Creighton Women Run Away From Syracuse 86-59
Niceville, Fla. -- Knocking down 12 of their first 15 shots from beyond the arc, Creighton Women's Basketball delivered an early knockout punch in the championship game of the Emerald Coast Classic Beach Bracket as the Bluejays defeated Syracuse 86-59 on Tuesday, November 26.
The victory moved Creighton to 4-2 on the season, while Syracuse fell to 3-4.
Following Creighton's victory senior Lauren Jensen was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, while fellow senior Morgan Maly also claimed a spot on the All-Tournament Team. Syracuse also put a pair on the All-Tournament Team as Georgia Woolley and Kyra Wood, while Missouri's Grace Slaughter rounded out the five.
The Bluejays came out throwing haymakers as Creighton hit four threes in just over two minutes to bounce out to a 12-5 advantage. Jensen connected on a pair, while Maly and fellow senior Molly Mogensen delivered from range. The early success spread as Creighton went 11-for-16 in the first quarter to build a 29-9 lead as the game moved to the second.
While Jensen was 4-for-4 from range in the first ten minutes, Maly was steady throughout the game. She scored 10 points in the first and second frames, hitting all four from beyond the arc. The Bluejays went on to shoot 12-for-15 from the three-point land in the first half, taking a 54-21 lead into the locker room.
Syracuse made a concerted effort to get into the paint in the second half, but Creighton was unrelenting as the Bluejays extended their lead to 39 points at 72-33 late in the third quarter. Down the stretch the Jays coasted to the win.
Maly led Creighton with 28 points in the contest, moving into 9th in Creighton history with 1,608 career points. Jensen closed the game with 21 points to move to 11th in Bluejay history with 1,600 points at Creighton. Syracuse's leader was Keira Scott with 11 points.
The Bluejays return home for a few days off, then are back on the hardwood on Sunday, December 1 as Creighton faces Tulsa in a road game at 1:00 p.m (CT) on ESPN2.