Women's Hoops Faces Toughest Test in Top Seed South Carolina on Sunday

Greensboro, N.C. -- Already Elite, Creighton women's hoops tries to bring its trio of Minnesota players home for another four-team tournament as the Bluejays battle the No. 1 overall seed South Carolina on Sunday, March 27 at 6:00 pm Central on ESPN.

Download the complete preview (PDF).

3/27: - 6:00 pm (CT)
Creighton (23-9) vs.
#1 South Carolina (32-2)
Twitter: @CreightonWBB

TV - ESPN: Courtney Lyle, Carolyn Peck and Steffi Sorensen

Radio - 1180 AM (Westwood One): Sam Niedermann and Ali Jacques
Satellite Radio - (Westwood One): Sirius 138/XM 205
Live Stats: https://www.ncaa.com/game/5981705

Scouting Creighton (23-9)
After reaching their first Sweet 16 and the first Elite 8 in program history, the Bluejays want to keep the ride going.

Creighton's ability to attack what their opposition offers is one of the greatest strengths of the program. The Bluejays shoot well from outside (10th in the NCAA at 36.9%), but Creighton can get to the paint as well (926 points).

A trio of sophomores lead Creighton's offense, getting 14.3 ppg from Emma Ronsiek, 12.5 ppg from Lauren Jensen and 12.4 ppg from Morgan Maly. The tandem of Jensen and Maly have quick triggers beyond the arc, knocking down a combined 159 treys.

Creighton's offense is predicated on ball movement, something that is controlled by senior point guard Tatum Rembao. The Colorado native leads Creighton with 194 assists and has guided the Bluejays to the top spot in the NCAA in Assists per game (20.3) and assists-to-turnover ratio (1.59).

Scouting #1 South Carolina (32-2)
South Carolina was ranked No. 1 in the country every week of the season and is 32-2 on the season. The Gamecocks only losses have come at Missouri on Dec. 30 (70-69) and to Kentucky in the SEC Tournament final (64-62) on March 6th.

National Player of the Year favorite Aliyah Boston averages 16.8 points, 12.4 rebounds and 2.5 rebounds per contest. She had 28 points and 22 rebounds in USC's 69-61 win vs. North Carolina in Friday's Regional Semifinal.

Destanni Henderson (11.1 ppg.) and Zia Cooke (11.0 ppg.) average in double-figures as well, with the duo combining for 90 of the Gamecocks' 167 three-pointers.

The Gamecocks average 70.8 points per game and limit teams to 50.5 points per outing. South Carolina leads the nation in rebound margin (+17.8), blocked shots (260) and field goal percentage defense (.326).

Keys To the Game on Sunday, March 27

Rebounding: South Carolina averages 48.3 rebounds per game. Creighton must slow down the Gamecocks in this area.
Creating some easy looks: South Carolina leads the NCAA in field goal defense, so it will be imperative to find some easy looks with the motion offense.
Three-Pointers: If the Gamecocks have a week point it is their defense outside the arc. Creighton will need to be proficient from long range on Sunday.

Player to Watch for Creighton
Payton Brotzki: Both the Hawkeyes and Cyclones have dared Payton to beat them early in the game. Creighton has advanced to the Elite 8 in part because she has done just that. The Bluejays will need more of the same from her against South Carolina.

Bluejays and Gamecocks, More Than Birds of a Feather
South Carolina women's volleyball coach Tom Mendoza is a former assistant under Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth. Booth made the trip to North Carolina to cheer on Flanery and his team this weekend.

South Carolina won College World Series titles under then-coach Ray Tanner in both 2010 and 2011 in Omaha. Tanner is currently the Athletic Director at South Carolina.

When it Comes to Common Opponents Their Are Two
The Bluejays and Gamecocks share two common opponents this season.

Creighton went a combined 0-3 against South Dakota (lost 73-71) and Connecticut (lost 63-55 and 76-56).

South Carolina is 2-0 against the same foes, defeating South Dakota 72-41 and Connecticut 73-57.

Bluejays Become Just Second Ten Seed to Become Elite
Friday's win saw Creighton join Oregon's 2017 team as the only No. 10 seed to advance to the Elite Eight since the tournament expanded to 64 (or more) teams.

Before Creighton this year (and potentially South Dakota on Sunday), the only other double-figure seed besides 10th-seeded Oregon in 2017 was 11th-seeded Gonzaga in 2011.

No double-digit seed has ever reached the Women's Final Four. On the men's side, the lowest seeds to reach the Final four are five different No. 11 seeds (LSU in 1986, George Mason in 2006, VCU in 2011, Loyola Chicago in 2018, UCLA in 2020). Of course, 15th-seeded St. Peter's and 11th-seeded Miami (Fla.) could also join the party on Sunday.

Elite Era Raises the Bar for Creighton WBB
Not only is this Creighton's first trip to the Elite Eight, but the Bluejays had never made as much as the Sweet 16 prior to this year's magical run.

Creighton's last team to make the Elite Eight in any sport was its Women's Volleyball team in 2016. That squad beat Northern Iowa, No. 4 Kansas and No. 17 Michigan – all in five sets – before falling to No. 5 Texas in the Regional Final.

Creighton's last squad to make the Final Four in any sport was the men's soccer team, which made its fifth College Cup appearance in 2012.

Maly and Jensen Continue to Make Each Other Better
Few players in the Bluejay program spend more time before and after practice working on their shot that Lauren Jensen and Morgan Maly, and the results are evident.

Maly has made 26 straight free throws and leads the Bluejays with 16.3 points per game in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
Jensen has made her last 14 free throw attempts and has averaged 15.0 points per game during the postseason.

Even when the shots don't fall, both women have contributed in other ways. Maly's 8.3 rebounds per NCAA Tourney game leads CU, while Jensen's 6.0 rebounds per game rank second.

Seniors Are Enjoying the Moment
Senior Payton Brotzki is playing like she doesn't want her career to end, as the Papillion, Neb., native owns back-to-back games of 13 points in CU's wins over top-10 Iowa and Iowa State. Brotzki, a veteran of 108 career games, had never previously scored in double-figures in consecutive games.

As good as she's been on the offensive end, she was also instrumental in CU's defense down the stretch vs. Iowa State, picking a key block with 31 seconds left, then collecting a steal seven seconds later with CU clinging to a narrow lead.

Another senior, Tatum Rembao, also came through with her career hanging in the balance on Friday. The Colorado native had 17 of her season-high 19 points after halftime, including nine points in the fourth quarter.

Rembao tied her season-high with three three-pointers and also shared team-best honors with four assists.

Women's Hoops Faces Toughest Test in Top Seed South Carolina on Sunday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Payton Brotzki

Lauren Jensen

Morgan Maly

Tatum Rembao

Emma Ronsiek

Women's Hoops Faces Toughest Test in Top Seed South Carolina on Sunday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Payton Brotzki

Lauren Jensen

Morgan Maly

Tatum Rembao

Emma Ronsiek

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