Creighton University
Northern Iowa
Panthers Pop Bluejays, 73-57, in Women's Hoops
2/21/2010 9:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - Lizzie Boeck scored a career-high 24 points to lead the Northern Iowa women's basketball team to a 73-57 win over Creighton Sunday night at the McLeod Center. Providing the Bluejays with a bright spot, senior Chevelle Herring became the third Bluejay this year and 22nd in school history to surpass 1,000 career points. Herring finished with a team-best 17 points for the Bluejays in defeat.
UNI moved to 13-12 overall and 9-5 in the Missouri Valley Conference with its sixth straight victory. The loss dropped Creighton to 15-9 overall and 10-5 in Valley play, while snapping CU's five-game winning streak in the series.
After the Panthers scored the first bucket of the game, the Bluejays answered with the next five points. UNI then rattled off nine straight points to take the lead for good. The Jays cut the lead back to 14-13, before the Panthers used a 13-3 run to take control of the game. UNI led by as many as 13 in the opening half, before taking a 38-29 halftime lead.
UNI shot 56 percent from the field in the opening half and out-rebounded the Bluejays 21-10 in through 20 minutes. The UNI duo of Lizzie Boeck and Jacqui Kalin equalled CU's scoring total in the first half, as Boeck had 17 points and seven boards, while Kalin had 12 points in the opening stanza.
Herring had eight of her team-leading 17 points in the first half. She hit CU's final basket of the half to give her 1,000 career points, joining Megan Neuvirth and Kelsey Woodard to become the first Bluejay trio to eclipse 1,000 points in the same season.
Creighton held the Panthers to one basket in the first seven minutes of the second half, but could not get their offense in gear to mount a comeback. CU could not get closer than six points down in the second half, trailing 42-36 with 12:54 to play.
A three-pointer on UNI's last possession gave the Panthers their largest lead of the night at the final buzzer.
Boeck scored a career-high 24 points and ended with nine rebounds before fouling out. Kalin finished with 16 points and four assists.
UNI shot 47.1 percent in the game, while the Bluejays made just 30.2 percent of their shots. UNI went 20-of-21 at the free-throw line, making their first 19 attempts at the stripe. UNI out-rebounded the Jays 42-26.
Megan Neuvirth was the only other Bluejay in double figures, ending with 10 and a game-high three steals before fouling out.
Creighton will look to snap its two game losing streak when it plays at Drake on Friday night. The game, originally scheduled for Sunday Feb. 28, was moved to Feb. 26 and a 7:35 p.m. tipoff in order to be broadcast on Fox Sports Net.
