Creighton University
Northern Iowa
Late Lay-Up Lifts UNI Past Women's Basketball, 58-57
1/13/2011 9:40:00 PM | Women's Basketball
OMAHA, Neb. -- In a game with two ties and four lead changes in the final four minutes, it was the Northern Iowa women's basketball that emerged with a 58-57 win at Creighton on Thursday evening. The contest was a rematch of the 2010 State Farm MVC Tournament final, also won by one point by UNI.
The Panthers improved to 11-5 on the season (4-1 MVC) with their third straight win, while Creighton dropped to 9-6 (3-1 MVC) on the year. Both teams are part of a four-team logjam of Valley schools with one league loss, along with Missouri State (4-1) and Drake (3-1).
Jacqui Kalin led UNI with 19 points to match her season-high, her ninth straight game in double-figures. Creighton was paced by 14 points from seniors Sam Schuett and Kelile Nelson. Schuett also had a game-best 12 rebounds for her second double-double of the season.
Creighton quickly fell behind 6-0 and trailed 11-2 after four minutes as the breaks went UNI's way early on. While Creighton had three shots rattle in-and-out, two Panther jump shots were banked in to bolster the Panther lead at the outset. The Jays trimmed that deficit quickly, getting scores from DaNae Moore, Kelsey Woodard and Sarah Nelson as part of a 7-0 run to narrow the gap to 11-9.
A free throw by Kellie Nelson evened the score at 15, and a reverse lay-in by Schuett handed the Jays their first lead at 17-15, which was extended to 19-15 after two Sarah Nelson foul shots to cap a 10-0 flurry by the hosts.
Creighton's largest lead of the half was 23-19, only to see UNI close the first half on a 9-0 run over the final 3:28 to go ahead 28-23 at intermission. Kalin led UNI with eight points at the break, while Schuett topped CU with six points and six rebounds. The Jays shot just 8-of-31 (.258) in the opening half from the floor.
Northern Iowa started the second half quickly too, scoring six of the first eight points to take a 34-25 lead. The Panthers pushed their lead to double-figures, up 40-29 with 15 minutes to go when Lizzie Boeck scored in transition after Rachel Madrigal's steal and dish. A minute later, Madrigal deflected a Carli Tritz pass, then went coast-to-coast to make it 42-29 and close out a 23-6 run by the Panthers.
After a timeout, Creighton fought back, attempting to match an 18-point comeback win last year in Omaha over the Panthers. A jumper by Woodard, followed by two inside scores from Kellie Nelson helped fuel a Bluejay comeback to trim the deficit to 42-35 at the 12-minute mark. But that surge was thwarted when Erin Brocka hit a three-pointer from the right wing, silencing the crowd of 895 at D.J. Sokol Arena. Creighton made it a four-point game on a corner trey by Schuett with nine minutes left, only to have Brocka counter with a three of her own after two Kalin foul shots.
Tritz converted her first field goal in seven attempts to get the Jays within 54-49, and Jensen then followed a Woodard steal with a three-pointer. Following yet another backcourt steal, Schuett would be hacked in the act, converting a three-point play with 3:28 to go and giving CU its first lead (55-54) since late in the first half at 23-22. Down one, UNI's Mercedees Morgan missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 2:09 left.
Madrigal would earn a steal on the next trip down, and Kalin converted two foul shots to regain the lead for UNI at 56-55 with 1:30 remaining. Moore then fed Tritz for a lay-up inside and a Bluejay edge, only to have Kalin race down the court for a lay-up to put the Panthers back up one with 1:05 left.
The Jays got the ball to Schuett, who missed a three from the corner as UNI snared the rebound with a 4.5 second differential betwen the game and shot clocks. Katelin Oney would miss the front-end of a bonus, and Creighton grabbed the board. The Jays made several passes before Boeck ripped the ball away from Jensen as the sophomore was driving. Kalin would be fouled with 1.0 seconds left and missed both shots, leaving CU a glimmer of hope. However McKenzie Fujan's baseball pass past half-court was intercepted by Boeck, ending CU's hopes for a dramatic buzzer-beater.
In addition to 19 points by Kalin, Brocka had 11 points and nine rebounds. The Panthers shot 41.2 percent for the game and 12-of-20 from the line.
Creighton shot 34.4 percent for the night, including 3-of-19 from downtown, but helped offset that with a 46-32 edge on the glass. In addition to Schuett's double-double, Tritz had career-highs with 10 rebounds and seven assists to go with six points and three steals.
Creighton will host Bradley (8-8, 1-4 MVC) on Saturday at 2:05 pm at D.J. Sokol Arena inside the Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic Center.
NOTES: UNI coach Tanya Warren played for Creighton from 1983-88 and her No. 10 is one of two retired women's basketball jerseys for the Bluejays ...Jacqui Kalin, who ranks 10th nationally in free-throw percentage at 92.6 percent, made her first eight of her attempts to run her streak to 27 straight makes before her two misses with a second to play ... Creighton is now 19-3 at home al-time against Northern Iowa ... Schuett's double-double was the 15th of her career ... CU's three three-pointers were a season-low, as was its 15.8 shooting percentage from long range.
