Creighton University
Illinois State
Late Surge by Women's Basketball Edges Redbirds, Puts CU In Final
3/10/2007 2:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
DES MOINES, Iowa -- Sixth-seeded Creighton out-scored Illinois State 15-6 in the final six minutes to stun the second-seeded Redbirds, 59-56, in semifinal action of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Women's Basketball Tournament at Drake's Knapp Center. The Bluejays (13-18) will advance to tomorrow's 2:05 p.m. final, where they will face the No. 8 seed and host Drake. Sunday's game will be televised live on FSN Midwest.
The Bluejays trailed the entire game before a Michelle Kaus three-pointer with 3:03 to play gave them a 55-54 lead. The teams then exchanged missed field goals before Valley Player of the Year Kristi Cirone's jumper from just inside the three-point arc gave Illinois State (21-10) a 56-55 lead just inside two minutes to play.
The MVC Newcomer of the Year Megan Neuvirth responded with a layup on CU's next trip down the court to give the Bluejays a 57-56 lead with 1:31 to play. ISU turned the ball over on its next possessions and Sara Cain's lay-up with 54 seconds to play pushed the Jays' lead to three. The Redbirds then missed two game-tying attempts on their next possession and fouled Ally Thrall with 16 seconds to play. Thrall, the MVC's leading free-throw shooter, missed the front end and set up another game-tying opportunity for ISU. Senior Megan McCracken's three-pointer fell short and the Bluejays advanced to their fourth MVC title game and first since winning their only title in 2002.
For the second straight game, CU failed to shoot 40 percent from the field, but earned the upset victory with defensive effort. The Bluejays out-rebounded the top-rebounding team in the MVC 36-30, including 21-12 in the second half. Creighton also took care of the ball with just 12 turnovers and ISU logging just one steal. The Jays had eight steals, led by Neuvirth's four, while forcing 15 ISU turnovers and owning a 19-9 edge in points off turnovers and 15-5 advantage in second-chance points.
Neuvirth and Cain each finished with a game-high 13 for the Bluejays. Sam Schuett led the Jays with eight rebounds. Thrall, a Des Moines native, chipped in seven points, including 5-of-6 at the free-throw line, and four assists while playing the entire game. Kaus hit two clutch second-half three-point shots, while Herring's 30-foot three-point bomb at the first-half buzzer gave CU momentum. Herring finished with nine points off the bench.
Cirone led the Redbirds with 12 points and four assists, while shooting just 5-of-14 from the field and 1-of-5 from long range. Kenyatta Shelton added 10 points off the bench, as the Bluejays limited ISU's starting frontcourt of Nicolle Lewis (2) and Lashawn Johnson (8) to a combined 10 points. CU also held three-point threat Megan McCracken to just five points and 1-of-4 from long range, as the left-hander was coming off a 6-for-9 three-point shooting night in which she scored 20 points.
Creighton will face host Drake (13-18) in a rematch of the 2002 final, in which the Bluejays prevailed for their only Valley title. Drake, the No. 8 seed has won three games in three days, including a defeat of regular-season champion Southern Illinois and a 61-58 victory over fourth-seeded Evansville in the other semifinal. The host school has now won 13 straight games in the event.
The Bluejays and Bulldogs, who split the regular-season series with each team winning on its home court, will tip off at 2:05 p.m. on FSN Midwest. The game can also be heard live in Omaha on Spirit 88.9 FM and online at www.kvss.com
