LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Despite 52 combined points from seniors Lauren Jensen, Morgan Maly and Emma Ronsiek, the Creighton women’s basketball season came to an end on Monday, March 25 as the Bluejays fell to No. 6 UCLA, 67-63 in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament.
With the win, UCLA (27-6) advances to next Saturday’s Regional semifinals in Albany against LSU. A start time and television next for that contest will be announced on later tonight.
Soaring out of the gates, Creighton quickly built a 10-6 lead as Ronsiek connected on a layup and a jumper, while Jensen buried a pair of three-pointers to take an early advantage. UCLA countered with an 11-5 burst to claim an 17-15 lead before a three-pointer and a pair from free throws from senior Morgan Maly gave the Bluejays a 20-19 lead after the first period. Jensen (9), Maly (7) and Ronsiek (4) combined for all of CU’s points in the first quarter.
Creighton heated up in a big way in the second frame, scoring 11 of the first 13 points to seize the first double-digit lead of the contest at 31-21. Maly sparked the Bluejay surge with a layup, while Jensen, Molly Mogensen and Ronsiek each connected on jumpers, before Ronsiek dialed up a trifecta to give the Bluejays its largest lead of the game. The two squads would trade baskets down the stretch, as the Bluejays took a 42-34 advantage into the locker room.
CU was paced by 15 points from Jensen and 14 more from Ronsiek, as the Jays shot 58.6 percent from the floor in the first half. Lauren Betts led the Bruins with 14 points in her first game back from a foot injury, while UCLA owned a 17-12 edge on the boards at the break.
After a fastbreak layup to open the second half by senior Mallory Brake that gave Creighton a 44-34 lead, the Bruins embarked on a 9-2 run to cut the deficit down to 46-43 with 5:40 remaining in the third quarter. UCLA would take its first lead since it was 17-15 moments later at 56-53 before a Jensen three leveled the game at 56-56 after three quarters of play.
Knotted at 56-56 heading into the final quarter, UCLA seized control early scoring the first seven points of the frame to take a 63-56 lead. To the surprise of no one, Creighton had one last push in them. Trailing by seven with 5:47 remaining in the game, the Bluejays closed to within two points at 65-63 on a three from Mogensen, but UCLA locked down on defense over the final two minutes to secure the 67-63 victory.
Creighton Women lose to UCLA in 2nd round of NCAA Tournament
