Women's Basketball Faces Villanova in BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals
3/5/2023 6:08:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Uncasville, Conn. -- After splitting convincing wins on the other team's home floor this season, Creighton and Villanova will clash for the third time on March 5 in the BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals at 4:30 p.m. (CT) on FS1.
Â
Series with Villanova: Bluejays Lead 11-9
Home: 6-3 Away: 4-6 Neutral: 1-0
The Bluejays lead the overall series with Villanova, 11-9, with the two teams having split a pair of games this 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
12/2/22   at #25 Villanova   W, 67-46
@ = played in Chicago, Ill.
ª = BIG EAST Tournament game
Flanery vs. Villanova
Flanery is 11-9 against Villanova, coaching each Creighton meeting with the Wildcats. Flan is 2-3 against current Wildcat head coach Denise Dillon.
Recap of Last Meeting: Villanova 73, Creighton 57
 January 20, 2023 (Omaha, Neb.)
A cold first quarter dug too deep of a hole as the Creighton women's basketball team suffered a 73-57 loss to #22 Villanova on Friday, January 20.
The first quarter was the difference in the game as Villanova went 10-of-15 from the field (66.7%), while the Bluejays were held to 0-for-15 (0%) to drop behind 26-6 after ten minutes. The second quarter improved, but the Bluejays were down 46-19 at the half, shooting 4-of-28 (14.3%).
Creighton found its rhythm in the second half, going 13-for-23 (56.5%) in the final 20 minutes, but the deficit was too large to overcome.
Four Bluejays finished in double figures as juniors Lauren Jensen (Lakeville, Minn.), Morgan Maly (Crete, Neb.) and senior Carly Bachelor (Topeka, Kan.) all delivered 11 points, while junior Mallory Brake (Hastings, Minn.) finished with 10 points.
Villanova got a game-high 23 points from Maddy Siegrist to set the Villanova scoring record with 2,414 career points. Lucy Olsen and Maddie Burke also delivered 19 and 15 points respectively for the Wildcats.
Scouting Villanova (27-5)
Villanova has won 18 of its last 20 games, falling twice to Connecticut. The Wildcats have the two-time BIG EAST Player of the Year in Maddy Siegrist, who enters Sunday's game averaging 28.9 ppg and 9.3 rpg.
While Siegrist is the most dominant player in the league, the Wildcats are more than just Siegrist. In the win over Creighton in Omaha, Maddie Burke knocked down five treys and Lucy Olsen has
developed into a very capable second option.
Villanova is a highly fundamental team that shoots it well from the charity stripe (77.3%) and have returned to one of the best in the nation in fewest turnovers, averaging just over 10 per game.
Scouting Creighton (22-7, 15-5 BIG EAST)
The Bluejays are playing their best basketball of the season. Creighton has won ten of their last 11 games and 13-of-15.
Â
Creighton's offense is guided by the trio of Lauren Jensen (15.7 ppg), Morgan Maly (15.5 ppg), and Emma Ronsiek (12.6 ppg).
The key to the Bluejays improved play over the last 15 games has been defense. Creighton has held teams under 60 in nine of its last 15 contests.
Keys To the Game on Sunday, March 5
Creighton and Villanova each got much more than a scare in the BIG EAST Quarterfinals before advancing to Sunday's meeting.
Trailing 62-57 with 16 seconds left in regulation against Seton Hall, the Bluejays got a pair of treys to force overtime and a buzzer beating put back to sink the Pirates.
Villanova, meanwhile, closed their meeting with DePaul on a 7-0 run over the final 1:33. Along the way the Blue Demons missed four free throws. Villanova earned the win as Lucy Olsen was fouled with under one second remaining, sinking the first for the win.
Bluejays' Big Three Step Forward in Prime Time
In the fourth quarter and overtime against Seton Hall on March 4, Creighton's trio of Emma Ronsiek, Morgan Maly and Lauren Jensen scored 30 of the Bluejays' 33 points.
Ronsiek   12
Maly    11
Jensen   7
Maly and Ronsiek Steer Bluejays' Comback
Down 62-57 with 16.2 seconds remaining, Creighton used a timeout to advance the ball. Setting the stage for a crosscourt inbounds pass from junior Emma Ronsiek to fellow junior Morgan Maly for a trifecta.
After Seton Hall's Lauren Park-Lane hit 1-of-2 from the free throw line to make it 63-60 with 12 seconds remaining, Ronsiek drained a trey with 8 seconds left to ultimately force overtime.
In the extra session, Maly collected a miss by Ronsiek for a putback as time expired to secure Creighton's 75-74 overtime win versus Seton Hall in the BIG EAST Quarterfinal.
Maly Notches Second Double-Double in Three Games
The game-winning putback layup for Maly gave the Nebraska native her third double-double of the season, including her second in three games. Morgan closed the win over Seton Hall with 13 points and 10 rebounds. She had 15 points and 10 boards in the Bluejays' win at Marquette on Feb. 22.
Â
Â
No. 3 Creighton vs. No. 2 Villanova
3/5: - 4:30 p.m.
Twitter: @CreightonWBB
TV: FS1
Live Stats: https://bigeast.statbroadcast.com
Radio: https://player.listenlive.co/52381
3/5: - 4:30 p.m.
Twitter: @CreightonWBB
TV: FS1
Live Stats: https://bigeast.statbroadcast.com
Radio: https://player.listenlive.co/52381
Series with Villanova: Bluejays Lead 11-9
Home: 6-3 Away: 4-6 Neutral: 1-0
The Bluejays lead the overall series with Villanova, 11-9, with the two teams having split a pair of games this 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
12/2/22   at #25 Villanova   W, 67-46
@ = played in Chicago, Ill.
ª = BIG EAST Tournament game
Flanery vs. Villanova
Flanery is 11-9 against Villanova, coaching each Creighton meeting with the Wildcats. Flan is 2-3 against current Wildcat head coach Denise Dillon.
Recap of Last Meeting: Villanova 73, Creighton 57
 January 20, 2023 (Omaha, Neb.)
A cold first quarter dug too deep of a hole as the Creighton women's basketball team suffered a 73-57 loss to #22 Villanova on Friday, January 20.
The first quarter was the difference in the game as Villanova went 10-of-15 from the field (66.7%), while the Bluejays were held to 0-for-15 (0%) to drop behind 26-6 after ten minutes. The second quarter improved, but the Bluejays were down 46-19 at the half, shooting 4-of-28 (14.3%).
Creighton found its rhythm in the second half, going 13-for-23 (56.5%) in the final 20 minutes, but the deficit was too large to overcome.
Four Bluejays finished in double figures as juniors Lauren Jensen (Lakeville, Minn.), Morgan Maly (Crete, Neb.) and senior Carly Bachelor (Topeka, Kan.) all delivered 11 points, while junior Mallory Brake (Hastings, Minn.) finished with 10 points.
Villanova got a game-high 23 points from Maddy Siegrist to set the Villanova scoring record with 2,414 career points. Lucy Olsen and Maddie Burke also delivered 19 and 15 points respectively for the Wildcats.
Scouting Villanova (27-5)
Villanova has won 18 of its last 20 games, falling twice to Connecticut. The Wildcats have the two-time BIG EAST Player of the Year in Maddy Siegrist, who enters Sunday's game averaging 28.9 ppg and 9.3 rpg.
While Siegrist is the most dominant player in the league, the Wildcats are more than just Siegrist. In the win over Creighton in Omaha, Maddie Burke knocked down five treys and Lucy Olsen has
developed into a very capable second option.
Villanova is a highly fundamental team that shoots it well from the charity stripe (77.3%) and have returned to one of the best in the nation in fewest turnovers, averaging just over 10 per game.
Scouting Creighton (22-7, 15-5 BIG EAST)
The Bluejays are playing their best basketball of the season. Creighton has won ten of their last 11 games and 13-of-15.
Â
Creighton's offense is guided by the trio of Lauren Jensen (15.7 ppg), Morgan Maly (15.5 ppg), and Emma Ronsiek (12.6 ppg).
The key to the Bluejays improved play over the last 15 games has been defense. Creighton has held teams under 60 in nine of its last 15 contests.
Keys To the Game on Sunday, March 5
- Keep Siegrist off the Offensive Glass: Maddy Siegrist is brilliant when she gets one shot,
- however allowing her to get offensive rebounds and get easy buckets makes her unstoppable.
- Keep Siegrist off the Line: Similarly it compounds the difficulty in slowing Siegrist down when she gets to the free throw line.
- Fatigue: Both Creighton and Villanova expended immense energy to pull off emotional come from behind wins on Saturday. The Wildcats have the advantage of a few more hours rest and not being forced to go overtime.
Creighton and Villanova each got much more than a scare in the BIG EAST Quarterfinals before advancing to Sunday's meeting.
Trailing 62-57 with 16 seconds left in regulation against Seton Hall, the Bluejays got a pair of treys to force overtime and a buzzer beating put back to sink the Pirates.
Villanova, meanwhile, closed their meeting with DePaul on a 7-0 run over the final 1:33. Along the way the Blue Demons missed four free throws. Villanova earned the win as Lucy Olsen was fouled with under one second remaining, sinking the first for the win.
Bluejays' Big Three Step Forward in Prime Time
In the fourth quarter and overtime against Seton Hall on March 4, Creighton's trio of Emma Ronsiek, Morgan Maly and Lauren Jensen scored 30 of the Bluejays' 33 points.
Ronsiek   12
Maly    11
Jensen   7
Maly and Ronsiek Steer Bluejays' Comback
Down 62-57 with 16.2 seconds remaining, Creighton used a timeout to advance the ball. Setting the stage for a crosscourt inbounds pass from junior Emma Ronsiek to fellow junior Morgan Maly for a trifecta.
After Seton Hall's Lauren Park-Lane hit 1-of-2 from the free throw line to make it 63-60 with 12 seconds remaining, Ronsiek drained a trey with 8 seconds left to ultimately force overtime.
In the extra session, Maly collected a miss by Ronsiek for a putback as time expired to secure Creighton's 75-74 overtime win versus Seton Hall in the BIG EAST Quarterfinal.
Maly Notches Second Double-Double in Three Games
The game-winning putback layup for Maly gave the Nebraska native her third double-double of the season, including her second in three games. Morgan closed the win over Seton Hall with 13 points and 10 rebounds. She had 15 points and 10 boards in the Bluejays' win at Marquette on Feb. 22.
Â
Players Mentioned
G/F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G/F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball2025 Creighton Classic - USF vs. Kansas - 9/21/25
Monday, September 22
Creighton Volleyball Postgame Press Conference vs. Kansas - 9/21/25
Monday, September 22
Creighton Volleyball Highlights vs. Kansas, 9/21/25
Monday, September 22
Creighton Women's Soccer Postgame vs. Georgetown, 9/20/25
Sunday, September 21
