Fans file into the Family Arena in St. Charles, MO prior to Creighton's quarterfinal game Friday. Photo by Pat Dangerous/WBR.
When Carli Tritz went to bed on Thursday night, she tweeted, “Dreaming bold. Dreaming big.” And when Danae Moore woke up Friday morning, a sign on her door read, “Think, Believe, Play BIG.” Those two would be responsible for handling a big challenge in Friday’s quarterfinal game of the women’s MVC Tournament in Saint Charles, Missouri.
It was another Bluejay who led the way for the fourth-seeded Bluejays on Friday, though, as they defeated the fifth-seeded Northern Iowa Panthers, 53-46. Senior DaNae Moore hit two open jumpers early in the game, starting a hot streak that would continue for the better part of the game. She ended with fifteen points, a timely career high for a senior whose biggest contributions have rarely made the box score. Her hot shooting forced the Panthers to guard her closely, exposing big mismatches elsewhere on the court.
The Panthers lost twice to the Bluejays in the regular season, but gave a vastly improved defensive effort for long stretches of Friday’s game. UNI senior K.K. Armstrong ran the Panthers’ offense, and her quickness off the dribble caused problems for the Jays’ defense. Time after time, Armstrong was able to drive to the hoop for a layup or floater. Armstrong was also a relentless defender, and she deserves credit for bringing UNI within striking distance at several points during the game.
The fans inside the Family Arena watch the action. Photo by Pat Dangerous/WBR.
The Iowans’ most promising run came after the 16 minute mark of the second half. With the Panthers down 40-25, UNI fans enthusiastically partook in their signature Interlude Dance, which — by the way — is stupid. Purely by coincidence, they soon came close to overtaking the Bluejays’ stalling offense.
Sioux City native and Bluejay sophomore Carli Tritz was instrumental in slowing the pace of the game and calming the young Bluejay squad, who appeared to panic under heavy pressure from the Panther backcourt. But UNI struggled all game to defend Creighton’s inside-out game, even when the shots just weren’t falling for Blue and White, and in the end, the Creighton lead proved insurmountable for the Panthers. The Jays’ poor free throw shooting in the final minutes, however, left the result in doubt longer than it needed to be.
The Jays face first-seed Missouri State in the quarterfinals on Saturday. MSU thwomped the Jays both times in the regular season, but struggled against Bradley in their matchup on Friday. Coach Flanery will have his hands full drawing up a defense to stop MVC Player of the Year Casey Garrison and her supporting crew.
DaNae Moore and Carli Tritz thought and played big in yesterday’s victory, but it’ll take a team effort to pull off a big semifinal upset on Saturday.