Photo by: Creighton Athletics
Bluejay Women's Basketball Faces Third Top 25 Test, at #25 Villanova on Friday
12/1/2022 8:47:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Villanova, Pa. -- The 13th-ranked Creighton Women's Basketball team continues it challenging schedule as the Bluejays play their sixth road game in seven games, this time facing #25 Villanova on Friday, December 2 at 6:00 pm (CT).
Bluejays Lead 10-8
Home: 6-2 Away: 3-6 Neutral: 1-0
The Bluejays lead the overall series with Villanova, 10-8, splitting the two contests last season.
Series Game-by-Game
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
2/28/20   Villanova   W, 67-47
12/19/20   at Villanova   L, 68-73
12/5/21   Villanova   W, 72-58
1/23/22   at Villanova   L,64-74
@ = played in Chicago, Ill.
ª = BIG EAST Tournament game
Flanery vs. Villanova
Flanery is 10-8 against Villanova, coaching each Creighton meeting with the Wildcats. Flan is 1-2 against current Wildcat head coach Denis Dillon.
About Villanova
Scouting #25 Villanova (6-1)
Similar to Creighton, Villanova has opened the 2022-23 season in impressive fashion. The Wildcats posted four consecutive road wins, then took two of three in Gulf Coast Showcase. Villanova's lone loss came to Baylor in a game that was tied 70-70 in the final minute.
Defending BIG EAST Player of the Year Maddy Siegrist leads the way for Villanova. The New York native is averaging 27.4 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. Siegrist's supporting case includes sophomore Lucy Olsen (13.1 ppg) and Maddie Burke (7.6 ppg).
Defensively the Wildcats have limited their opposition to 35.8% from the field, holding four of seven teams under
60 points.
Scouting #13 Creighton (6-0)
Despite playing sluggishly in a Black Friday morning contest at Xavier, Creighton remained undefeated this season with a 57-51 win over the Musketeers.
The duo of Lauren Jensen and Morgan Maly carried the heavy scoring load as the tandem delivered 34 of Creighton's 57 points. Jensen and Maly also lead the Bluejays in scoring on the season with 18.7 and 16.3 ppg respectively.
Creighton is shooting 46.8% from the field and are 48-of-135 from beyond the arc (35.6%).
Keys To the Game on Friday, December 2
Make Siegrist Work on Both Ends: Siegrist going to get her touches and she will score. What Creighton must do is make he work on the offensive end by preventing open looks and second chance points. Conversely Emma Ronsiek and Morgan Maly must make Siegrist defend.
Minimize Mistakes: Since Creighton joined the BIG EAST prior to the 2013-14 season, the Bluejays and Wildcats have mirrored one another. In the first six seasons with Creighton in the BIG EAST, Villanova and Creighton were in the top-10 in the NCAA with fewest turnovers. With the two teams playing similar styles, the team to minimize unforced errors gains a significant advantage.
Rebounding: Second-chance buckets for both teams will be critical. Each squad is too talented offensively to be granted second and third opportunities.
Player to Watch for Creighton
Mallory Brake: Brake will be part of the rotation asked to slow down Siegrist. Mallory's ability to provide quality minutes to rest Morgan Maly and Emma Ronsiek as well as allow the duo to focus on offense will be critical on Friday.
Road Warriors
The game at Villanova on Dec. 2 will be Creighton's sixth road game of the season. Seven of the Bluejays' eight first contests are on the road (head coach Jim Flanery builds the schedule).
Entering the Pavillion, Creighton is leads the NCAA with five road wins.
Ironically Friday will also be Villanova's home opener as the Wildcats have played four road game and three neutral site contests.
Bluejay Women's Hoops Leaps to #13 in AP Poll
With two more victories last week, the Creighton women's basketball team continued to climb the Associated Press Top 25 poll, reaching a program high of #13 when the poll was announced on Monday, November 28.
The Bluejays have been ranked each week of the 2022-23 season, climbing from No. 21 to open the season. In their first six games Creighton has posted a pair of Top-25 victories (78-69 at No. 23 South Dakota State on Nov. 7 and 77-51 win over #22 Nebraska on Nov. 15).
Battle of Ranked Conference Foes a First for Bluejays
Friday's contest at #25 Villanova will be the Bluejays' first conference battle when both teams are ranked in the AP Top-25. Creighton is 1-0 against Villanova when the Wildcats are ranked, earning a 69-57 win over a #18 Villanova squad on Dec. 28, 2017.
Jensen and Maly, Creighton's Quiet Killers
In an offseason interview with the NCAA, Morgan Maly referred to herself and the Bluejay team as quiet killers. Moran and teammate Lauren Jensen have lived up to the name in the first four games. Both Bluejay players have reached double figures in points in each contest, with Jensen posting 30 at South Dakota State and Maly delivering 21 against South Dakota.
Creighton Answered the Bell at Cintas
Trailing 46-44 with just over two minutes remaining the Bluejays delivered a knockout punch with a 7-0 run in a span of 63 seconds.
Creighton pulled even with 2:08 remaining as Emma Ronsiek found Jayme Horan on a back door cut yielding a layup. Moments later Ronsiek split three defenders in the paint for the go-ahead bucket. Finally as the defense collapsed on Ronsiek the South Dakota native found Lauren Jensen on the wing for her fourth trey of the game. Staked to a 51-46 with 1:05 left, the Bluejays knocked down six free throws to complete the 57-51 win.
#13 Creighton (6-0)
at #25 Villanova (6-1)
12/2: - 6:00 p.m.
Twitter: @CreightonWBB
BIG EAST Digital Network: https://www.flohoops.com/live/46938
Live Stats: https://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statmonitr.php?gid=crei
at #25 Villanova (6-1)
12/2: - 6:00 p.m.
Twitter: @CreightonWBB
BIG EAST Digital Network: https://www.flohoops.com/live/46938
Live Stats: https://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statmonitr.php?gid=crei
Bluejays Lead 10-8
Home: 6-2 Away: 3-6 Neutral: 1-0
The Bluejays lead the overall series with Villanova, 10-8, splitting the two contests last season.
Series Game-by-Game
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
2/28/20   Villanova   W, 67-47
12/19/20   at Villanova   L, 68-73
12/5/21   Villanova   W, 72-58
1/23/22   at Villanova   L,64-74
@ = played in Chicago, Ill.
ª = BIG EAST Tournament game
Flanery vs. Villanova
Flanery is 10-8 against Villanova, coaching each Creighton meeting with the Wildcats. Flan is 1-2 against current Wildcat head coach Denis Dillon.
About Villanova
- Villanova closed an impressive 2021-22 season at 24-9, reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament and the BIG EAST Championship Final.
- A highlight of the season for the Wildcats last year was an upset win over #8 Connecticut (72-69) on Feb. 9.
- Head coach Denise Dillon entered the season with a 41-16 record in two seasons at the helm, combined with a 6-1 start to 2022-23 she is 47-17 at Villanova.
Scouting #25 Villanova (6-1)
Similar to Creighton, Villanova has opened the 2022-23 season in impressive fashion. The Wildcats posted four consecutive road wins, then took two of three in Gulf Coast Showcase. Villanova's lone loss came to Baylor in a game that was tied 70-70 in the final minute.
Defending BIG EAST Player of the Year Maddy Siegrist leads the way for Villanova. The New York native is averaging 27.4 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. Siegrist's supporting case includes sophomore Lucy Olsen (13.1 ppg) and Maddie Burke (7.6 ppg).
Defensively the Wildcats have limited their opposition to 35.8% from the field, holding four of seven teams under
60 points.
Scouting #13 Creighton (6-0)
Despite playing sluggishly in a Black Friday morning contest at Xavier, Creighton remained undefeated this season with a 57-51 win over the Musketeers.
The duo of Lauren Jensen and Morgan Maly carried the heavy scoring load as the tandem delivered 34 of Creighton's 57 points. Jensen and Maly also lead the Bluejays in scoring on the season with 18.7 and 16.3 ppg respectively.
Creighton is shooting 46.8% from the field and are 48-of-135 from beyond the arc (35.6%).
Keys To the Game on Friday, December 2
Make Siegrist Work on Both Ends: Siegrist going to get her touches and she will score. What Creighton must do is make he work on the offensive end by preventing open looks and second chance points. Conversely Emma Ronsiek and Morgan Maly must make Siegrist defend.
Minimize Mistakes: Since Creighton joined the BIG EAST prior to the 2013-14 season, the Bluejays and Wildcats have mirrored one another. In the first six seasons with Creighton in the BIG EAST, Villanova and Creighton were in the top-10 in the NCAA with fewest turnovers. With the two teams playing similar styles, the team to minimize unforced errors gains a significant advantage.
Rebounding: Second-chance buckets for both teams will be critical. Each squad is too talented offensively to be granted second and third opportunities.
Player to Watch for Creighton
Mallory Brake: Brake will be part of the rotation asked to slow down Siegrist. Mallory's ability to provide quality minutes to rest Morgan Maly and Emma Ronsiek as well as allow the duo to focus on offense will be critical on Friday.
Road Warriors
The game at Villanova on Dec. 2 will be Creighton's sixth road game of the season. Seven of the Bluejays' eight first contests are on the road (head coach Jim Flanery builds the schedule).
Entering the Pavillion, Creighton is leads the NCAA with five road wins.
Ironically Friday will also be Villanova's home opener as the Wildcats have played four road game and three neutral site contests.
Bluejay Women's Hoops Leaps to #13 in AP Poll
With two more victories last week, the Creighton women's basketball team continued to climb the Associated Press Top 25 poll, reaching a program high of #13 when the poll was announced on Monday, November 28.
The Bluejays have been ranked each week of the 2022-23 season, climbing from No. 21 to open the season. In their first six games Creighton has posted a pair of Top-25 victories (78-69 at No. 23 South Dakota State on Nov. 7 and 77-51 win over #22 Nebraska on Nov. 15).
Battle of Ranked Conference Foes a First for Bluejays
Friday's contest at #25 Villanova will be the Bluejays' first conference battle when both teams are ranked in the AP Top-25. Creighton is 1-0 against Villanova when the Wildcats are ranked, earning a 69-57 win over a #18 Villanova squad on Dec. 28, 2017.
Jensen and Maly, Creighton's Quiet Killers
In an offseason interview with the NCAA, Morgan Maly referred to herself and the Bluejay team as quiet killers. Moran and teammate Lauren Jensen have lived up to the name in the first four games. Both Bluejay players have reached double figures in points in each contest, with Jensen posting 30 at South Dakota State and Maly delivering 21 against South Dakota.
Creighton Answered the Bell at Cintas
Trailing 46-44 with just over two minutes remaining the Bluejays delivered a knockout punch with a 7-0 run in a span of 63 seconds.
Creighton pulled even with 2:08 remaining as Emma Ronsiek found Jayme Horan on a back door cut yielding a layup. Moments later Ronsiek split three defenders in the paint for the go-ahead bucket. Finally as the defense collapsed on Ronsiek the South Dakota native found Lauren Jensen on the wing for her fourth trey of the game. Staked to a 51-46 with 1:05 left, the Bluejays knocked down six free throws to complete the 57-51 win.
Players Mentioned
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