Creighton women’s basketball survives in Big East quarterfinal win over Seton Hall

UNCASVILLE, Conn — Two passes thrown out of bounds. Inconsistent ball screen defense. A few uncharacteristic missed free throws.

A Creighton women’s basketball team that won 24 regular season games struggled at times Saturday night in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals.

But the Bluejays survived their own miscues, foul trouble for star Emma Ronsiek and a full-court press to beat cagey Seton Hall 72-65 at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

One of the oldest and winningest teams in the nation didn’t wilt when the chance presented itself.

“I can’t complain,” senior forward Morgan Maly said afterward. Clapping from the opening possession, she had 23 points and nine rebounds, and made her last seven free throws after, surprisingly, she missed three of our first four. “…I’m just proud that we made adjustments throughout the game and stuck together.”

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Seton Hall coach Tony Bozzella had effusive praise for the 21st-ranked Jays.

“They’re super well-coached, and these girls are just really good basketball players,” Bozzella said. “If you take away A, they go to B. If you take away B, they go to C.”

CU (25-4) advanced to Sunday’s 4 p.m. semifinal. The Pirates, who have lost six straight to Creighton, fell to 16-14 and will await a potential WNIT bid.

Maly scored 14 of her 23 in the first half, while Lauren Jensen had 22 points that included a driving layup with 49 seconds left. Molly Mogensen’s 14 points made up a tough night from Ronsiek, who scored just six and played the entire fourth quarter with four fouls.

Ronsiek’s presence on the floor helped CU’s spacing, though, and freed up enough room for Jensen, the Jays’ closer when the shot clock dwindles down. The senior delivered in the fourth quarter, scoring nine points, hitting two free throws and, aside from one traveling call when she got knocked down, navigating Seton Hall’s press.

“Lauren had some really big takes late,” Creighton coach Jim Flanery said.

For the fourth straight year, CU and Seton Hall squared off in the Big East quarterfinals, and Maly — who beat the Pirates with a buzzer-beater two years ago — got Creighton rolling early Saturday night, rattling home two 3-pointers — plus a mid-range jumper — against a Pirate defense that lost her on a few rotations.

But CU’s defense did the same thing to Seton Hall sophomore Micah Gray, who made a trio of 3s in the first quarter to keep her team close, trailing just 19-18 after one quarter.

A grind-it-out, possession-by-possession ensued in the second quarter — won, just barely, by the Pirates when Gray hit a driving layup 22 seconds before halftime. Seton Hall led 34-33 at the break as Ronsiek and Jensen both had two fouls.

Mallory Brake made a layup to start the second half and the teams traded baskets — and a few collisions — for the rest of the third quarter. Maly had the final answer in those 10 minutes, though, with a 3-point play that gave CU a 53-50 lead headed into the fourth.

Jensen then scored five straight — off an open 3 and a breakaway layup — to start the fourth quarter. Creighton led 58-50, and never let the Pirates get closer than 64-61.

Seton Hall had a chance to tie the game at that moment, though. On a night when the Pirates made 53.3% of their 3s, Amari Wright missed one with 2:47 left. The Jays got the rebound, made their last six free throws, and got the layup from Jensen.

Although Creighton had some odd passes out of bounds, it only committed eight turnovers — four fewer than the March 3 win over Seton Hall by the exact same score. That, Flanery said, was important. With a team this seasoned, it’s probably also expected.

“There can’t be more than a few teams in the country that have played as many minutes together as Lauren and Morgan and Emma and Molly,” Flanery said. “Those guys have been on the floor together in games and big games and conference tournaments and NCAA Tournaments. That’s invaluable.

“I mean, we for sure have flaws in our team. Anybody who watched that game can see that, but I do think we fight together, and we kind of know who we are.”

Photos: Creighton women’s basketball hosts Xavier

Creighton’s Kennedy Townsend (2), left, and Xavier’s Aanaya Harris (23) fight for a loose ball at D. J. Sokol Arena in Omaha on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024.