Sophomore guard Marissa Janning hit a 3-pointer with 47 seconds left and hit several free throws in the game’s waning moments as the Bluejays won their home-opener 68-63 over South Dakota State University.
After a disappointing 62-55 loss to Drake University in the season opener, the Bluejays (1-1) fought off a gritty performance from the Jackrabbits (0-2) to earn their first win of the young season.
Creighton head coach Jim Flanery said he was pleased by his team’s performance.
“We were a different basketball team tonight,” Flanery said. “Ball security, nine turnovers versus 22, and post play was immeasurably different tonight. We were committed to staying tough.”
For most of the first half, both teams struggled to hit shots offensively. The Bluejays got a lift from seniors forward Sarah Nelson and guard McKenzie Fujan early on, as Fujan scored the game’s first 3-pointer with 17:28 remaining in the first half. The Bluejays would take 23 3-point field goals as a team for the game, hitting seven of those shots.
After trading baskets, the Jackrabbits went on two different 7-0 runs to break out to a 27-18 lead with 6:43 remaining in the opening period, its largest lead of the game. However after a technical foul on CU’s bench, the team responded by closing the half on an 18-7 run to give the Bluejays a 36-34 lead at the intermission.
The Jackrabbits caused headaches for the Bluejays all night, especially on the glass. In the first half, the Bluejays were outrebounded 18-14 by the Jackrabbits while surrendering six offensive boards. For the game, the Jackrabbits held a decisive 39-26 advantage on the glass. Even though they struggled shooting the ball, free throw opportunities continued to keep the Jackrabbits within striking distance.
As good as the free throws were to SDSU, they came back to haunt the Jackrabbits. After a solid 11-13 effort in the first half, a 2-9 effort from the charity stripe in the second half hurt the Jackrabbits as the game came to a close.
After starting the second half 1-10 from the floor, the Bluejays called upon their senior leader Nelson and she delivered. Nelson scored eight consecutive points in the middle of the second half for the Bluejays to stay in the ballgame. A three point field goal from junior guard Sammy Jensen and a layup from junior forward Alexis Akin-Otiko pushed the lead to 56-49 with 5:04 remaining in regulation, and it looked as though the Bluejays might pull away.
But the Jackrabbits came to play, and like they did all night, they responded with three point-play opportunities. A Jackrabbit layup gave them possession of the lead once again at 59-58, but a clutch Janning three pointer gave the Bluejays a 61-59 lead that they would not relinquish for the last 40 seconds. Janning wasn’t exactly thrilled to take that game-winning shot however.
“I haven’t been shooting my threes very well lately,” Janning said. “I told myself, ‘I’ve got to shoot this. I’m wide open. I don’t want to but I’ve got to keep shooting and I made it.’”
Overall, the Bluejays shot 47 percent from the field (25-53) and 79 percent from the free-throw line (11-14).
Three Bluejays reached double figures in points, with Janning scoring a game-high 20 points and dishing out 8 assists, Nelson scoring 16 points and grabbing six rebounds and Akin-Otiko finished with 13 points and five rebounds.
The Bluejays host the University of Minnesota Gophers on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. before travelling to play the Kansas University Jayhawks on Sunday at 4 p.m.