Despite shooting just 29 percent from the field the Creighton Bluejays held on for a 56-49 victory over the Missouri State Lady Bears in Friday afternoon’s State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament quarterfinal round in St. Charles, Mo. With the loss the Lady Bears closed the 2007-08 season with an 11-19 mark, while Creighton (20-10) advances to a Saturday afternoon semifinal matchup against top-seeded Illinois State at The Family Arena.
Creighton built an 18-point lead early in the second half, then used a strong defensive effort in the closing minutes of the game to hold off Missouri State’s comeback attempt.The Bluejays took their largest lead of the day at 37-19 on a pair of Sam Schuett free throws with 15:29 remaining. But the Lady Bears clawed their way back into the game by outscoring CU 20-7 over an eight minute span to pull to within five points on two free throws from Marisha Brown with seven and-a-half minutes left on the clock.
But that would be as close as Missouri State would get, as the Lady Bear offense stalled down the stretch. CU scored six unanswered points to push its lead back to double digits and held MSU without a field goal for nearly eight minutes in all to wrap up the victory.
The Bluejays seized control of the contest late in the first half, scoring the final 10 points of the period to take a 28-17 advantage into the locker room. After the Lady Bears drew to within one point on a Tahnee Balerio three-pointer, the Jays gradually added to their lead over the final 3:56 of the half. Ally Thrall’s 25-footer as the shot clock expired was the final dagger, giving the Jays an 11-point cushion just seven seconds before the break.
Missouri State struggled offensively early on, connecting on just 24 percent of its field goal attempts, including a 1-of-8 showing from beyond the three-point arc, in the opening half. The Bluejays also dominated on the glass, finishing the half with a 28-18 overall rebounding advantage, as well as a 9-3 edge in offensive boards.
The Jays concluded the day with a commanding 50-37 advantage on the boards to earn their 20th win of the season. Schuett led CU with 16 points, 10 boards and three steals. Sara Cain also turned in a strong performance, netting 12 points and nine rebounds.
Playing in her final contest in a Missouri State uniform, Balerio led the way for the Lady Bears with 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting. Maggie Dwyer chipped in 14 points for MSU, which shot just .321 (17-of-53) from the floor on the afternoon.
