The women’s basketball team is certainly enjoying a heat wave in the middle of a Nebraska winter. They keep rolling through the vital second half of the conference schedule and steamrolling their opponents. The team extended its current winning streak to seven consecutive wins as it won a crucial road game last Saturday. The Jays (12-8, 7-2) walked out of the Knapp Center in Des Moines, Iowa with a hard fought 68-65 victory over the Drake Bulldogs (12-8, 6-3).
Many members of the team believed this to be a big win.
“This was a crucial win for us,” junior guard Kelsey Crites said. “It means a lot to us and it also allowed us to prove that we are a team with a lot of heart and toughness.”
This is Creighton’s first win against Drake in Des Moines in nearly six years when the Jays bested the Bulldogs 70-56 on Feb. 23, 2003.
Sophomore guard Kelsey Woodard described the win as “exciting.”
“It was just really exciting to finally get a win in that arena,” she said. “It was a big win for us.”
Indeed it was a big win both on a personal and team level. With the win on Saturday, Creighton has pushed its way up to a two-way tie for second place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings with the Indiana State Sycamores (11-9, 7-2). CU’s next four foes are ranked at the very bottom of the league standings, but the Jays are not getting ahead of themselves yet.
“As long as we stay focused and continue to play with confidence,” Crites said. “We can continue the streak. Although these teams are ranked at the bottom for the moment, that does not mean they are not good teams.”
Woodard also exudes this notion that the team cannot get ahead of itself and look past its opponents.
“Even though their records don’t necessarily show it, they are very capable teams and we will have to have good games if we want to come away with some wins.”
Head coach Jim Flanery is ensuring that the Jays stays focused as they look to continue its success.
“We still have a long way to go in the league, but every win is a big one and road wins are even bigger,” he said. “We like the position we are in, especially after starting off (the conference schedule) 0-2. It really does come down to taking one practice and one game at a time.”
This kind of mentality has certainly paid off as Creighton continues to lead the league in defense holding their opponents to an average of 57.5 points per game. Their offense can score quickly as they drained seven three-point shots from beyond the arc on Saturday. The team continues to rank sixth nationally in three-point field goal percentage with .387.
“We really had to grind it out to win,” Flanery said. “That always has the potential to give you confidence in close games down the line. Winning road games in tough environments helps to give players a belief in one another and in themselves.”