Creighton University
14-10, 7-6
Seton Hall
21-3, 10-2
Women's Basketball Completes Weekend Sweep, Tops #24 Seton Hall 81-73
2/8/2015 4:14:00 PM | Women's Basketball
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - Powered by a double-double from senior Alexis Akin-Otiko (20 points and 10 rebounds), the Creighton women's basketball team defeated #24 Seton Hall, 81-73, on Sunday, Feb. 8.
With the win the Bluejays moved to 14-10 on the season and 7-6 in the BIG EAST Conference, while Seton Hall fell to 21-3 overall and 10-2 in conference play.
Facing its largest deficit of the game, 71-66, with 5:05 remaining, the Bluejays showed their grit with an amazing 15-2 run to close out the win. Sophomore Brianna Rollerson, who returned the game with 5:15 left, started the Creighton rally with a layup from fellow sophomore MC McGrory.
Moments later senior Alexis Akin-Otiko drew the fourth foul on Seton Hall's Daisha Simmons on a drive to the hoop to send both teams to the bench for the final media timeout. Out of the break, Akin-Otiko calmly drained both shots from the charity strip to make it a one-point game (71-70).
Seton Hall responded with a driving layup by Simmons, but Creighton came right back with junior Marissa Janning dishing to Rollerson for an easy bucket.
The next possession saw the Bluejays force Ka-Deidre Simmons to kick out of a drive and Jenee Johnson missed a contested three-pointer. Janning made the Pirates pay, driving to the lane herself and finding McGrory open in the left corner for the go-ahead trey (75-73) with 2:11 showing on the clock.
Another Creighton defensive stand led to the final blow as Akin-Otiko grabbed the rebound on a missed three-ball from Tabatha Richardson-Smith. Creighton wound the clock down to under a minute before head coach Jim Flanery called his final timeout with eight seconds remaining on the Bluejays' shot clock.
Janning found Rollerson with the inbounds pass and the Omaha native beat two Seton Hall defenders to make it 77-73 with 49 seconds to go.
Creighton's defense kept the Pirates at bay while McGrory dropped in four free throws down the stretch to secure the win.
Early in the contest it was the Bluejays' three-point shooting that made the difference. Creighton knocked down three of six trifectas in the opening five minutes to dash out to a 15-8 lead (15:09).
Up 17-11 moments later the Bluejays saw what makes Seton Hall so difficult as the Pirates used three Creighton turnovers to go on a 10-0 run to build a 21-17.
Just as the Creighton did at the end of the game, the Bluejays gathered themselves and responded. Freshman Sydney Lamberty ended the Pirates' run with a deep three-pointer from the top of the key to calm her squad. Later Lamberty knocked down another three to Creighton back in front at 25-24 (9:10). The Bluejays went on to lead by as much as nine in the half (40-31), capped by a trifecta from Akin-Otiko and a pull-up jumper from Lamberty.
Seton Hall, however, closed the half with a spurt of their own to send it to halftime with the Bluejays up 42-37.
Akin-Otiko closed the contest with a game-high 20 points; she completed her fourth double-double of the season with 10 rebounds. Three other Bluejays reached double figures as Lamberty had 17, Janning 15 and McGrory 12.
Seton Hall got 20 points from Tiffany Jones, while Richardson-Smith had 17 and both Simmons finished with 15 points.
Creighton's win ended Seton Hall's 20-game home win streak, the second time the Bluejays have stopped a 20+ home streak this season as Creighton's win at South Dakota State (88-81 on Nov. 18) ended the Jackrabbits' 22-game home stretch.
Creighton returns to action on Sunday, Feb. 15 as the Bluejays host Providence in the "Creighton vs. Cancer" Pink game to promote breast cancer awareness at 1 pm.
