The Creighton women’s basketball team opened their 2016-17 season to the public on Thursday night with an exhibition game against Fort Hays State. With surges early in the first quarter and a dominant third quarter, the veteran Bluejays ran away with the victory 90-56 at DJ Sokol Arena.
The Bluejays started fast and furious from the beginning by jumping out to an early 16-2 lead in the first quarter. Audrey Faber got things going for her game high 25 points with nine in the opening stanza, and the Bluejays looked like they would run away with this game early, taking a 26-13 lead into the second quarter.
However, that second quarter yielded lower results as Creighton struggled to make a shot, shooting only 5-of-13 from the floor and committing six turnovers. Fort Hays won that quarter 15-14, but thanks to the big opening, Creighton went into the locker room with a 40-28 lead.
Seeing some things that could improve for the second half, the team took that to heart in the third quarter. Faber and Sydney Lamberty connected on two consecutive three-pointers right away to start the half forcing Fort Hays St. to take a timeout. However, that didn’t stop the momentum as Creighton went on to reel off six more shots in the bottom of the basket: two more three-pointers from Faber on back to back possessions, another triple from Lamberty, and then Marissa Janning got into the act with a layup and a three-pointer of her own. For the quarter, the Bluejays shot 11-of-13 from the field and 7-of-8 from behind the arc. All of a sudden Creighton was up 69-42 after three quarters and the game was basically over. The key to this run were the players involved.
“I think one thing is that we have players that really compliment each other,” said Janning. “As a whole, we have a bunch of different pieces that come together and really compliment each other well and we really work well together. It starts with defense. We are getting stops on defense that really keeps things moving.”
Lamberty agreed with her teammates’ assessment. “We really understand each other and just know what everyone’s strengths are. Once we get going, I feel like the passes are there and everything just starts to click with us.”
For Janning, this was her first time back on the court since her season ended early last season with a broken leg, and she showed no signs of rust. Despite not playing a game in almost a full calendar year, she played a team-high 33 minutes on Thursday night, and came up just shy of a triple double with 15 points, 13 assists and 7 rebounds.
“The thing is (with Marissa) you don’t realize everything she does until you take her off the floor,” said head coach Jim Flanery. “We are just not as cohesive at either end without her on the floor. She really has become even more of a distributor mindset I think, which is good.”
Sharing the ball seems natural for this team as they had a remarkable 31 assists on 37 made baskets on the night. Janning and Lamberty combined for 23 of those assists and said that their mindset is to find the right player for the best shot. Both Lamberty and Janning jumped into why they can distribute the ball so well.
Lamberty remarked, “I think with our team, we know that everyone can shoot the ball, so if it is just that extra pass, you know it is going to be a good shot.”
“It’s having trust in our teammates,” said Janning. “I think we have it figured out on offense, but on defense I think we need to trust and know that they are trusting us.”
Brianna Rollerson was the fourth prong in the Bluejay attack on Thursday night along with Faber, Janning, and Lamberty putting in 15 points of her own and grabbing seven rebounds while playing tough in the interior during her 15 minutes of play.
“The start of the game and the start of the third quarter were probably better than we had scripted, which is one of our takeaways,” said head coach Jim Flanery. “It is a testament on how experienced our starting group is. Bri and Marissa are fifth year seniors out there. Lauren (Works) is a senior. Audrey is just really good. To me that was what I was pleased with to jump out early. When your lineup starts two fifth year, a fourth year and a third year, you would like to think that you are able to give yourself a good chance.”
The Bluejays open the season next Friday, November 11th at South Dakota St. as four of the first five games are on the road, including a two game tournament in the Bahamas over Thanksgiving. Their home opener is on November 17th against former MVC foe Drake.
Postgame Notes:
Janning back on the court
For Marissa Janning, she has been counting down the days to get back on the court after suffering a broken leg six games into last season. Janning decided to seek a medical redshirt to have the opportunity to finish her career on a high note this season, as part of a Bluejay team predicted to win the Big East. After missing her first two shots of the game, Janning was able to get on the board on consecutive possessions with a layup and then a jumper in the corner. While she was only 2-for-9 in the first quarter, she did dish out 6 assists in addition to two steals and a block to contribute in other ways. You could also see her confidence improve for the rest of the game where she went 4-for-6 with seven more assists. Janning played a team high 33 minutes Thursday night and her confidence will continue to grow as the season gets going.
“She hasn’t shot the ball in practice with as much confidence,” said Flanery. “I like the fact that she squeezed some shots up tonight. I think sometimes in practice, she is a little too much pass first. That is good, but she is still a scorer too.”
Agnew Makes Her Debut
Outside of Marissa Janning returning from injury last season and incoming transfer Brooke Kissinger sitting out this season, the only Bluejay that had not played with the current group of players in a game was redshirt freshman Jaylyn Agnew. While Agnew did not score (was 0-2 from the field) she did grab two rebounds, dish out two assists and grab a steal in 12 minutes of play. Also, you can tell she has some athleticism that kept her Fort Hays State defenders a step behind when making drives to the basket. Look for her to make an impact at some point this season, especially if the Bluejay depth is tested.
Injury Update
Two of Creighton’s returning starters, senior MC McGrory and junior Jade Owens, did not suit up Thursday night for the exhibition. Neither participated in the scrimmage against Iowa last weekend either. For McGrory, coach Flanery expects she could be back on the practice floor next week and may see limited minutes against South Dakota State. As for Owens, the timetable may be a bit longer. Owens saw a doctor on Thursday regarding a hip injury and it had not been determined yet what the next steps are.
“We’ve had a little bit of a disjointed practice situation with Jade being out and MC being out and figuring that out,” said Flanery. “It is good to play against someone else and figure out where we are until we get one or both of them back.”