Women's Basketball Season Recap

Omaha, Neb. -- Similar to a surprise cancellation for a television series, the 2019-20 came to an abrupt end and left unanswered cliffhangers throughout the nation. Unlike television cancellations, however, fans of the 2019-20 season cannot expect a petition to bring back the NCAA Tournament for closure.

Thus we are left to wonder if the Creighton women's basketball team may wonder if the Bluejays had earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament? How far BIG EAST Player of the Year Jaylyn Agnew along with fellow senior Olivia Elger could lead the squad? Would the Bluejays have advanced to the second round for the third time during the career of Agnew and Elger? Could Creighton have pulled an upset of a team like Stanford (where the last ESPN Bracketology had Creighton heading) in the second round?

Rather than dwell too long on the what ifs, let us take some time to reflect on Creighton's 2019-20 season.

Creighton Women's Basketball, 2019-20 in Review:
Overall Record: 19-11; BIG EAST Record: 11-7

Putting Local Affairs in Order (Games 1-5)
Road games book ended the opening five games of the season against local rivals UNO and Nebraska. For the fourth consecutive season, the Bluejays painted the state Creighton Blue with a sweep of Mavericks and Huskers. Temi Carda directed a season-opening win at UNO on Nov. 5 (67-54) with 25 points, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc and a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line. Creighton returned home with a win over South Dakota State, but dropped its third game of the season at Drake (Nov. 16). Just two days later, Creighton sizzled back in D.J. Sokol Arena as Agnew and Tatum Rembao combined for 47 points in a 70-59 win over North Dakota State. The opening quartet of contests were wrapped in a bow in Lincoln on Nov. 24 as the Bluejays handed Nebraska its first loss of the season. Agnew led the way with a game-high 26 points and 13 rebounds, but Elger shined in the second-half with 14 of her 18 points.

During the 4-1 start, Agnew led Creighton with 91 points (18.2 ppg), while dishing out 19 assists. She also committed a mere six turnovers in the first five games.

The Wild Ride from Cancun to Tempe (Games 6-11)
The Thanksgiving holiday sent the Bluejays to Cancun for an opening round matchup against No. 23 West Virginia in the Cancun Challenge on Nov. 28. Already having posted three 20+ point performance in her first five games, Agnew announced herself to the nation with 34 points to lead Creighton to an upset 82-75 win over the Mountaineers. The turning point of the contest came with just over five minutes remaining in the second quarter with the Bluejays down 39-27 (5:43). Agnew led her squad on a 16-0 run to claim the lead at 43-39 with 51 seconds left in the half. Agnew and Elger delivered all of Creighton 16 points, including 10 from Agnew. The following night the trio of Carda (17), Agnew (15) and Elger (12) each reached double figure to best Temple and return to the States at 6-1 on the year.

Creighton's next opponent saw the Bluejays drop a hard fought road game at South Dakota on Dec. 4 (72-65), the Coyotes ended their season 30-2 and ranked No. 20 in the final AP poll. Back in Omaha for the first time since its win versus North Dakota State on Nov. 18, the Bluejays delivered an improbable comeback win over Northern Iowa on Dec. 8. Trailing 54-45 with 3:07 left, multiple players stepped forward to help Creighton score the final 13 points of the game to snatch a victory from the Panthers. Rachael Saunders triggered the run with a three-pointer from the wing, followed by five straight by Carda to make it 54-52 (1:45). In the final minute, it was Rembao stripping the ball, then racing to the bucket to tie the game. Three defensive stops and a trio of free throws sealed the win. Facing another former Valley rival, Agnew and Rembao led Creighton to a 56-46 win over Wichita State with 17 points each on Dec. 14 to push the Bluejays to 8-2. The final non-conference game of the year sent Creighton back to a warm climate as the Bluejays went to the Grand Canyon State to battle Arizona State. One day before the contest, however, Creighton lost Rembao to an injury in practice. Without its starting point guard, the Bluejays fell 77-50.

Once more, Agnew led the way with a 17.7 ppg average, while Elger and Rembao delivered 14.8 ppg and 13.6 ppg, respectively.

Busting out of the BIG EAST Gates (Games 12-16)
Rolling into conference play with an 8-3 mark, the Bluejays were confident but knew they'd be without Rembao for a few weeks at least. Opening BIG EAST action at Georgetown had all the makings of a trap game as the Hoyas were just 3-8 in non-conference action. The first half looked to be exactly that as Creighton trailed 33-23 at the break, but Agnew delivered another chapter in her BIG EAST Player of the Year saga with 20 second-half points to lead Creighton to a 65-56 win. The momentum carried the Bluejays to Villanova as Agnew scored 22 points in the opening two quarters to stake Creighton to a 40-21 edge at the half. Defense carried the Bluejays the rest of the way to a 58-42 win on Dec. 31.

Creighton's winning ways continued at home against Marquette, 72-62, on Jan. 3. Agnew paved the way with 27 points and nine rebounds, while Carda added 17 points and six boards. Knotted at 56-56 with less than four minutes remaining, Agnew knocked down a pair of improbable shots to spur the Bluejays onto victory. Coming out of a timeout, Agnew drove into the lane and willed her shot up and over the front of the rim. After a defensive stop, Agnew gathered in a cross-court pass with just two seconds on the shot clock and her back to the basket. She turned and drilled a shot as the shot clock timer went off. Leading 63-62 with 1:03 left, Saunders connected from long range to seal the win. Two days later, Creighton took on the preseason favorite No. 16 DePaul in D.J. Sokol Arena. Down just 40-36 at the break, Creighton claimed a 63-60 lead early in the fourth thanks to a pair of layups from freshman Carly Bachelor. Down 68-67 with 4:32 remaining, four consecutive empty possessions on offense were too much to overcome as the Bluejays fell 74-71.

Creighton rebounded six days later with another impressive comeback win, this time besting Providence 72-63 on Jan. 11. Trailing 56-49 with just over eight minutes left, the Bluejays outscored the Friars 23-8 down the stretch. Agnew scored nine of her game-high 18 during the final push.

During games, 12-16 Agnew led the Bluejays with 23.4 ppg and 7.2 rpg, while Carda contributed 17.0 ppg and a team-high 23 assists.

Injuries and Losses Began to Mount (Games 17-20)
Heading to New Jersey at 12-4 overall and 4-1 in BIG EAST play, the Bluejays were feeling good about their season. Creighton had gone 4-1 without starting point guard Rembao and was hoping she could return on the east coast swing. Scheduled for an early tip, 9:00 am (CT), against Seton Hall on Jan. 17, the Bluejays were met with a much more than a cold shower. The Pirates came out of the gate splashing treys to build a 19-2 advantage in the opening 4:28 of the contest. Down as much as 24 points (48-24) late in the first half, the Bluejays were unable to recover, suffering an 82-70 loss. Making matters worse, a late elbow to Agnew's head left the Bluejay star sidelined with a concussion. Forced to battle St. John's without either Agnew or Rembao, the Bluejays held a 55-52 lead with 4:24 remaining. The Red Storm, however, used a 9-0 run over the next four minutes to send Creighton two its second consecutive loss.

Back in Omaha, the Bluejays got Rembao back on the court and got a superb effort from both Carda (26 points) as well as Bachelor (17 points) in a 62-55 win. The win over the Musketeers, however, proved costly as Payton Brotzki and Saunders were sidelined with injuries. Playing with just eight healthy bodies against Butler on Jan. 26, the Bluejays trailed by double-digits midway through the third. Despite closing within two points (67-65) in the final minutes, Creighton fell 73-67 to drop to 13-7 overall and 5-4 after the first half of BIG EAST action.

The quarter of games saw Agnew score 22 in her only game, while Carda led the team with 63 points (15.8 ppg).

Two Points (Games 21-22)
The second half of BIG EAST action began against No. 11 DePaul in the site of the conference tournament, Wintrust Arena, on Jan. 31. Still playing without Agnew, the Bluejays trailed 41-21 at the half, yet the final 20 minutes redirected a season that could have spiraled. Creighton's comeback truly began on the final possession of the first half. Down 41-19, Elger gave her team some life by draining a shot to beat the buzzer. The third quarter saw Creighton storm out of the locker room with a 20-2 run in the third quarter to make it a 43-41 contest with 2:05 remaining in the frame. Five different Bluejays contributed on the offensive end, led by seven from Rembao, but the Bluejays got back into the battle with DePaul on the defensive end. Creighton held DePaul to 2-of-12 (16.7%) from the field in the third quarter to outscore the Blue Demons 25-8 in the frame. DePaul pushed its edge out to five on a pair of possessions heading to the fourth, yet the momentum was clearly with the Bluejays. Creighton's comeback finally gave the Bluejays the lead on a traditional three-point play from Elger with 5:48 remaining, putting Creighton up 53-50. The Bluejays pushed their edge to as much at 63-57 (3:08) and held on for the 63-61 win. Elger had 16 of her game-high 28 points in the second half, while Bachelor closed the game with nine points and nine rebounds.

Two days later in Milwaukee, the Bluejays raced out to a 32-19 lead at the break, thanks in part to the return of Agnew and the steady pace of Carda (10 points in the opening 20 minutes). Marquette, however, outscored Creighton 19-4 in the third quarter to take a 38-36 edge heading to the final 10 minutes. Down for all but one possession of the fourth, the Bluejays pulled even at 50-50 on a second-chance layup from Saunders with 20 seconds left. Marquette made its last opportunity count as the Golden Eagles took the game on a fade away jumper at the buzzer by Lauren Van Kleunen to down Creighton, 52-50.

Flan's Birthday, the Pink Game and Pirates Part 2 (Games 23-25)
Heading to Providence with a 14-8 record (6-5 in BIG EAST play), the Bluejays remained positive about their NCAA chances. Things got even brighter as Agnew showed she was healthy and hungry with 38 points in the first 32 minutes of Creighton's 77-68 win over the Friars on Feb. 8, also head coach Jim Flanery's birthday. Agnew was 14-of-21 in the contest, including 7-of-11 (63.6%) from beyond the arc. Following the win, the only question was why Agnew took shots in the fourth quarter with the Bluejay single-game record (42 points by Connie Yori in 1982) in reach.

A happy flight to Omaha led into Creighton's annual Pink Game, a contest the Bluejays were undefeated in entering the battle with St. John's on Feb. 14. The Red Storm opened the game 19-of-34 (55.8%) in the first half to help them build a 55-37 edge early in the third. Despite getting within three at 70-67 (2:51) and 73-70 (1:53), the Bluejays fell short of another defining comeback win at home.

Coming off one of only two contests in 2019-20 that Agnew was held under double-digits (she finished with seven against the Red Storm), Creighton's leader delivered an impressive 28 points as the Bluejays avenged a road loss to Seton Hall with a 78-66 win over the Pirates on Feb. 16.

Humbling Lesson Paid Dividends (Games 26-28)
The final road trip of the regular season took Creighton to Butler (Feb. 21) and Xavier (Feb. 23). For the second time in two meetings, Butler proved deft from beyond the arc, shooting 9-of-18 from long range to deal the Bluejays a 76-61 defeat. On the season, Butler shot just 31% from three-point distance (161-of-523), yet the Bulldogs went 18-of-36 in two meetings with Creighton.

The loss to Butler dropped Creighton to 16-10 (8-7 in BIG EAST action) but proved to galvanize the group for a strong surge to the finish line. In Cincinnati to face Xavier, the Bluejays got 29 points and 10 rebounds from Agnew to blow by the Musketeers, 76-62.

Back home, the Bluejay defense stifled Villanova in 67-47 win on Feb. 28. The Bluejays forced the Wildcats into 19 turnovers in the win and out rebounded the bigger Villanova team 44-36.

Seniors' Shining Moment to the Bitter End (Game 29-30)
The regular season finale against Georgetown on March 1 is one that will not soon be forgotten. For the full recap go to (https://bit.ly/2Y4073r), the highlights saw senior Morgan Turner return to the floor for the first time in 2019-20 to sink a three from the left-wing in the only minute she played, Elger knock down a one-on-one move that was her signature move during her Creighton career and Agnew set the school record with 43 points to lead the Bluejays to a 95-78 win over the Hoyas. Agnew closed the game 15-of-25 (60%) from the field, with eight treys and a perfect 5-of-5 from the charity stripe. The win pushed the Bluejays to 19-10 on the season and into a five-way tie for third place in the BIG EAST at 11-7.

Tiebreakers pushed Creighton into a quarterfinals matchup with St. John's, one of just two teams in conference play the Bluejays had not beaten. Creighton opened the game with the Red Storm on a 20-5 run, but St. John's knotted the game at 30-30 by halftime. From the end of the first quarter, the Bluejays committed 13 turnovers and hit just 13 shots from the field as Creighton closed the BIG EAST Tournament with a 70-54 loss.

Historical Post Season
While the questions about the NCAA Tournament remain, the Bluejays topped a tremendous 2019-20 season on Friday, April 18 as Agnew became the first Bluejay in school history to be selected in the WNBA Draft. Agnew went with the 24th overall selection to the Washington Mystics, capping a list of post season honors that included AP All-America Honorable Mention, BIG EAST Player of the Year, unanimous selection to the All-BIG EAST First Team and a spot on the 18th Annual Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association (DI-AAA ADA) Scholar-Athlete Team. In addition, Agnew was the NCAA Statistical Champion for free-throw percentage, hitting 76-of-80 (95.0%), including 50 straight to close the season.

The honors were not limited to Agnew as Carda collected All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention, Bachelor earned a BIG EAST Freshman of the week nod and Elger nabbed a pair of BIG EAST weekly honor roll selections.

Related News

Players Mentioned

Jaylyn Agnew

Carly Bachelor

Payton Brotzki

Temi Carda

Olivia Elger

Tatum Rembao

Rachael Saunders

Morgan Turner

Related Videos