WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: No. 21 Creighton Upset at South Dakota State

Courtesy of Alpha Media USA Lincoln.

BROOKINGS, SD–(CU Athletics Nov. 8)–Opening the season with four consecutive contests against teams that reached the NCAA Tournament last season, #21 Creighton women’s basketball suffered a 76-71 loss at South Dakota State on Friday, November 8.

The loss moved the Bluejays to 0-1 on the season, while South Dakota State improved to 2-0.Creighton came out of the gates cold as SDSU raced out a 7-0 lead with 6:39 remaining, but the Bluejays settled down behind a layup from senior Mallory Brake and a trey by Lauren Jensen to make it 9-5 (4:47). Jensen’s splash ignited an 11-2 Creighton surge as the Bluejays grabbed a 13-12 edge heading to the second quarter.

Leading 15-14 early in the second, Creighton pushed its lead out to 20-14 behind a top of key three-ball by junior Kiani Lockett and a pair of free throws from Jensen. The Bluejay edge grew to as much as eight at 22-16 (3:36) and 31-25 with 1:25 thanks to another long ball this time by grad transfer Brooke Littrell. The momentum of the games, however, turned as South Dakota State turned a traditional three-point play opportunity into a five-point as Mesa Byom scored on a drive, then an offensive rebound on the missed free throw resulted in a three-pointer from SDSU’s Paige Meyer. Creighton was unable to respond on its final possession of the first half and led 31-28 at the break.

The third quarter saw both teams score of each of the first three trips down the floor, but the Jackrabbits got 12 points in the frame from post player Brooklyn Meyer as SDSU raced ahead 51-48 as the game moved into the final frame.

The Jackrabbits continued to attack Creighton’s post defense, building a 65-52 lead. Creighton found its rhythm down stretch with 19 points in the final 5:13, but could only close within five as SDSU got a pair of devastating treys from Maddie Mathiowetz in the final two minutes.

Jensen led Creighton with 23 points in the loss, while Molly Mogensen (13), Lockett (12) and Morgan Maly all closed the contest in double figures.

Five Jackrabbits finished in double figures, led by 17 points from Brooklyn Meyer. The other four were Mathiowetz (13), Haleigh Timmer (12) Mesa Byom (11) and Paige Meyer (10).

Creighton opens its home schedule against Drake on Monday, November 11 at 6:00 p.m. in D.J. Sokol Arena.