Bluejay Women's Basketball Ready for Challenge of #10 Connecticut on Wednesday

Omaha, Neb. -- Continuing to build a impressive resume as the calendar turns towards February, the Creighton Women's Basketball faces one of its strongest tests of the season as the Bluejays host #10 Connecticut in D.J. Sokol Arena on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

Already a sellout crowd expected, the Bluejays played the Huskies tough last month in a road battle on Jan. 9.

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2/2: - 6:30 pm (CT)
#10 Connecticut (13-4, 8-0 BE) at Creighton (14-5, 9-2 BE)

Twitter: @CreightonWBB

SNY: Allen Bestwick and Meg Culmo

Live Stats: https://creighton.statbroadcast.com

Series with Connecticut: Bluejays Trail 4-0
Home: 0-1 Away: 0-3 Neutral: 0-0
Creighton has dropped each of the four meetings with Connecticut. Wednesday will be the second trip to Omaha for the Huskies.

Series Game-by-Game
Date   Opponent   Score
11/23/14   at #1 Connecticut   L, 60-96
12/17/20   at #3 Connecticut   L, 47-80
2/25/21   vs #1 Connecticut   L, 49-81
1/9/22   at #3 Connecticut   L, 55-63

Scouting #10 Connecticut (13-4, 8-0 BIG EAST)
No. 10 Connecticut comes into Omaha for the second time in history sporting a 13-4 record and a Big East leading 8-0 record in conference play.

The Huskies have not lost a regular-season conference game between both the BIG EAST and American Athletic Conference since March 4, 2013 in a 96-87 triple-overtime affair with Notre Dame.

Senior Christyn Williams has stepped up for the Huskies in the absence of 2021's women's college player of the year Paige Bueckers, averaging 15.1 points per game at the point including a 19-point performance last time out.

On the year Connecticut is shooting .471 from the field while averaging a margin of 6.1 more rebounds than opponents per game.

Scouting Creighton (15-5, 10-2 BE)
Creighton has had the luxury of being difficult to scout this season, with a plethora of scoring options. The Bluejays have a player reach at least 20 points in nine contests, getting that total at least once from Carly Bachelor, Lauren Jensen, Morgan Maly and Emma Ronsiek.

Ronsiek sits atop the scoring chart with 14.8 ppg, but fellow sophomores Lauren Jensen and Morgan Maly have are just a step back averaging 12.0 ppg and 11.9 ppg
respectively.

The key to Creighton's attack is ball movement. The Bluejays enter Friday's contest as the NCAA leader in Assist-to-Turnovers (1.59) and Assists Per Game (20.8). Senior point guard Tatum Rembao stirs the drink for the Bluejays with 125 assists and a 3.38 Assist-to-Turnover Ratio (2nd in the NCAA).

Keys To the Game on Wednesday, Feb. 2
The Interior Game: Creighton outscored Connecticut in the paint and grabbed one additional rebound than the Huskies during the game in Storrs. A repeat of that effort will keep the Bluejays in range.
Speaking of range: While the Bluejays have thrived this season on the inside, Creighton was just 5-for-25 from beyond the arc at Connecticut. The Bluejays
season low from long range is five, doing so in a pair of losses.
Belief: Against the Huskies one of the biggest hurdles is believing they can be beat. An eight-point loss in January left the Bluejays feeling that an opportunity was missed.

Players to Watch for Creighton
Carly Bachelor and Molly Mogensen: Connecticut will likely focus on taking away Ronsiek, Jensen and Maly. This should open opportunities for Bachelor, Mogensen and others.

Connecticut's Regular-Season Conference Win Streak is Staggering at 144
The Huskies have won 144 consecutive regular-season conference games dating to March 4, 2013 at Notre Dame in 3 OT (96-87).

The number climbs to 168 if you add the 24 consecutive games the Huskies have won in conference tournaments. The last loss in a conference tournament also came to Notre Dame in 2013, falling 61-59 to the Fighting Irish on March 12, 2013.

Jensen Earns BIG EAST Honor Roll Spot
Following her game-high 20 points, knocking down 7-of-10 from the field in the Bluejays' 95-71 win over Providence on Friday, Jan. 28, sophomore Lauren Jensen earned her second BIG EAST Honor Roll selection.

BIG EAST Honors Black Fives Era with
22 Games Across Conference
BIG EAST Conference joins forces with Black Fives Foundation for a first of its kind initiative to honor pre-NBA history of African Americans in Basketball.

During the month of February, the BIG EAST Conference and Creighton Athletics will celebrate Black History Month by partnering with the Black Fives Foundation, a nonprofit public charity whose mission is to research, preserve, showcase, teach, and honor the pre-NBA history of African Americans in basketball, to host 22 games honoring Black athletes, coaches, and communities who played a critical part in America's basketball history.

The Bluejay women's team is honoring the Roamer Girls from Chicago, Illinois.

Originally affiliated with the city's Grace Presbyterian Church's Sunday School, the all-Black squad played home games at the Bronzeville's famed Eighth Regiment Armory and featured stars such as 6-foot 7-inch center Helen Smith, Kate Bard, Lula Porter, and Isadore "Izzy" Channels. Channels was a superb athlete and may have been Chicago's first trash-talker, pre-dating Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan by more than 50 years. "Scoring and passing at will and even at times joking," the Chicago Defender reported after one of her games in 1925, "she played a game far above the heads of her opponents and far in advance of her colleagues, registering 19 of the points scored by her team."

When the Roamer Girls joined the women's division of the Chicago City Basketball League in 1925, competing against White and African American teams throughout the city, they captivated fans across race and gender lines.

The Bluejay women's team plays in three of the BIG EAST's Black Fives contests this week. In addition to Creighton's home game against Connecticut, both road games at DePaul and Marquette are part of the celebration.

Bluejays Finished Five Games in Ten Days
Creighton closed a challenging stretch of five games in ten days with four victories. Creighton began its run with at home with an 83-60 win at home over Seton Hall on Jan. 14.

The Bluejays went on to down St. John's at home (86-80 on Jan. 16), best Butler 95-44 on Jan. 19, defeat Georgetown 80-70 on Jan. 21, before falling at Villanova 74-64 on Jan. 23.
The game against the Wildcats saw Creighton shoot under 40% for just the third time during the 2021-22 season at 39.7%.

2022 Creighton vs. Cancer Pink Out Auction Underway
When Creighton hosts Butler on Sunday, February 13th in its Annual Pink Out game. Bluejay players will wear pink shooting shirts and pink jerseys for the game.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/Game-Used-Memorabilia/50116/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=&_ssn=americancancersociety&_sop=10&_sac=1

Fans have the opportunity to honor a friend or family member who has battled cancer or is currently battling cancer by purchasing the apparel via auction (the shooting shirt can be personalized – last name, nickname, etc.).

This year's auction runs through Sunday, February 6th - items will close in 15 minute increments beginning at 6 PM.

All funds raised go to benefit Hope Lodge Omaha. The American Cancer Society Hope Lodge Nebraska provides a free home away from home for cancer patients and their caregivers who must travel to Omaha to receive their lifesaving treatment. More than just a roof over their heads, it's a nurturing community that helps patients access the care they need.

The annual Creighton University Men's Basketball Pink Out game has raised nearly $20,000 benefiting the Hope Lodge facility here in Omaha and the guests it serves.

Bluejays Sharing the Rock at Impressive Rate, Yet Below Program Record Pace
With 416 assists in 20 games, Creighton leads the NCAA in Assists per Game (20.8 apg). Surprisingly though, the Bluejays are a shade behind the pace set during the 1991-92 season. That year the Bluejays set programs records with made field goals (974) and assists (697) in 32 games, dishing out an average of 21.8 assists per game.

BIG EAST Honors Black Fives Era with 22 Games Across Conference
BIG EAST Conference joins forces with Black Fives Foundation for a first of its kind initiative to honor pre-NBA history of African Americans in Basketball.

During the month of February, the BIG EAST Conference and Creighton Athletics will celebrate Black History Month by partnering with the Black Fives Foundation, a nonprofit public charity whose mission is to research, preserve, showcase, teach, and honor the pre-NBA history of African Americans in basketball, to host 22 games honoring Black athletes, coaches, and communities who played a critical part in America's basketball history.

The Bluejay women's team is honoring the Roamer Girls from Chicago, Illinois.

Originally affiliated with the city's Grace Presbyterian Church's Sunday School, the all-Black squad played home games at the Bronzeville's famed Eighth Regiment Armory and featured stars such as 6-foot 7-inch center Helen Smith, Kate Bard, Lula Porter, and Isadore "Izzy" Channels. Channels was a superb athlete and may have been Chicago's first trash-talker, pre-dating Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan by more than 50 years. "Scoring and passing at will and even at times joking," the Chicago Defender reported after one of her games in 1925, "she played a game far above the heads of her opponents and far in advance of her colleagues, registering 19 of the points scored by her team."

When the Roamer Girls joined the women's division of the Chicago City Basketball League in 1925, competing against White and African American teams throughout the city, they captivated fans across race and gender lines.

The Bluejay women's team plays in three of the BIG EAST's Black Fives contests this week. In addition to Creighton's home game against Connecticut, both road games at DePaul and Marquette are part of the celebration.

Bluejay Women's Basketball Ready for Challenge of #10 Connecticut on Wednesday

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Players Mentioned

Carly Bachelor

Lauren Jensen

Morgan Maly

Molly Mogensen

Tatum Rembao

Emma Ronsiek