Last time out: Creighton (15-7, 9-2) crawled across the finish line in a sloppy game with the second-to-last place Evansville Aces. Most importantly though, the Jays won 60-50. In nearly every statistical category, the Bluejay women found themselves on top, but there is one stat that is particularly troubling: rebounding. Evansville is the absolute worst rebounding team in the conference, statistically speaking, however they tied Creighton with 32 rebounds in the game. Its 12 offensive rebounds created extra possessions that allowed them to hang around until the end of the game. This will need to improve if the Jays want their current five-game winning streak to continue.
Next up: After successfully running the table in its recent four-game homestand, Creighton heads out on the road to take on first-place Northern Iowa in a televised game. The Jays are currently a full game behind the Panthers, though are a comfortable 1.5 games ahead of third place Missouri State. Last month, the Panthers came to town and snuck away with a one-point victory after the Jays rallied from a double-digit deficit to take the lead twice in the final few minutes. A win in Cedar Falls would split the season series, snap a three-game skid against UNI, and oh, put Coach Flanery’s squad in a tie for first-place.
Northern Iowa: UNI (17-5, 10-1) is a winner of nine straight games, which is good for a school record. The Panthers lead the Valley in defense, scoring margin and assist-to-turnover ratio. Their turnovers-per-game average is among the top in the country, thanks in part to star point guard Jacqui Kalin. The junior is averaging 15.4 points per game, though more impressively is averaging a 2.4 assist-turnover ratio, putting her among the top eight in the country. Coach Tanya Warren’s squad is sound from top to bottom. They play smart basketball and don’t beat themselves.
How to Beat Northern Iowa: The Jays will need to shoot well if they want a share of first place. Last month, Kellie Nelson had her way with the Panthers, which opened up shots from behind the arc. Unfortunately, only three of 19 3-pointers went down. This allowed Coach Warren to utilize a zone defense to finish the game. The Jays couldn’t attack the zone and struggled to score after taking the lead with 3:28 remaining, when the defensive change occurred. In a combined 11 minutes and 45 seconds of zone defense over the course of the past two games with UNI, Creighton is just 1-11 from the field with nine turnovers. If they can shoot out of the zone, if and when it is applied, there will be nothing to worry about. Though if shooting is a problem again, Carli Tritz and crew will need to find a way to penetrate the gaps and create high percentage shots.
Prediction: 60-51 Panthers. I’m as big of a Jays fan as anyone, but to think that Creighton is about to go into Cedar Falls and walk away with a win is a bit ambitious. Jacqui Kalin is just playing too well right now. She’s creating for her teammates, as well as herself (i.e. 29 points on Sunday in a game at third-place Missouri State). If she is contained by the Bluejay defense and shots are falling from the outside, a win is a real possibility. But odds are, this one will move the Panther winning streak to 10 and will move their winning streak against Creighton to three. #rolljays