The Creighton women’s basketball team opens the regular season against the No. 12 University of Oklahoma Sooners Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in D.J. Sokol Arena.
The Bluejays turn to their three post players — junior forward Sarah Nelson, junior center Alyssa Kamphaus and sophomore forward Alexis Akin-Otiko — to lead the way. In the exhibition matchup against Southwest Minnesota State University, Nelson, Kamphaus and Akin-Otiko combined for 54 total points in Creighton’s 90-60 victory on Oct. 31.
This success in the post is the result of offseason improvements by all three players.
“Kamp(haus) has gotten so much better at finishing. Now she scores all the time,” Nelson said. “And Alexis (Akin-Otiko) has all-around improved as well. She keeps working hard and keeps getting better.”
For her part, Nelson said she has improved her ball-handling and decision-making skills, which she believes will allow her to improve upon last season’s success that earned her MVC Player of the Week honors twice.
Nelson, Kamphaus and Akin-Otiko, however, do not have as favorable a matchup against the Sooners as they did against the post players of Southwest Minnesota State. Leading Oklahoma’s front-court is 6-foot-6 junior center Nicole Griffin and 6-foot-3 senior forward Joanna McFarland. Junior forward Portia Durrett rounds out the Sooner’s trio of post players. Durrett, a transfer from Walters State in Tennessee, has averaged 21 points in the team’s two exhibition games.
To defend Oklahoma’s post players effectively, Creighton head coach Jim Flanery will especially need a strong performance from Kamphaus, who fouled out in the Bluejays’ lone exhibition game.
“Kamp has to stay out of foul trouble and be smart,” Flanery said. “We have to have her on Griffin a majority of the time.”
Oklahoma’s post players, however, do not present the biggest problem for the Bluejay defense. The Sooners “have healthy strong guards with experience,” according to junior guard Carli Tritz. Aaryn Ellenberg, who was selected to the preseason All-Big 12 women’s basketball team, leads Oklahoma’s backcourt. Ellenberg and fifth-year senior guard Whitney Hand combined to shoot 11-29 from beyond the arc in Oklahoma’s two exhibition games.
The ability of Oklahoma’s guards to push the ball in transition and score fast-break points has required the Bluejays to focus upon transition defense in its preparation for the game Saturday to prevent “easy baskets,” according to Flanery.
Flanery hopes Creighton’s depth will help the Bluejays slow down Oklahoma by keeping all the players fresh. In addition, Flanery plans to play fairly unstructured on the offensive end. Allowing his players to make plays was key to last season’s turn around and ultimately to Creighton’s MVC tournament crown and NCAA Tournament appearance.
In the NCAA Tournament, oddly enough, Creighton’s and Oklahoma’s seasons ended with a loss to St. John’s University.
Now, these teams are hoping to begin their marches back to the NCAA Tournament with a victory.
Tritz said she has no doubt Creighton can defeat Oklahoma.
“If we play the way we should, stay healthy and do the things Coach (Flanery) asks us to do, he is going to put us in a position to win,” Tritz said.
Other notes: Tritz is “close to 100%” and is expected to play her regular amount of minutes Saturday. Junior guard McKenzie Fujan’s back injury is also healed. Flanery: “We’re healthier than we’ve been since the end of last year.”
Creighton has never defeated Oklahoma, only having faced the Sooners three times. The most recent game between the two teams was played on Dec. 20, 2009 at D.J. Sokol Arena. The Bluejays lost 67-58.
Creighton received one vote in the preseason AP poll. A win against Oklahoma would go a long way towards an ascent into the national rankings.
Creighton head coach Jim Flanery is 7-3 in regular season home openers. Saturday’s game will be the first time during Flanery’s tenure that Creighton has opened its regular season home schedule against a ranked opponent.