Last time out: Creighton (12-7, 6-2) never trailed in a victory over second place and RPI top 40 Missouri State. Everything that needed to be done in order to win was done before halftime. 7-13 shooting from behind the arc aided the Jays in scoring a whopping 44 points while jumping out to a 21-point at the break. Kelsey Woodard and Carli Tritz alone actually led the Bears 25-23 at intermission. Sam Schuett scored all nine of her points in the first half to help build the lead, but more importantly she kept 2010 MVC Player of the Year, Casey Garrison, relatively at bay. The star struggled, scoring just six first half points and committing three of the Bears’ 14 first half turnovers. The 12-point win doesn’t quite do the game justice considering that Creighton held a lead of 17 points with under 40 seconds remaining. The Jays beat up on Garrison and her Bears in nearly every facet of the game, and finally proved that they can finish off a quality opponent.
Next up: The second game of the four-game homestand is with fifth place Wichita State. The game is being marketed as “Pack the Place” night and should be a fun one to watch with the Jays coming off an exciting win. For those who are attending the men’s game against Indiana St. earlier in the day, your ticket stub will get you into the women’s game as well at no charge. The final two games of the homestand, which will be played Thursday, Feb. 3, and Saturday, Feb. 5, are against the bottom two teams in the standings, Evansville and Southern Illinois.
Wichita State: The Shockers (10-9, 4-4) are winners of three of their past four games, with their lone loss a blowout at Missouri State. Their win at on Thursday night was their first road win in conference play. It also happens to be their first road game since the first week of December in which they didn’t lose by 20 points or more. Coach Jody Adams’ squad features an extremely balanced scoring attack. Junior guard Haleigh Lankster is the only Shocker averaging double figures in points with 12.8 per game. The rest of the roster averages between three and nine points per game, with the exception of Kelsey Jacobs, a freshman forward who averages just a single point.
How to Beat Wichita State: If the Jays can play like they did on Thursday night against Missouri State, they surely will win. Then again, they will beat anyone in the conference if they can play that way day in and day out. But to beat the Shockers, they will simply need to play decent. Wichita State is a terrible road team. They are 3-6 on the road this season, with their three road wins against underwhelming opponents. Coach Flanery’s preparation will not be anything out of the ordinary. On paper, the Jays should win, and unless the Shockers play out of their mind or Creighton struggles and struggles a lot, the Jays will win.
Prediction: 70-55 Jays.