St. John’s rematch win propels Bluejays Women's Basketball to 16-6

Women’s basketball came up with an important rematch win against Big East competitor and 17-4 St. John’s, giving the Bluejays an 81-65 victory over the Red Storm in a critical part of the season. 

Despite losing a close game against St. John’s in early December 66-62, Creighton came out with an in-sync, team-oriented push on Feb. 4 to defeat the Red Storm in DJ Sokol Arena. Crucial performances from junior guard Lauren Jensen and junior forwards Morgan Maly and Emma Ronsiek propelled the Bluejays to 16-6 on the season. 

From the first whistle, Creighton’s consistent accuracy from beyond the arch spurred early success. Following a series of free throws that gave the Red Storm an early 2-0 lead, Creighton’s first of 13 3-pointers came from Jensen.  

After Jensen’s basket, the Bluejays and Red Storm fought for the early lead, using physical defense and smart offense to stay step-in-step with one another. Creighton’s offensive patience proved imperative to their success in keeping the lead in the first quarter, as senior guard Carly Bachelor and fifth-year senior guard Rachael Saunders created second chance plays that—along with teammate contribution—added up to nine second chance opportunities in the first half.  

Creighton retained a 44-30 lead over St. John’s as the first half ended, outscoring the Red Storm 24-13 in the second quarter. By the end of the half, Maly had accumulated 14 points, going 6-8 in field goals. 

“I honestly felt like we were ahead and felt like we felt good about where we were from the get-go,” said Maly. “We were getting what we wanted on offense and then defensively we were making it hard.”  

The third quarter brought more success for the Bluejays, the team using the entire shot clock to find the highest-percentage shots and capitalize on offensive possessions. With 6:53 left in the third quarter, the Bluejays took a 50-34 lead after a St. John’s timeout.  

“We’re doing better at trusting each other on the offensive end and [being] more willing to work deeper into the clock... [to] trust that what we do off the ball is going to translate into an easier basket or an easier opportunity later,” head coach Jim Flanery said. 

On defense, Creighton’s team-oriented style proved stifling for the Red Storm. St. Johns’ redshirt guard Jayla Everett, who averaged 16.7 points per game this season, was held to just 11 points by the end of the third quarter.  

While Creighton lost some focus towards the end of the third quarter with a couple or errant passes on offense, the Bluejays retained a 63-49 lead. 

The fourth quarter proved much the same, with Creighton dominating at both ends of the court. At the end of the game, the Bluejays executed an 81-65 win over the Red Storm. Jensen went 6-13 in field goals, scoring 17 points; Ronsiek went 6-9, also ending with 17 points and Maly went 9-12 in field goals - 4-7 in three-pointers - and scored 22 points.  

“I can’t remember a game where we played better from start to finish,” Flanery said following the game. “... I just thought we didn’t hang our head, we kept playing, and we shot the three well.” 

Maly also expressed similar sentiments about their performance. 

“We played completely on both ends. I think we executed what we wanted to going in, and I think we just played with a lot of fun out there.” 

Three days later, Creighton flew to New Jersey, where they defeated Seton Hall for the second time this season 77-64. Ronsiek was the Bluejays high-scorer with 21 points on the night, going 8-10 in field goals. As a team, the Bluejays shot 45.5% from beyond the arch, and went 20-51 in field goals.

Following their victory against the Pirates, the Bluejays return to their home court on Feb. 12 to take on the 7-16 Xavier Musketeers.