Creighton women’s basketball opened Big East play with a much-needed win Thursday, defeating St. John’s 60–52 in Queens.

The Bluejays entered the matchup at 2-4 after an 86-62 win over Northern Arizona. St. John’s came in at 7-1, with its only loss to Harvard.

Creighton struck quickly when senior guard Kennedy Townsend hit a 3-pointer in the first 15 seconds. St. John’s answered minutes later with a 3 from senior forward Kylie Lavelle to tie the game at 3-3. A 3-pointer from sophomore guard Allison Heathcock put the Bluejays back in front 6-3, but the Red Storm edged ahead 14-10 by the end of the first quarter.

Creighton opened the second frame with a 5-0 run on a layup from freshman guard Grace Boffeli and another 3-pointer from Townsend. The Bluejays took a 15-14 lead with 8:30 left in the quarter before St. John’s responded with a layup from senior guard Shaulana Wagner. Creighton then added another five unanswered points—two Boffeli free throws and a Heathcock 3-pointer—to go up 20-16. St. John’s closed the quarter strong and led 27-24 at halftime.

Freshman guard Neleigh Gessert sparked Creighton to start the third, knocking down two 3-pointers as part of a 6-0 run that put the Bluejays ahead 30-27. Gessert scored 12 of Creighton’s 14 points in the quarter and went 4-for-5 from beyond the arc as the Bluejays took a 38-36 lead into the fourth.

The game was tied at 43 with 5:29 remaining before Townsend delivered the decisive stretch. The senior scored 10 straight points—a layup, a midrange jumper and back-to-back 3-pointers—to give Creighton a 53-43 advantage with 1:34 left. St. John’s cut the deficit to 53-48 with just over a minute remaining, but the Bluejays closed the game by going 7-for-8 at the free-throw line.

Townsend led Creighton with 18 points, including four 3-pointers.

“Kennedy’s been great. She’s lived kind of in the shadows of our senior group from the last few years,” head coach Jim Flannery said. “She wants to carry on the legacy of what those guys did. She’s been a great leader, and I tell people she’s a little bit more of a capable scorer than maybe people realize.”

Flannery credited the team’s defensive approach as well.

“I thought our game plan was good. We really kind of forced their point guards to have to beat us,” he said.

Here are three takeaways as Creighton continues Big East play.

#1 – Points in the paint remain a concern

Creighton has been outscored in the paint in all seven games this season, including Thursday’s win. While the Bluejays earned an important road victory, improving interior production will be key as conference play continues.

#2 – Road performance is a strength

With wins at Drake on Nov. 9 and now at St. John’s, Creighton has shown it can compete away from Omaha—an important factor for positioning in the Big East race.

#3 – Growth in late-game execution

Early in the season, Creighton struggled to close tight contests, falling 51-50 to Northern Iowa and allowing UNLV to pull away in the fourth quarter. Against St. John’s, however, the Bluejays outscored the Red Storm 22-16 in the final period and controlled the game down the stretch.

Creighton returned to the court Saturday and defeated Tulsa 73-60 at D.J. Sokol Arena. The Bluejays are back in action Sunday against Kansas State.