Thursday, November 5
D.J. Sokol Arena
7:05 PM
Creighton University
80
vs
57
Nebraska-Omaha (Ex.)
Women's Basketball Opens Ryan Athletic Center With Win Over UNO, 80-57
11/5/2009 9:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
OMAHA, Neb. - The Creighton women's basketball team won its lone exhibition game of the year, beating Nebraska-Omaha, 80-57, in the first basketball game to take place at D.J. Sokol Arena in the Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic Center. Five players scored in double figures for the Bluejays Thursday night, in a contest that marked CU's first home game on campus since 2001.
Creighton led 38-31 at the half after a sloppy 20 minutes that featured a combined 24 turnovers and just as many fouls. UNO's Heather Pohl would score the game's first basket to go ahead 2-0, but that would be their biggest lead of the evening. Pohl scored 14 points in the first half to pace the Mavericks, while Creighton featured a more balanced attack that saw nine different ladies score between one and eight points.
CU opened the second half on an 16-0 run to open up a 52-31 cushion. Kelsey Woodard drained a three-pointer, and Sam Schuett would score the next five points to force a Maverick timeout to regroup. Woodard sandwiched two buckets around a Katie Frank score as the lead reached 20 for the first time. Lost in the shuffle of CU's scoring breakout was the Bluejay defense, which forced turnovers on seven straight UNO possessions before Jessica Zaruba ended the drought with 14:43 left in the game.
The Jays led by as many as 27 in the victory, up 64-37 with 10:33 left in the game.
Creighton had five players score in double-digits, led by Woodard's 17 points. Fellow starters Herring, Schuett and Megan Neuvirth each had 10 points, while freshman Jasmin Corbin added 10 off the bench, making 3-of-6 shots from three-point range. Neuvirth had team-highs with seven rebounds and six steals in 24 minutes, and fellow senior Kelsey Crites had a game-best five assists. The Bluejays shot 26-for-65 (.400) from the field, 8-for-20 (.400) from three-point land and 20-of-29 (.690) from the charity stripe.
Creighton swiped 15 steals and forced 28 UNO turnovers, leading directly to 34 points. CU also collected 17 offensive rebounds, out-rebounding the Mavs 41-37, while out-scoring UNO 18-10 in second-chance points.
UNO was led by 21 points from Pohl and 11 points by Alyssa Green. The Mavericks shot 23-of-54 (.426) from the floor, 2-of-10 (.200) from three-point range and 9-of-14 (.643) from the line.
Creighton opens the regular season next Friday (Nov. 13) with an 8:35 p.m., home game against Arkansas State. UNO will host Dana College on Nov. 15 at 1:30 p.m.
NOTES: Creighton has won all five exhibition meetings with UNO this decade, including 93-68 last season ... Creighton has now won its last 16 exhibition games, dating to a loss in 2000 to Latvia. ...Creighton is picked to win the Missouri Valley Conference, with Megan Neuvirth tabbed Preseason MVC Player of the Year, while UNO is picked seventh in the preseason MIAA poll ... All 10 Creighton players in uniform scored before the first media timeout of the second half ... Among those in attendance was MVC Senior Associate Commissioner Patty Viverito, in town for the State Farm MVC Women's Soccer Tournament that Creighton hosts beginning tomorrow ... Creighton went 22-12 in Division I last year while UNO went 15-12 in the Division II ranks ... CU last played a game on campus in a 2001 exhibition game against a Lithuanian team ... CU's home opener on Friday will be its first regular-season contest on campus since the 1991-92 season.
Creighton led 38-31 at the half after a sloppy 20 minutes that featured a combined 24 turnovers and just as many fouls. UNO's Heather Pohl would score the game's first basket to go ahead 2-0, but that would be their biggest lead of the evening. Pohl scored 14 points in the first half to pace the Mavericks, while Creighton featured a more balanced attack that saw nine different ladies score between one and eight points.
CU opened the second half on an 16-0 run to open up a 52-31 cushion. Kelsey Woodard drained a three-pointer, and Sam Schuett would score the next five points to force a Maverick timeout to regroup. Woodard sandwiched two buckets around a Katie Frank score as the lead reached 20 for the first time. Lost in the shuffle of CU's scoring breakout was the Bluejay defense, which forced turnovers on seven straight UNO possessions before Jessica Zaruba ended the drought with 14:43 left in the game.
The Jays led by as many as 27 in the victory, up 64-37 with 10:33 left in the game.
Creighton had five players score in double-digits, led by Woodard's 17 points. Fellow starters Herring, Schuett and Megan Neuvirth each had 10 points, while freshman Jasmin Corbin added 10 off the bench, making 3-of-6 shots from three-point range. Neuvirth had team-highs with seven rebounds and six steals in 24 minutes, and fellow senior Kelsey Crites had a game-best five assists. The Bluejays shot 26-for-65 (.400) from the field, 8-for-20 (.400) from three-point land and 20-of-29 (.690) from the charity stripe.
Creighton swiped 15 steals and forced 28 UNO turnovers, leading directly to 34 points. CU also collected 17 offensive rebounds, out-rebounding the Mavs 41-37, while out-scoring UNO 18-10 in second-chance points.
UNO was led by 21 points from Pohl and 11 points by Alyssa Green. The Mavericks shot 23-of-54 (.426) from the floor, 2-of-10 (.200) from three-point range and 9-of-14 (.643) from the line.
Creighton opens the regular season next Friday (Nov. 13) with an 8:35 p.m., home game against Arkansas State. UNO will host Dana College on Nov. 15 at 1:30 p.m.
NOTES: Creighton has won all five exhibition meetings with UNO this decade, including 93-68 last season ... Creighton has now won its last 16 exhibition games, dating to a loss in 2000 to Latvia. ...Creighton is picked to win the Missouri Valley Conference, with Megan Neuvirth tabbed Preseason MVC Player of the Year, while UNO is picked seventh in the preseason MIAA poll ... All 10 Creighton players in uniform scored before the first media timeout of the second half ... Among those in attendance was MVC Senior Associate Commissioner Patty Viverito, in town for the State Farm MVC Women's Soccer Tournament that Creighton hosts beginning tomorrow ... Creighton went 22-12 in Division I last year while UNO went 15-12 in the Division II ranks ... CU last played a game on campus in a 2001 exhibition game against a Lithuanian team ... CU's home opener on Friday will be its first regular-season contest on campus since the 1991-92 season.
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