After being bounced in shocking fashion by Mississippi State in last year’s NCAA Tournament, the Bluejay women are back in the second round after blowing past UNLV in a dominant offensive performance. Here’s how they did it, and how the victory could lead to success on Monday against UCLA and, potentially, beyond.
Emma Ronsiek had herself a day
Senior forward Emma Ronsiekestablished herself in December as one of the most dominant scoring forwards in the country, going on a five-game run in late November and early December in which she scored over 26 points per game, which, at the time, would have placed her as the third-most prolific scorer in the nation. In Creighton’s last three games before March Madness, though, Ronsiek was unable to break double digits, shooting an uncharacteristic 2-15 from the field over that stretch. Saturday afternoon’s game initially seemed to be more of the same, as the senior went 0-5 from the field in the first half. A switch flipped at halftime, though, which both Ronsiek and head coach Jim Flanery attributed to her maturity and a shift in mindset, and Ronsiek exploded for a 23-point half.The Bluejays will need her against a potent UCLA Bruins squad which was, at one point, viewed as arguably the best team in the country.
Big-time bench minutes
Against UNLV, it largely came from senior guard Jayme Horan, who went 3-3 from beyond the arc in the first half while providing solid defense. The Bluejays have a solid supporting cast on their second unit between Horan and sophomore guards Kiani Lockett and Kennedy Townsend, and the Jays will need big days out of at least one, if not all three, of that trio to find success against the Bruins. Lockett is perhaps the best defensive disruptor Creighton has on the perimeter, showcased at the end of the first half against UNLV when she picked a Rebel’s pocket and took the ball to the house for a layup, capping off a momentum-swinging 8-0 run, and she has a decent shot to boot. Townsend is a sharpshooter who is nigh unstoppable when she gets hot. All three provide a boost of energy for Creighton, getting aggressive on the offensive glass to snag extra possessions for the Bluejays. While the “Big Three” of Ronsiek, senior guard Lauren Jensen, and senior forward Morgan Maly have shown an ability to beat some teams on their own, the Bruins will provide one of the toughest challenges Creighton has had all season, and it will take a full team performance to knock of the No. 2 team in the region.
Shutting down the perimeter, but acknowledge the balance
Flanery emphasized the importance of shutting down the perimeter against UNLV. Despite star center Desi-Rae Young going for 30 points, the Jays were able to hold the lead throughout most of the game by limiting the scoring from the Rebels’ guards, holding them to just 25% from beyond the arc. Sophomore center Lauren Betts (who it’s worth noting did not play in UCLA’s opening round matchup against Cal Baptist and is currently day-to-day with a foot injury) is similarly dominant to Young, but the Bruins have much stronger guards than the Rebels, with senior Charisma Osborne and sophomore Kiki Rice. The Bruins also have a unit of talented wings, including sophomore Gabriela Jaquez and Angela Dugalic, all of whom have a size advantage on the Jays. Should Betts play, Creighton will need to find a way to shut down a more dominant UCLA perimeter game while keeping Betts and the wings in check.
David vs. Goliath
On paper, Creighton had a massive size disadvantage against UNLV, but the Bluejays’ unique 5-out offense turned Creighton’s smallness into a strength. The Rebels’ size was unable to keep up with Creighton’s quick, complex off-ball actions and allowed the Jays to get off wide-open shot after wide-open shot. If Creighton can play its’ unique size “disadvantage” in its favor again against UCLA, the door will be open for an upset. If the off-ball actions aren’t crisp, though—the way they weren’t against Georgetown in the Big East tournament—Creighton could be in for a rough day against the Bruins.
Tournament coverage made possible by the generous support of Marty and Barbara Perry and Chris and Kathy Perry in honor of their son and nephew, Zach Perry, a 2010 journalism graduate and Creightonian staff member.