The Creighton women’s basketball team won the MVC tournament for the first time since 2002 after beating Drake University in St. Charles, Mo. Winning the tournament secures them an NCAA tournament automatic bid.
Creighton downed the No. 7 seed Drake Bulldogs 53-38 one day after upsetting No. 1 seeded Missouri State University. Sophomore forward Carli Tritz led the way for the Jays with 19 points, five rebounds and four assists. Sophomore forward Sarah Nelson and sophomore guard McKenzie Fujan each added 12 points for the Jays.
The Jays never trailed in the second half and built up a 15 point lead with 13 minutes to go. The three point shooting of Creighton was one of the keys to the victory as it shot 5-9 in the second half. Another key were only committing eight turnovers in the game.
Head coach Jim Flanery and the Jays were 1-5 in the previous six MVC championship appearances. This will mark the fourth time in program history that Creighton has made the NCAA tournament.
Creighton will wait to see where it are seeded on Monday night’s women’s NCAA tournament selection show.