As the regular season goes on, conference games begin to make a huge difference in not only the standings but how far a team will go in the postseason. The Creighton Bluejays Women’s Basketball team were tied for first place in the Big East as they hosted the Marquette Golden Eagles in a pivotal conference matchup. The Bluejays were able to keep pace as they are still tied for first place with a record of 13-3 following a tight 71-68 win over the Eagles. 

“They played really well, and we had a double digit lead, but they played really well in the second half,” Head Coach Jim Flanery said. “Defensively, we just have to figure out how to tighten a few things. We got out to a big enough lead, but then we had some loose possessions defensively. Then you risk what happened, when a team gets close. So, it was a good learning experience, but we have to take that out.”

The story of the first quarter for both teams was the turnover battle as the Bluejays had 4 turnovers to Marquette’s 5. This led to an evenly matched first quarter as neither team was able to gain much of an advantage. At the end of the first quarter the two teams were tied at 13 points.

The second quarter went much differently as three-point shooting became the difference between the two teams. The Bluejays were able to hit six threes in the second quarter alone compared to Marquette, who had just two field goals from beyond the arc in the entire first half. After the high scoring half, the Bluejays found themselves leading 37-26 at halftime.

The third quarter appeared like it was going to be more of the same as back-to back-three pointers grew the Bluejay lead to 45-30. However, Marquette was able to tighten the gap as they found themselves trailing 58-50 at the end of the third quarter. The three-point shooting was another big part of the third quarter as the Golden Eagles knocked down three from deep while the Bluejays knocked down four of their own.

A pair of three pointers from Maly to begin the fourth quarter helped the lead grow to 12 points as the Bluejays now led 66-54. It appeared as if the Bluejays were going to be able to finish off an impressive win but a late run from the Golden Eagles began to put the win in doubt.

“Having those big momentum plays, even if they answered, were still big,” forward Mallory Brake said. “That made us feel like we were still making a difference. It would have been nice if we had been able to answer on the defensive end a few times but nonetheless those offensive plays were what kept us ahead.”

In the fourth quarter, the Golden Eagles made 7 consecutive field goals without a miss. This brought the game within 71-68 with just over a minute left to play.

“They played well offensively in the second half but we also gave them some really easy baskets,” Flanery said. “I also thought we got a little loose with our shot selection but I’m a little bit more sympathetic to that. So, I’m more concerned about the loose possessions defensively.”“They played well offensively in the second half but we also gave them some really easy baskets,” Flanery said. “I also thought we got a little loose with our shot selection but I’m a little bit more sympathetic to that. So, I’m more concerned about the loose possessions defensively.”

The game came down to the last possession as Marquette held the ball with a chance to tie the game. However, a strong defensive stand from the Bluejays caused Marquette to miss the tying shot, earning the Bluejays a 71-68 victory.

“Obviously, it was a high stress situation but we’ve practiced that,” Flanery said. “As a head coach, you watch enough film but then you watch the end of their close game because you want to know what they are going to run or what kind of action I thought they would run.”

The win was a team win all around for the Bluejays. However, the importance of senior Morgan Maly in this game cannot be overstated. She ended the game with 28 points, including going 8-9 from the three-point line.

“I didn’t know at any moment, that kind of game was going to happen. I was just trying to take advantage at every opportunity I had,” Maly said.

“Eight for nine is truly absurd,” Flanery added. “I would say a lot of those were really big shots and there were also a lot of really tough shots she made. You see a couple of them go in early and you get going. I think she sensed that we needed that a little bit more tonight.”

This was a pivotal win for the Bluejays as they prepare for an exciting showdown at Seton Hall on Saturday. This will be a decisive matchup as the two teams currently share the lead with Connecticut in the Big East Conference.

“It’s definitely hard but we’re a mature group so I don’t think that it will be too tall of a task for us,” Brake said. “At this point in the season, I feel that we are going to be well prepped and ready to go.”

“They have had the whole week, and we have a short prep time,” Flanery said. “We’re mature enough, but we might want to simplify the game plan a little bit but sometimes that is better. I feel like sometimes you can give too much information and expect too much. It’s a big game, and they are playing really well. I think the league is going to be really good, so there aren’t going to be a lot of easy games but that is okay.”