Creighton University
Bradley
Bluejays Shoot Past Braves 72-50 in Women's Basketball
2/12/2011 2:22:00 PM | Women's Basketball
PEORIA, Ill. - Creighton tied a season-high with 12 three-point field goals made in a 72-50 win at Bradley Saturday afternoon. The Bluejays shot a season-high 57.1 percent from three-point range in cruising to their first win on Bradley's home floor in four tries. Kelsey Woodard led all players with 21 points, as the senior knocked down 5-of-9 three-pointers in the victory.
The win keeps the Bluejays (16-8) alone in second-place with a 10-3 Missouri Valley Conference record. The loss drops the Braves to 11-13 on the year and 4-9 in MVC play.
Creighton hit just one of its first five shots from the field before it found its shoot touch midway through the first half. A three-point play by Katie Yohn put the Braves in front 12-7 for their largest lead of the game with 13:49 left in the opening half. Creighton trailed 14-10 before back-to-back three-pointers from Woodard put the Jays ahead. After Bradley evened the score at 16, Woodard scored two more baskets to account for 10 straight Bluejay points, putting CU ahead for good.
With the score 24-20 in favor of the Bluejays with 3:44 to play in the first half, Creighton closed the half on an 8-2 run to own a 32-22 lead at the break. Sam Schuett sank a three with 1:26 to play and Ally Jensen beat the first-half buzzer with a triple of her own to give the Jays their largest lead of the half going into the locker room.
The Jays led at the half because of their hot shooting and Bradley's poor execution on offense. CU hit 6-of-12 three-pointers and all four of its free throws in the first half, while the Braves were only 7-of-26 (.269) from the floor in the first half.
Creighton pulled away from the Braves in the second half, opening with the first 10 points as part of a 17-3 run, which gave the Jays their largest lead of the game, up 49-25 with just over six minutes elapsed after the half. The Bluejays made 7-of-10 shots to start the second half, including three-pointers from Woodard, Jensen and Sarah Nelson.
Bradley would get no closer than 15 points the rest of the way, as the Jays finished off the season sweep of the Braves for the first time since 2006-07.
Creighton shot better than 50 percent from the field for just the third time this season, finishing at 51.9 percent in the game. The Jays shot a season-high 57.1 percent from long range, canning 12-of-21 threes. CU also out-rebounded the top-rebounding team in the MVC 36-35 and had seven blocked shots in the win.
Woodard hit 8-of-14 shots from the field and 5-of-9 from three-point range to finish with a game-high 21 points. She also topped the team with 21 points and tied for game-high honors with six rebounds. Schuett finished 2-for-4 from long range and had 14 points and game-high six assists. Carli Tritz finished with 10 points and five rebounds for the Jays.
Jensen and Jasmin Corbin each made two three-pointers off the bench, to help the Creighton reserves out-score the Bradley bench 24-18.
Bradley shot only 28.8 percent from the field in the loss, and made only 60 percent of its free throws. The Braves were led by Katie Yohn's 19 points.
Creighton returns home for its final two home games of the season this week, starting with a visit from Indiana State on Thursday. The Jays then host Illinois State on Saturday for Senior Day and the annual pink-out game.
NOTES: Creighton previously hit 12 three-pointers against North Dakota (Dec. 20) ... CU's previous season-high three-point percentage was 56.3 at South Dakota (Dec. 2) ... Woodard now has exactly 1,400 career points ... Woodard is tied with Ally Thrall for eighth in school history with 123 games played ... Schuett is alone in third place in school history with 831 rebounds ... Alyssa Kamphaus (16) and DaNae Moore (23) both played season-highs in minutes ... CU had lost its last three games on Bradley's home court after 17 straight wins in Peoria. The Jays are now 18-4 all-time at Bradley and 34-8 against the Braves all-time ... The game was played at BU's new Renaissance Coliseum, Creighton's first trip the venue.
