Sunday, January 21
Villanova, Pa,
11:00 AM
Creighton University
at
Villanova
Photo by: Justin Kreutzian
#21 Bluejay Women's Hoops Hit the Road to Face Villanova on Sunday
1/18/2024 4:01:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Omaha, Neb. -- The onset of two road games begins in Pennsylvania as #21 Creighton faces Villanova on Sunday, January 21 on CBS Sports Network.
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Series with Villanova: Creighton leads 11-10
Home: 6-3 Away: 4-6 Neutral: 1-1
The Bluejays have faced Villanova 21 times, collecting 11 wins. Creighton is 4-6 at Villanova. The Bluejays dropped the final two battles with the Wildcats, but posted a road win 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
12/2/22   at #25 Villanova   W, 67-46
1/20/23   #22 Villanova   L, 57-73
3/5/23   @ ª vs. #10 Villanova   L, 61-63
@ = played in Chicago, Ill.
ª = BIG EAST Tournament game
About Villanova
Scouting #21 Creighton (13-3, 4-2 BIG EAST)
Creighton enters play against Villanova on a three game win streak, defeating BIG EAST opponents DePaul, Butler and Providence respectively.
Two of their last three victories ended with a 10 point or larger scoring margin, excluding a seven point victory against DePaul. The home win over Butler ended with a 36 point victory, 89-53, marking the largest margin of victory for the Bluejays since their 115-62 win over Northern Iowa.
The Bluejay roster is led in scoring by Emma Ronsiek, with an average of 18.6 ppg, Lauren Jensen, with 16.8 average ppg, and Morgan Maly, with 13.8 average ppg. Â
Scouting Villanova (12-5, 5-1 BIG EAST)
Riding a six game win streak reaching its fourth consecutive week, the Wildcats last loss came on Dec. 16.
Several of the Wildcats contests in 2024 have come down to the wire. Wins against Seton Hall, Georgetown and No. 22 Marquette came by just five points or less, with the exception of a 65-54 win over Butler.
Two Wildcat players have demonstrated high efficiency and success on both ends of the court. Lucy Olsen has tallied 23.6 average ppg, 35 steals this season, and 63 assists. Christina Dalce leads the team with 38 blocks and an average 10.8 rebounds per game. Dalce also stands at a far second in points per game under Olsen, posting 9.5 ppg.
Keys To the Game on January 21 (vs. Villanova)
Bluejays Record 20 Assists For Fifth Time in 2023-24
Creighton dished out 20 assists in the Bluejays' 81-70 win over Providence on Jan. 14. It was the fifth time this season the team surpassed 20 assists, all five resulting in victories.
From Opponents to Allies and Back Again
Opponents in the BIG EAST, squads from Villanova, Seton Hall and Creighton each sent a four person team to the 3x3 National Tournament last May.
Each squad advanced through pool play into the knockout round. The Bluejay quartet of Morgan Maly, Emma Ronsiek, Lauren Jensen and Molly Mogensen went on to defeat Seton Hall in the quarterfinals, Villanova in the semifinals and eventually
Duke in the finals.
Maly was named the Tournament MVP, also earning a spot on Team USA's 3x3 team. Maly was later joined by Villanova's Lucy Olsen and Christina Dalce to play in the Nations League in China for a series of games in June. The trio helped Team USA go 15-1 and win five of six daily championships.
The trio joined forces again during the month of July to play in a two-day tournament in Canada.
Finally in September Dalce, Maly and Olsen teamed up once more for the Nations League Final. Maly earned her second MVP Honor, guiding her Team USA (U21) 3x3 team to a 6-0 record and a championship victory in the Nations League Finals in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Maly scored a team high 39 points over the six contests, delivering the championship winning bucket and leading the four-person squad in scoring in three contests to claim the MVP of the 2023 FIBA 3x3 Nations League Final.
"When our team went to the 3x3 tournament this May, we thought is was going to be a fun weekend in Denver and a break from finals," said Maly. "Looking back now it is super surreal. There were moments when I was in China that it would hit me that I was halfway around the world."
Ronsiek and Dalce Sit Atop Blocking Mountain
Threats on both offense and defense, Emma Ronsiek (Creighton) and Christina Dalce (Villanova) are tied for the highest number of single game blocked shots in the BIG EAST, each sitting at seven in one contest. Dalce's blocking success came recently, as the Villanova forward reached seven blocked shots against Marquette on Jan. 17. Ronsiek's high-blocking game came earlier, on Dec. 21, against South Dakota State.
Brake Shining in Her Role
Senior Mallory Brake is one of Creighton's most improved players this season and a large reason the Bluejays have been successful this season.
Brake has led the Bluejays in rebounding four times (4-0), assists twice (2-0), steals 10 times (9-1) and blocked shots in eight games (8-0).
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1/21: - 11:00 a.m. (CT)
#21 Creighton (13-3, 4-2 BE) at Villanova (12-5, 5-1 BE)
Twitter: @GoCreighton, @CreightonWBB
TV - CBS Sports Network
Online Stream : https://www.cbssports.com/general/show/live/
Radio - 1180 AM: https://player.listenlive.co/52381
Stat Broadcast: https://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statmonitr.php?gid=crei
#21 Creighton (13-3, 4-2 BE) at Villanova (12-5, 5-1 BE)
Twitter: @GoCreighton, @CreightonWBB
TV - CBS Sports Network
Online Stream : https://www.cbssports.com/general/show/live/
Radio - 1180 AM: https://player.listenlive.co/52381
Stat Broadcast: https://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statmonitr.php?gid=crei
Series with Villanova: Creighton leads 11-10
Home: 6-3 Away: 4-6 Neutral: 1-1
The Bluejays have faced Villanova 21 times, collecting 11 wins. Creighton is 4-6 at Villanova. The Bluejays dropped the final two battles with the Wildcats, but posted a road win 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
12/2/22   at #25 Villanova   W, 67-46
1/20/23   #22 Villanova   L, 57-73
3/5/23   @ ª vs. #10 Villanova   L, 61-63
@ = played in Chicago, Ill.
ª = BIG EAST Tournament game
About Villanova
- Located in Villanova, Pennsylvania.
- Villanova went 30-7 last season, reaching the Sweet 16.
- Head coach Denise Dillon began her fourth season as the Wildcats head coach. Previously she was the Drexel head coach fro 2004-05 to 2019-20.
Scouting #21 Creighton (13-3, 4-2 BIG EAST)
Creighton enters play against Villanova on a three game win streak, defeating BIG EAST opponents DePaul, Butler and Providence respectively.
Two of their last three victories ended with a 10 point or larger scoring margin, excluding a seven point victory against DePaul. The home win over Butler ended with a 36 point victory, 89-53, marking the largest margin of victory for the Bluejays since their 115-62 win over Northern Iowa.
The Bluejay roster is led in scoring by Emma Ronsiek, with an average of 18.6 ppg, Lauren Jensen, with 16.8 average ppg, and Morgan Maly, with 13.8 average ppg. Â
Scouting Villanova (12-5, 5-1 BIG EAST)
Riding a six game win streak reaching its fourth consecutive week, the Wildcats last loss came on Dec. 16.
Several of the Wildcats contests in 2024 have come down to the wire. Wins against Seton Hall, Georgetown and No. 22 Marquette came by just five points or less, with the exception of a 65-54 win over Butler.
Two Wildcat players have demonstrated high efficiency and success on both ends of the court. Lucy Olsen has tallied 23.6 average ppg, 35 steals this season, and 63 assists. Christina Dalce leads the team with 38 blocks and an average 10.8 rebounds per game. Dalce also stands at a far second in points per game under Olsen, posting 9.5 ppg.
Keys To the Game on January 21 (vs. Villanova)
- Push the Tempo: Both Creighton and Villanova are very comfortable playing at a deliberate pace. The Bluejays, however, feel it will be advantageous to increase the number of possessions against the Wildcats.
- Rebound, Specifically on the Defensive End: The Bluejays must commit to the glass, specifically on the defensive end. Villanova's Christina Dalce has 97 offensive rebounds and the Wildcats have 213 as a team. Â
- Slowing Olsen: Lucy Olsen is a dynamic scorer, evidenced by her 37 points against Marquette. However it is imperative to make her work on both ends of the floor to slow her down on the offensive end.
Bluejays Record 20 Assists For Fifth Time in 2023-24
Creighton dished out 20 assists in the Bluejays' 81-70 win over Providence on Jan. 14. It was the fifth time this season the team surpassed 20 assists, all five resulting in victories.
From Opponents to Allies and Back Again
Opponents in the BIG EAST, squads from Villanova, Seton Hall and Creighton each sent a four person team to the 3x3 National Tournament last May.
Each squad advanced through pool play into the knockout round. The Bluejay quartet of Morgan Maly, Emma Ronsiek, Lauren Jensen and Molly Mogensen went on to defeat Seton Hall in the quarterfinals, Villanova in the semifinals and eventually
Duke in the finals.
Maly was named the Tournament MVP, also earning a spot on Team USA's 3x3 team. Maly was later joined by Villanova's Lucy Olsen and Christina Dalce to play in the Nations League in China for a series of games in June. The trio helped Team USA go 15-1 and win five of six daily championships.
The trio joined forces again during the month of July to play in a two-day tournament in Canada.
Finally in September Dalce, Maly and Olsen teamed up once more for the Nations League Final. Maly earned her second MVP Honor, guiding her Team USA (U21) 3x3 team to a 6-0 record and a championship victory in the Nations League Finals in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Maly scored a team high 39 points over the six contests, delivering the championship winning bucket and leading the four-person squad in scoring in three contests to claim the MVP of the 2023 FIBA 3x3 Nations League Final.
"When our team went to the 3x3 tournament this May, we thought is was going to be a fun weekend in Denver and a break from finals," said Maly. "Looking back now it is super surreal. There were moments when I was in China that it would hit me that I was halfway around the world."
Ronsiek and Dalce Sit Atop Blocking Mountain
Threats on both offense and defense, Emma Ronsiek (Creighton) and Christina Dalce (Villanova) are tied for the highest number of single game blocked shots in the BIG EAST, each sitting at seven in one contest. Dalce's blocking success came recently, as the Villanova forward reached seven blocked shots against Marquette on Jan. 17. Ronsiek's high-blocking game came earlier, on Dec. 21, against South Dakota State.
Brake Shining in Her Role
Senior Mallory Brake is one of Creighton's most improved players this season and a large reason the Bluejays have been successful this season.
Brake has led the Bluejays in rebounding four times (4-0), assists twice (2-0), steals 10 times (9-1) and blocked shots in eight games (8-0).
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Players Mentioned
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