Creighton University
Illinois State (Semifinals)
Top-Seeded Illinois State Knocks Off Bluejays 68-60
3/15/2008 5:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
ST. CHARLES, Mo. ? Creighton shot below 33 percent for the fourth straight game as the top-seeded Illinois State Redbirds handed the Bluejays a 68-60 defeat Saturday afternoon in the semifinals of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at the Family Arena. Kristina Voss led the Bluejays with 17 points and 11 rebounds for her third double-double of the year and Michelle Kaus tied her season-high with 15 points, but the Bluejays shot just 31.3 percent in the game.
Creighton is now 20-11 after the semifinal loss to the Redbirds (25-6) and will await its postseason fate. The Bluejays will hope for a bid into the postseason Women's NIT for the fourth time in the last six years when the WNIT field is announced Monday night. ISU advances to the MVC Championship game.
The Bluejays and Redbirds battled close through the first 12 minutes of the game before the Redbirds took control of the contest. The game witnessed six ties and six lead changes in the first half, with the Bluejays owning their largest lead of the game, up 9-6, following one of Kaus' three three-pointers in the game. After Kaus tied the game at 19 with 8:42 left in the opening half, ISU scored the next basket and closed the half on an 11-6 run and would never trail again.
The Redbirds led 30-25 at the half, as CU shot just 8-of-31 for 25.8 percent in the opening 20 minutes. CU made only 1-of-8 (.125) three-pointers in the first half, but stayed in the game by staying even on the glass at 22 rebounds apiece and making 8-of-9 free-throws.
The Jays cut the ISU lead down to two in the first six minutes of the half, trailing 34-32 following Kellie Nelson's jumper with 14:19 left in the game. The Redbirds rattled off the game's next six points and Creighton would get no closer than six points the rest of the way.
Voss made 5-of-8 shots from the field and 7-of-9 at the free-throw line for her game-high 17 points. Megan Neuvirth tied Voss for the team-lead with 11 rebounds.
Kaus, who injured her knee in the final minute of the game, tied her season-high with 15 points. She drained CU's only three three-pointers of the game, going 3-for-6 from long range and 4-for-4 at the free-throw line. The rest of the team went 0-for-8 from three-point range in the game as the team shot 21.4 percent from beyond the arc. CU's 31.3 shooting percentage was its fourth straight game of sub-33 percent shooting from the field.
Maggie Krick led the Redbirds with 15 points, while Tiffany Hudson added 12. Ashleen Bracey pulled down a game-high 16 points to go along with 14 points for a double-double. The Jays were unable to take advantage of two-time MVC Player of the Year Kristi Cirone playing limited minutes because of foul trouble. Cirone scored just nine points and had one rebound in 28 minutes.
Creighton, which has appeared in the WNIT three times in head coach Jim Flanery's first five seasons, will once again hope to earn a postseason bid this season. The Jays reached the WNIT Final Four in 2003 and won the postseason WNIT in 2004. The WNIT will announce its field following the NCAA Tournament selection on Monday night.
NOTES: Kaus will undergo an MRI on her left knee Monday upon returning to Omaha ... Ally Thrall played 37 minutes on Saturday to push her career MVC Tournament total to 297 minutes played, bettering the former school record of 250 set by Laura Spanheimer (2002-05) ... CU has appeared in the WNIT in 1987, 1999, 2003, 2004 and 2005 and owns a 10-4 event in the postseason event ... CU has won 20 games for the third time in six seasons under Jim Flanery and the 11th time in school history ... The loss was Creighton's first to Illinois State in four MVC Tournament meetings (3-1).
