Omaha, Neb. — Down 58-53 with just over six minutes remaining, the Creighton womens basketball team switched into high gear to close the game on a 19-5 run, posting a 72-63 win over Providence on Saturday, Jan. 11.
The win lifted the Bluejays to 12-4 on the season and 4-1 in BIG EAST play, while the Friars fell to 9-8 overall and 0-5 in conference action.
Creightons comeback began with a pair of free throws from freshman Carly Bachelor, sparking an 11-0 run for the Bluejays. Junior Temi Carda followed with a driving layup, then senior Jaylyn Agnew delivered seven straight. Agnew connected on consecutive drives, then connected from long range to put Creighton up 64-58 (2:11).
Providence briefly ended the Bluejay run via a trey from Kaela Webb, but Creighton defense stiffened to force two Friar turnovers down the stretch as Carda and senior Olivia Elger put the game away with six free throws.
While the finish was all Creighton, Providence controlled most of the early portion of the game. Creighton jumped out to a quick 10-3 edge in the opening moments (6:21), but Providence answered with a 9-0 run to take the lead at 12-10 (3:28). Providence held the lead throughout the rest of the frame, taking a 23-19 edge to the second quarter.
After allowing six three-pointers to Providence in the opening 13 minutes, Creighton tightened its spacing. The results allowed the Bluejays to reclaim the lead at 30-27 (4:27). The Friars, however, closed the half on a 13-0 run as Providence led 40-30 at the break.
The third quarter saw the two squads trade buckets for most of the frame, yet the final two minutes of the frame setup Creightons comeback. Trailing 50-39 with 1:35 left, sophomore Chloe Dworak knocked down an open trey from the right wing to make it 50-42. The Friars answered with a driving layup, but a quick mid-range shot from Carda made it 52-44 (0:50). A Bluejay stop on the defensive end gave Creighton the final shot of the frame. Once more Carda connected as her three-pointer from the left corner bounced straight up and over the front of the rim. Sending the Bluejays to the fourth, down just five at 52-47.
Agnew led all scorers with 18 points in the game, including nine in the fourth quarter alone. Two other Bluejays finished in double figures with 16 points from Carda and 11 by Saunders. Providence got 14 point from Webb and Earlette Scott in the loss.
The Bluejays return to action on Friday, Jan. 18th as the Bluejays face Seton Hall at 10:00 am (CT) in a Kids Game for the Pirates on the BIG EAST Digital Network.
