Creighton University
Drake
Jays Drop Heartbreaker in Overtime, 65-64, at Drake in MVC Women's Championship Game
3/11/2007 3:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
DES MOINES,
With Creighton controlling play throughout the first half and owning a 29-23 halftime lead, the Bluejays pushed led by 11 with 12:44 to go, up 42-31. The Bulldogs responded with a quick 10-2 burst to cut the lead to just 44-41 with 9:15 to play. CU weathered the Drake rally as the Bulldogs pulled with one after a Monique' Jones free-throw made the score 49-48 in favor the Jays. A three-pointer by Michelle Kaus and a three-point play by Sam Schuett pushed the Jays back up by seven with six minutes to play, 55-48.
From there, the Bulldogs ripped off a 12-0 run to take a five-point lead. The key play of the run was an unusual "five-point" play, as the Jays were whistled for a foul away from the ball as tournament MVP Lindsay Whorton knocked down a three-pointer. The Bulldogs were then allowed to shoot two free-throws and tie the game at 55, before pushing ahead 60-55 with 2:04 to go.
CU still trailed by five with less than a minute to play in regulation when Chevelle Herring took over. The sophomore guard sank a shot with 41 seconds to go to draw the Jays within three CU's first field goal since the 6:07 mark. Then a Bluejay steal gave the Jays an opportunity to tie the game. Herring again slashed through the lane, made a lay-up and drew a foul. She sank her free-throw and the game was even, 60-60, with 27 seconds to go.
Creighton decided to play full court trapping defense, resulting in a Drake turnover and a Megan Neuvirth steal. Neuvirth passed the ball to Thrall who streaked to the basket and was fouled while attempting a layup with six seconds to play. Thrall, the leading free-throw shooter in the MVC, had two shots to give the Bluejays a lead, but the
The third overtime game in MVC Tournament championship game history saw little scoring in the extra period. Kelsey Keizer's first field goal of the game gave Drake a 62-60 lead nearly two minutes into overtime. Cain's 11th basket of the game tied the score, 63-63, with 2:13 to go and the Jays took the lead on another slashing Herring layup with 1:09 to play. Herring missed a free-throw which would have put CU up by three, and the Bulldogs made it count, as Keizer drained her second field goal in overtime, a three-pointer with 55 seconds to play, giving DU a 65-64 lead.
After a turnover by Herring with 35 seconds, Neuvirth collected her fifth steal of the game and 14th of the tournament to give the Jays another shot at victory. Neuvirth, the MVC Newcomer of the Year, missed a layup with five seconds to play and the Jays quickly fouled Jones. Jones missed the front end of her one-and-one opportunity to give CU one last chance. Herring's game-winning shot attempt at the buzzer was contested tightly and fell short to end a thrilling game.
Cain poured in a career-best 24 points to lead all players in the championship contest. She made 11-of-18 field goals, drained both her free-throw attempts and chipped in six rebounds in 28 minutes. Thrall added seven points, five rebounds, three assists and played the entire 45 minutes for the Jays.
Schuett tied her career-high with 12 rebounds to lead the Jays on the glass, while adding six points, three steals and three assists. Neuvirth added five steals to finish with an MVC Tournament record 14 in three games.
Whorton scored 17 points, including 10 in the second half, to join Jones as leading scorer for the Bulldogs. Drake, the preseason MVC favorite, was led in rebounding by Tori Runner's 14 caroms.
The Bluejays, who were picked to finish ninth in the MVC preseason poll, put together an improbable run to reach the championship game. CU topped No. 3 seeded
With no seniors on this year's squad, the Jays do not lose a player, as all 11 Bluejays will return along with an outstanding four-player recruiting class, following the 13-19 season.
NOTES: Joining Whorton, Cain and Thrall on the MVC All-Tournament team, were Lauren Dybing (DU) and Rebekah Parker (UE) ... The former CU record for steals in a tournament belonged to Becky Flynn with 12 in 1994 ... The former MVC record for steals in a tournament was 13 by Tina Robbins of Missouri State in 1994 ... Schuett set a Creighton record for rebounds in a tournament with 27, topping Christy Neneman's record 26 from 2002 ... Thrall played the entire game for the 12th time this season and 25th time in her career ... Thrall's 45 minutes in an MVC tournament game set a school record and her 123 minutes in three games tied Krissie Spanheimer's (1999) mark ... CU is 1-3 in MVC Tournament championship games ... CU is 14-14 all-time in the MVC Tournament, including 6-4 at the Knapp Center ... CU also played an overtime championship game in Des Moines in 1999, losing to Evansville 75-72 ... The host school at the MVC Tournament has now won 14 straight games the event will go to a neutral site in 2008 at St. Charles, Mo. ... The last time CU did not have a senior on its roster was 1990-91, the following season CU set a school record with 28 wins and played in the NCAA Tournament.
