Women's Basketball Looks to Rebound at Villanova

Philadelphia, Pa. -- Coming off a rough outing against #3 Connecticut on Thursday, the Bluejays battle their third consecutive undefeated squad at Villanova on Saturday, Dec. 19 at 12:00 pm (CT). Creighton split the first two games, giving Nebraska its first loss of the season on Dec. 14.

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12/19: - 12:00 p.m. (CT)
Creighton (2-4, 1-1 BIG EAST) at Villanova (6-0, 1-0 BIG EAST)

Twitter: @GoCreighton, @CreightonWBB

Series History: Creighton leads Villanova, 9-6

Stats (Free): http://creighton.statbroadcast.com

Online Stream ($) - BEDN/FloSports:
Nick Mantenga (PxP) and Steve Pinone (Analyst)
https://www.flohoops.com/signup?redirect=%2Flive%2F24270

How to watch Saturday's Game at Villanova:
Creighton's game at Villanova on Dec. 17 will be carried online via the BIG EAST Digital Network's (BEDN) carrier FloSports. New during the 2020-21 season, a paid subscription is required to watch all BEDN contests including Bluejay home games.

Series with Villanova: Creighton Leads 9-6
Creighton holds an 9-6 series edge on the Wildcats, sweeping the two contest last season. Creighton is 5-2 against Villanova inside D.J. Sokol Arena and 3-4 on the road.

Series with Villanova:
Date   Opponent   Score
12/28/13   Villanova   W, 65-58
2/1/14   at Villanova   L, 54-68
1/9/15   Villanova   L, 61-65
3/1/15   at Villanova   L, 53-61
1/5/16   at Villanova   W, 65-62
1/29/16   Villanova   W, 53-48
3/6/16   @ ª vs. Villanova   W, 57-48
1/10/17   Villanova   W, 60-46
2/3/17   at Villanova   W, 47-44
12/28/17   #18 Villanova   W, 69-54
2/25/18   at Villanova   L, 48-55
1/4/19   Villanova   L, 52-54
2/3/19   at Villanova   L, 62-67 (2ot)
12/31/19   at Villanova   W, 58-42
2/29/20   Villanova   W, 67-47

@ = played in Chicago, Ill.
ª = BIG EAST Tournament game

Scouting Villanova (6-0, 1-0 BIG EAST)
The Wildcats are off to a hot start under new head coach Denise Dillon, posting four convincing wins and collecting a pair of close contests.

The driving force for Villanova's offense is sophomore sensation Maddy Siegrist, who leads her team with 22.8 ppg. Villanova, however, is far from a one woman show. Seniors Brianna Herlihy and Sarah Mortensen are each averaging better than 10 points per game at 15.0 and 11.2 respectively.

Under Dillon's direction the Wildcats have started the season with a faster pace of play, causing a few more turnovers. Villanova is historically the best team in the NCAA at ball security, but this season the Wildcats have 87 turnovers in six contests (14.5 per game).

Scouting Creighton (2-4, 1-0 BIG EAST)
Just six games into the season, the Bluejays have already had a bit of a roller coaster start. Forced to play its first three games without senior point guard Tatum Rembao the Bluejays offense was sluggish in three consecutive losses, averaging 53.7 ppg)

Rembao's return led to a pair of impressive victories over Butler (88-41) and Nebraska (78-62).

Creighton offense ran into a brick wall on Thursday, scoring just 12 points in the opening half against #3 Connecticut in an 80-47 loss.

Expect Creighton's offense to be better against the Wildcats than it was versus the Huskies, but the question will be can the Bluejays slow down Maddy Siegrist.

Keys To the Game on Saturday, Dec. 19

Slowing Down Siegrist: In two games against the Bluejays last season, Siegrist averaged 10.0 ppg and 8.5 rpg, but Creighton had the BIG EAST Player of the Year (Jaylyn Agnew) defending her.
Three-Point Shooting: The Bluejays are a motion offense that lives beyond the arc. Against #3 UConn Creighton was 0-for-11 in the first half, but hit seven treys in the second half.
Raven James vs. Tatum Rembao: Creighton will try to force the ball away from Siegrist and Herlihy, encouraging James to shoot. In the first meeting last year, James had four points on 1-of-5 from the field. In the second battle James had 15 points, going 5-of-10. Rembao, meanwhile has to be able to run the offense and force James into a few easy turnovers.

2020-21 BIG EAST Season Has Featured Program High and Low in Consecutive games
The gap of 47 points in Creighton's win at Butler on Dec. 6 marked the Bluejays' largest margin of victory under head coach Jim Flanery. The last time Creighton posted a win by more than 40 points was against Marist on Nov. 15, 2015 (89-46).

The last time Creighton posted a larger margin of victory goes all the way back to Dec. 30, 1993 when the Bluejays defeated Delaware 106-44.

Ironically Creighton's largest loss in BIG EAST play came in the second conference game of 2020-21, falling 80-47 at #3 Connecticut on Dec. 17. The previous largest gap was Creighton's 75-43 loss to Butler on Jan. 20, 2019.

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Players Mentioned

Jaylyn Agnew

Tatum Rembao