Steve Ciarfalia

It’s always nice preparing for a basketball game when your team has won its last 10 games in a row. That’s the way coach Jim Flanery and the Creighton women’s basketball team is feeling as they prepare to take on the Southern Illinois Salukis this Saturday afternoon at the Omaha Civic Auditorium.

The lady Bluejays have won 10 ten straight games and are hoping to stretch their winning streak to 11 on Saturday afternoon in Omaha. Flanery hopes that this team’s momentum will help them overcome the Salukis and remain in second place in the MVC.

“We’ve become a group that plays good team defense. I think we communicate well and cover for each other well,” Flanery said.

Southern Illinois plays a very similar game to the Bluejays with good physical defense and all-around athleticism. Flanery believes that Saturday’s match up will be a relatively low scoring game because of the teams’ great defensive presence on the court.

Creighton kept their winning streak alive on Thursday night by beating Evansville at the Omaha Civic Auditorium and hope that a win over Southern Illinois could help them claim first place in the MVC. The only team that stands in their way is Illinois State who has had an impressive season with a record of 10-1.

Creighton has only lost two games this season with a loss to Illinois State as well as Indiana State, but the Bluejays feel that a win against Southern Illinois could give them great momentum as the MVC tournament grows closer. The two SIU players that Flanery is concerned about are guards Erica Smith and Jasmine Gibson.

“They are both athletic and are very good all-around players. We have to contain them and make them uncomfortable,” Flanery said.

The Creighton Bluejays and the Southern Illinois Salukis are set to match up at two o’clock on Saturday afternoon at the Omaha Civic Auditorium.