When involved in a tight conference race, the most important thing to do is to keep winning games and continue to keep pace in the standings. The No. 22-ranked Creighton women’s basketball team has done just that as they continue to chase the Connecticut Huskies who lead them in the conference standings by one game. Following their loss to the Huskies earlier this season, the Bluejays have been on a seven-game win streak including an 83-74 victory over the DePaul Blue Demons this past weekend. 

There have been several factors that have contributed to the Jays being able to go on this win streak. These factors showed up in their latest win this past weekend:

#1- A balanced offensive attack

The first of these is that the Bluejays have not been reliant on one or two players to score a majority of their points. In their game against DePaul, the Bluejays had eight different players get on the scoreboard. This included four out of five starters going over double-digit points in this game. This is the second straight game that the Bluejays have done this as four out of five starters broke into double-digits in their previous game against St. John’s. When a team can get points from nearly every player on the court, this eliminates the need for any one player to consistently have to carry a heavy load in the scoring column. This means that if a player is struggling to hit shots on any night, there are other players ready to step up and score.

#2- Winning the turnover battle

The second factor that has led to the Bluejays winning games has been the turnover battle. In five out of the seven games over this win streak, the Bluejays have had fewer turnovers than their opponents. This was most obvious for the Bluejays in their game against DePaul. In this game, the Bluejays had eight turnovers for the whole game while the Blue Demons had eighteen turnovers. Very few things can change the momentum of a game like a turnover can. The Bluejays have been able to set themselves apart from their opponents just simply by making sure the ball stays in their possession. 

#3- Poise under pressure

One factor that can often be overlooked when a team is on a winning streak is the experience they have. The Bluejays have more experience than most other teams. This team has seven seniors as well as two juniors. When a team goes on a winning streak like the Bluejays have, they usually gain more attention than what they are used to. This has increased even more for the Bluejays, having now spent the last three weeks in the Top 25. They are currently ranked 22nd in the country which can often cause a team to lose focus. However, the Bluejays have played a lot more games than most teams. This means that they have experience playing in and winning high-pressure games. 

The pressure is only going to be turning up with the Bluejays now traveling to Hartford, Connecticut for a massive showdown with the fifth-ranked UConn Huskies. The Huskies are the only team in the Big East that the Bluejays have lost to this season. This has allowed the Bluejays to stay in the race for the Big East Championship, trailing the Huskies by one game. 

The last time these two teams played, the Huskies defeated the Bluejays 72-61. However, the game was closer than what appeared on the scoreboard. The Bluejays outscored the Huskies in the second half of this game but were unable to overcome an ice-cold second quarter. To make sure this game goes differently, the Bluejays are going to have to avoid large scoring droughts that led to their demise in the first game. The Bluejays were only able to score six points in the second quarter which in large part kept them from being able to get the win last time. 

This is a lot harder than it sounds but three-point shooting is likely going to play a large factor in the Bluejays avoiding large scoring droughts. The Bluejays shot 1-11 from deep in the first half where the Huskies were able to gain the lead. However, in the second half where the Bluejays outscored the Huskies, they shot better than 50% from the three-point line. Therefore, the best way for the Bluejays to pull the upset is to outshoot the Huskies from deep. 

Tipoff for this conference-deciding matchup is set for 6 p.m. from Hartford, Connecticut.