifted Creighton to 6-0 on the season and 1-0 in BIG EAST action, while Xavier fell to 5-1 overall and 0-1 in conference contests.
Trailing 46-44 with just over two minutes left in the game the Bluejays found junior Jayme Horan (Omaha, Neb.) for a wide open layup on a back cut to the back. Creighton’s next possession saw junior Emma Ronsiek (Sioux Falls, S.D.) give the Bluejays the lead with layup. Following a forced turnover the Bluejays went back to Ronsiek. Once the defense collapsed, Ronsiek found junior Lauren Jensen (Lakeville, Minn) for an open trey to make it a 51-46 contest with 1:05 left.
Down the stretch the Bluejays went 6-for-6 from the charity stripe to seal the win.
Early in the contest junior Molly Mogensen (Farmington, Minn.) got the Bluejays out to a hot start in the opening quarter with seven points in the frame, helping Creighton build a 16-8 edge after ten minutes. Xavier bounced back to draw within one possession as the teams went to the locker room with Creighton holding a 28-25 lead.
The third quarter saw Creighton extend its advantage to 39-33 heading to the fourth, getting five points in the frame from Jensen.
Neither Creighton nor Xavier shot the ball well in the contest as the Bluejays went 19-of-57 from the field (33.3%) and 4-of-24 from beyond the arc (16.7%). Xavier, meanwhile, closed the game 18-of-63 (28.6%) and 5-of-22 (22.7%) from long range.
Jensen led scorers with 18 points, while junior Morgan Maly (Crete, Neb.) finished with 16 points. Xavier got 15 points from Taylor Smith and Fernanda Ovalle as well as 10 from Mackayla Scarlett.
The Bluejays have a little time off before heading to Villanova for a game on Friday, December 2 at 6:00 p.m.
