Creighton University
Northern Iowa
Thrall Reaches Milestone in 69-51 Win at UNI
2/21/2008 9:45:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Bluejays came out of the gates on fire, led by senior Sara Cain in the opening minutes. The Bluejay forward scored 11 of her 13 total points in the first five minutes of play and the Jays made 5-of-7 field goals in taking an early 14-8 lead. The Panthers (10-15, 6-8 MVC) pulled within one point of the Bluejays three times in the opening half, but CU maintained a lead throughout the game.
CU closed the first half on a 15-6 run to claim a 38-26 halftime lead. After starting the game by making 5-of-7 from the field, the Panthers made just four of their final 20 attempts in the first half.
Both teams struggled offensively to begin the second half, with CU's Kellie Nelson draining the first field goal of the half nearly five minutes into play. The Panthers did not make a field goal until 6:26 after halftime. While CU's offense picked up, the Bluejay defense stifled the Panthers, as UNI shot just 25.8 percent from the field in the second half to finish 29.3 percent from the field in the game.
CU led by as many as 21 in the second half, en route to the 18-point road win. The CU defense keyed the victory, not only limiting the Panthers shooting percentage, but also dominating the glass. After UNI owned a 15-14 edge in rebounding in the first half, CU out-rebounded the Panthers 29-14 in the second half for a 43-29 edge in the game.
Thrall became the 19th player in Creighton history to score 1,000 career points when she sank a free-throw with 6:59 left in the first half. After leading all players with 14 points in the win, she now has 1,007 points in her career. She also played stellar defense, limiting MVC Freshman of the Year candidate and UNI leading-scorer Jacqui Kalin to just five points on 2-of-11 shooting from the field.
Cain finished with 13 points, making 5-of-7 shots in the game. Kristina Voss chipped in 10 points and led the Jays with four assists. Sam Schuett led the Jays with 10 rebounds off the bench. All 11 Bluejays played and scored at least two points in the win.
Nicole Clausen led UNI with 11 points, while Lizzie Boeck added 10 and a team-best seven rebounds.
Creighton returns to action on Saturday afternoon when it travels to Bradley. The Jays and Braves tip off at 2:05 p.m. and can be heard on Spirit 88.9 FM and online at www.kvss.com.
