No. 20 Creighton Lights Up In-State Rival No. 22 Nebraska Behind Molly Mogensen’s Profession Night time – White and Blue Evaluate

Those that get pleasure from an excellent wager once in a while most likely may have listed off eight or 9 gamers they thought would come away because the factors chief in Tuesday evening’s High 25 showdown between Twentieth-ranked Creighton and Twenty second-ranked Nebraska. Jays junior level guard Molly Mogensen most likely would have been eighth or ninth title listed throughout that train, however that didn’t cease her from selecting aside the Huskers’ ball display screen protection time and again on her to technique to a career-high 22 factors on 9-of-14 taking pictures in a 77-51 rout to assist CU enhance to 3-0 on the season and earn their second win over a ranked crew.

Molly Mogensen led all scorers on Tuesday evening (Juszyk / WBR)

The Bluejays drew 2,306 followers for his or her home-opener in opposition to the Huskers — a D.J. Sokol Area document for a ladies’s basketball recreation — and placed on a present for the roughly 80/20 blue break up to earn their sixth win over their in-state rivals within the final seven seasons. Mogensen scored 19 of twenty-two factors within the first half because the Bluejays by no means trailed all the evening and led by 20 or extra for over 13 minutes of recreation time.

“I’m considering we should always get away the blue uniforms each dwelling recreation,” Creighton head coach Jim Flanery mentioned. “I’m actually happy with our crew. I believed we defended fairly effectively and communicated and simply have been powerful. Offensively, Molly was unimaginable in that first half. I instructed her she’s not used to getting that many photographs up as a result of she performs with [Lauren Jensen and Morgan Maly] proper subsequent to her, and usually they’re taking a couple of. However yeah, that was enjoyable. After we transfer the ball and contain everyone and make groups must defend, I believe we’ve got the prospect to be actually particular.”

Creighton assisted on 19 of their 30 made baskets and solely turned it over 9 occasions all evening. They hit 11 3-pointers on 45.8% taking pictures from deep as a crew. That offensive steadiness was on show to start out the sport as Mogensen and Maly hit mid-range jumpers from the appropriate and left elbows on back-to-back possessions, then Jensen obtained as open as she’ll be all 12 months in transition and buried a deep 3-pointer from the appropriate wing to place the Bluejays up 7-2 after the primary 4 possessions of the sport. They led 9-5 popping out of the primary media timeout with 4:56 to go within the first quarter, and it was Mogensen’s present for the remainder of the half. The Farmington, Minnesota native hit a pull-up jumper, a 3-pointer, a layup, back-to-back threes in a span of 31 seconds, a layup, and one other mid-range jumper off the dribble — 17 of the crew’s final 36 factors of the interval in whole to offer Creighton a 45-28 lead on the break.

“They have been switching every thing within the first half,” Mogensen mentioned. “I knew that I may assault their bigs and that pull-up jumper was open lots, so I took it. Like Flan mentioned earlier than, when these two begin going off, we all know to get them the ball, so that they began getting me the ball so I may do what they often do.”

Lauren Jensen didn’t lead the Jays in scoring, however discovered different methods to assist the crew (Juszyk / WBR)

As medical as Creighton was on offense, this recreation did supply moments for them to indicate off their mettle. Nebraska had stretches — within the first half the place they lower the deficit to 13 and within the second after they lower it to 16 — the place they gave the impression to be coming collectively offensively whereas Creighton was concurrently shedding rhythm. But when there was a free to ball to scrap, typically occasions Creighton received the battle for it. If there was a cease, rating, cease, rating sequence that was wanted to construct momentum, it was often the Bluejays pulling it off. They by no means let the gang get stressed or tense for too lengthy at any level all through the sport. Even with their senior firestarter Rachael Saunders in road garments resulting from an damage, CU nonetheless managed to make the appropriate performs on the proper occasions to maintain the fuse lit.

“I really feel prefer it was a testomony to how aggressive we’re,” Jensen mentioned. “We’d at all times say in the summertime and fall about our practices that they’re tremendous aggressive. We might go at it. You may inform that none of us prefer to lose and that was actually obvious tonight. Clearly, Rachael wasn’t enjoying and she or he’s an enormous spark for us, she’s our power participant who does all of the little issues, so we knew that we have been going to have to come back out and take up a few of that ourselves tonight.”

Jensen did her half with 13 factors, six rebounds, and a game-high seven assists. Maly did as effectively with 16 factors and a team-high eight rebounds. However the unsung hero of the evening was the participant who took Saunders’ place within the lineup: Carly Bachelor.

Carly Bachelor was an unsung hero for the Jays on Tuesday evening (Juszyk / WBR)

The senior from Topeka, Kansas was 7-of-10 from the ground for 15 factors to associate with six rebounds, 4 steals, and a team-best plus/minus of +27 in her 33 minutes of motion. Her size and flexibility on protection helped Creighton change screens and never get chewed up by Nebraska’s dynamic ballhandlers, whereas her quickness and relentless exercise stage on offense persistently uncovered cross-matches all through the sport.

“We seen that they have been switching screens early,” Carly Bachelor mentioned. “That’s tough on protection when it’s a must to consistently change and talk with one another. There are at all times going to be miscues and miscommunications that often will result in one thing for us, so I believe we have been actually centered on moving into screens and making reads from that whether or not it was slips or simply attempting to get open cuts. That’s what actually helped our offense. Simply ready and being affected person for the open lower, the open layup, or a 3. Even in observe each day it’s powerful to protect one another, so for those who aren’t used to it I can think about that it’s powerful on communication defensively.”

Nebraska’s high scorers after their first two video games of the season have been sophomore guard Allison Weidner (19.5 ppg) and junior ahead Isabelle Bourne (13.5 ppg). On Tuesday evening, the Jays held them to a complete of 12 factors on 14 taking pictures possessions (4-12 FG, 3-4 FT) and compelled them into eight mixed turnovers. Sophomore middle Alexis Markowski had 12 factors on her personal, however she wanted eight photographs from the ground and 7 free throw makes an attempt to get it. Junior level guard Jaz Shelley led the Huskers with 14 factors, however she missed 10 of her 14 photographs from the sector and completed simply 2-of-8 from past the arc in 35 minutes.

“We performed their shoulders, and we knew personnel,” Maly mentioned of Creighton’s protection throughout the board. “We hammered that in observe all week, and we restricted them to 1 shot fairly effectively a lot of the evening. That helped to restrict their offense and the power that they may get from these alternatives.”