The Creighton women’s basketball team improved to 15-4 overall and 7-1 in the MVC, Sunday, with a 79-67 win over the Bradley University Braves.
Freshman guard Marissa Janning lead the Jays in a shooting exhibition that saw them knock down 14 of their 26 3-point attempts in front of their home crowd at D.J. Sokol Arena.
“I feel like it’s a reflection not just of how well we shoot the ball but how well we pass the ball,” head coach Jim Flanery said in response to his team’s success. “When you can string together three or four passes and get an open three with the shooters that we have that’s a good thing.”
Entering as one of the elite shooting teams in the nation, the Jays seemed sluggish out of the gate and sloppily exchanged turnovers and missed baskets with the Braves. Janning came off of the bench a few minutes into the first half and provided an immediate injection of energy to the squad.
Whether it was driving to the basket, pulling up for a 3-pointer or finding the open teammate in the paint, No. 23 moved with fluidity and confidence.
“I was feeling good,” Janning said. “I felt like I was a little faster than the people defending me.”
Janning scored 16 of her 21 points in the first half and pioneered Creighton to a six-point lead at the midway mark. With the help of junior guard McKenzie Fujan and senior guard Ally Jensen, the Jays shot well in the opening period. They hit 16-of-34 (.471) overall and 8 of 15 (.533) from beyond the arc.
“We’re really balanced on offense so it’s nice being able to pass it to anyone and know that they can knock it down” Jensen said.
Bradley (7-11 overall, 1-6 MVC) played physically throughout and kept the competition close for the majority of the game. In contrast to the Jays’ outside shooting, sophomore guard Shronda Butts and the Braves mostly preferred to battle their way into the paint.
“We had a hard time defensively; they really drilled the ball at us … part of it is they’re just good at doing that, but we didn’t really ever stop them consistently,” Flanery said.
Although they penetrated with success regularly, the Braves often struggled to finish at the rim on open looks. Their size and tenacity gave them the edge in the rebounding department, though, out-boarding Creighton 40-31.
Even with their missed opportunities, Bradley continuously fought hard and exchanged lead changes with the Jays several times in the first 20 minutes.
“I think (the physical play) definitely pumps us up,” Jensen said. “It also gives us more leeway for things like foul calls, so we like it.”
The Braves shot 13-of-33 (.394) in the first half and managed to knock down a respectable 4-of-8 (.500) from outside.
The Jays came out in the second half red hot and opened up on an 8-1 run including back-to-back 3-pointers from Jensen and junior guard Carli Tritz.
Bradley came equipped with their extinguishers, however, and rallied back to within five points around the 10-minute mark. This was thanks, in large part, to the play of sophomore guard Michelle Young, who scored all 12 of her points in the second period.
The Jays were too tall of a task, though, and seemingly answered ever basket with one of their own down the stretch. By the 4-minute mark, Creighton had mounted a double-digit lead and exhausted the resilient will of the Braves.
Creighton will be looking to continue their excellent play in the Valley and improve to 8-1 in the conference when they take on Drake University Saturday. The game will be played in Des Moines, Iowa and tip-off is set for 3 p.m.
“It’ll be a big game for them,” Flanery said, “The challenge for our players is to understand that it’s a big game for us too.”