Creighton University
Marquette
Marquette Gets By Bluejays, 66-59
11/19/2009 9:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MILWAUKEE, Wis. - Marquette topped the Creighton women's basketball team 66-59 Thursday night at the Al McGuire Center, handing the Bluejays their first loss of the season. The Golden Eagles out-rebounded the Bluejays 52-38, including 30-16 after halftime to hold off the Jays. MU is now 2-1 on the season, dropping the Bluejays to 2-1.
The Bluejays came out and grabbed the early momentum, leading 8-4. The Jays led 10-9 before the home team scored 10 straight points to take a nine point lead. Creighton would fall behind by nine again before putting together a 9-0 run to even the score at 25-25 with just less than three minutes to play in the opening half.
The Golden Eagles would score their final eight points of the half at the free-throw line to own a 33-25 lead at the break, despite not making a field goal over the final 7:26 of the half. MU drained a pair of free-throws with 0.2 seconds on the clock to give it the eight-point halftime lead.
An even first half saw both teams make nine field goals, commit nine turnovers and grab 22 rebounds. The difference came at the free-throw line, where MU was 13-of-15 (.867) and the Jays were 6-for-6 in the opening stanza.
Marquette extended its lead to 13 less than two minutes into the second half and would own a 47-34 lead with less than 15 minutes remaining before the Bluejays would climb back into the game. The Jays mounted a 19-6 run to tie the game at 53-53 with 7:52 left in the game. Kellie Nelson's bucket at that point tied the contest, but she failed to hit her ensuing free-throw after a timeout on the floor.
MU scored on its next possession and would maintain the lead over the final seven minutes of the game. Down 60-55 the Bluejays had a chance to cut the lead to three when Kelsey Crites beat everyone down the floor for an open look under the basket, but the fifth-year senior missed the lay-up and Megan Neuvirth compounded CU's problems by committing her fifth foul after the miss with 1:38 to go.
The Jays could not take advantage of eight consecutive missed MU free-throws, as the home team's domination of the glass in the second half prevented the Jays from getting back into the game.
Creighton, which entered the game 28-of-61 (.459) from three-point range through its first two games, was challenged by an aggressive MU defense which held the Jays to just 3-of-17 shooting (.176) from beyond the arc in the loss.
CU and MU each finished with 21 field goal makes and three three-pointers, as the final seven-point margin was determined at the free-throw line, where the Eagles made 21-of-33 (.636), compared to 14-of-20 (.700) by the Bluejays. The 14-rebound deficit in the second half also hurt the Jays, as CU's leading rebounder Sam Schuett played only 26 minutes in the game after picking up her fourth foul just 20 seconds into the second half.
Schuett finished with 11 boards and three blocked shots in the game, to go along with six points. Chevelle Herring led the Jays with 12 points, four assists and four steals. Neuvirth and Kelsey Woodard each chipped in 10 points. The Jays shot just 33.3 percent from the field in the loss.
Lauren Thomas-Johnson led all players with 20 points for the home team, while All-Big East guard Angel Robinson added 13 points and a game-high six assists. Georgie Jones came off the bench to notch a career-best 15 rebounds and three blocked shots.
The Bluejays return home on Monday to play host to Kansas State. CU and K-State will tip off at 7:05 p.m., at D.J. Sokol Arena.
NOTES: Creighton has now lost 10 straight road openers, with its last road opening win coming in 1999 ... CU was denied its first 3-0 start since 1992-93 ... CU is 4-2 all-time against Marquette, losing each of its last two meetings with the Golden Eagles in Milwaukee ... Herring now has 99 career steals, while Woodard has 149 career three-pointers ... Schuett now has 17 career games with at least 10 rebounds ... Neuvirth has fouled out in both of her career games at the Al McGuire Center ... Freshman Ally Jensen made her only three-point attempt of the game to improve to 5-for-8 (.625) from long range to start her career.
