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Jensen, Lockett Lead No. 21 Creighton Women’s Basketball in Exhibition Win

by Oct 31, 2024Creighton Womens Basketball

Creighton Bluejay guard Kiani Lockett (11) makes a pass against the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs in the second half during a college women’s basketball game Thursday, October 30, 2024, in Lincoln, Nebraska. Photo by John S. Peterson.
Photo Credit: John S. Peterson

No. 21 Creighton women’s basketball opened its home schedule with a 92-51 exhibition win over Division-II Southwest Minnesota State on Wednesday.

After a bit of a slow start, Creighton exploded for 33 points in the second quarter and rolled to victory as all 11 Bluejays saw the court and found the scoring column.

“I thought Southwest Minnesota played really well early,” Coach Jim Flanery said. “They moved the ball, made it difficult on us, and we knew we were going to have to guard the ball. That was something we talked about. We weren’t great against Kansas [in our closed scrimmage] doing that that; we fouled a lot, and today, I thought we just played a little bit cleaner on the defensive end. We drew charges early. I thought we swarmed the ball, our activity level was good.

“And then I thought our depth was on display on the offensive end, because I thought our movement was just a little bit better than it was. Obviously there are things we can do better, but our execution was good, kind of across the board. Good to get everybody out there, so I pretty pleased with what that looked like.”

Here are three takeaways from the win.

Flipping the Switch

Seven minutes into the game, Creighton found itself tied with the Mustangs at 12-all. Southwest Minnesota State found some early success scoring inside against the small Creighton lineup while the Bluejays missed some good looks on the other end.

Then Kiani Lockett scored a layup on a cut, and the floodgates opened. Creighton ripped off a 17-0 run as the Mustangs went six minutes between buckets. After shooting 1-for-6 from 3 in the first period, the Jays hit five 3s in the first six minutes of the second as senior Lauren Jensen got herself going with eight straight points including a pair of triples.

“I think it was our intensity,” Jensen said about the run. “Not that we didn’t come out with energy, but I think there was definitely a noticeable difference. We started to get some more stops and defense fuels our offense.”

Southwest Minnesota State cut the lead to 12, but the Jays finished the half on an 8-0 run to take a 20-point advantage into the locker room. They pushed the lead to 31 at the end of the third quarter and continued to extend it throughout the fourth.

Welcome to the LJ Show

Lauren Jensen was already a first-team All-Big East performer and the team’s leading scorer in 2023-24, but with Emma Ronsiek and her 16.8 scoring average gone, Creighton could ask even more of the senior guard.

If Wednesday was any indication, she’s ready for that responsibility.

Jensen finished with a game-high 21 points on 8-of-12 from the field (2-of-4 from 3) and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line. She also dished out three assists without a turnover.

The 5-foot-10 guard didn’t score in her eight and a half first-quarter minutes, missing both of her shots. Then, 90 seconds into the second period, Lockett found her for a 3, and that’s all she needed. She put up her 21 points on 80% shooting in her last 19 minutes on the court.

“Give her the ball,” Lockett said of Jensen’s takeover. “I know she does that in practice all the time, and she’s done it multiple times over her career. So, yeah, just feed the hot hand.”

Jensen scored from everywhere on the court Wednesday, knocking down a pair of 3s, a couple of mid-range jumpers, a floater and a few tough buckets at the rim.

Lockett In

Creighton has four returning starters, leaving just one hole in the lineup (albeit a big one with everything Ronsiek brought to the table). On Wednesday, Flanery gave Lockett the start, essentially giving the Jays three point guards in their first unit.

“She gives us, defensively, something that we need,” Flanery said of the decision. “Without Emma, there’s probably even more pressure on Lauren to score more, so now, from a guard standpoint, we’ve got two kind of seasoned guards defensively. Lauren is too, but I just think it takes a little bit of pressure off her from maybe having a guard that nice player. Her decision making has gotten better … She’s played with these guys a long time. So part of it is the game has slowed down, but she also knows what Lauren can do even more so, what Morgan can do even more so.”

The 5-foot-8 junior made the most of the opportunity, showcasing her quickness on both ends of the court with aggressive on-ball defense and terrific playmaking on offense. She dished out seven assists (including three for triples) without a turnover in the first half and scored a pair of reverse layups on cuts.

She added another layup in the second half to finish with six points on 3-for-3 shooting, seven assists, four rebounds, three steals and zero giveaways in 23 minutes.

“I think I’m just in a position and I’m surrounded by great players, obviously, like Lauren tonight, and just setting them up and being able to just help them,” Lockett said. “And then also just on the defensive end, I think I bring that to the starting rotation too.”

As well as Lockett played, Flanery isn’t quite ready to commit to the first five he used on Wednesday for the whole season. Senior Jayme Horan — a 5-foot-10 guard strong enough to hold her ground inside against forwards — played well against the Mustangs as well and gives the Jays a different look. She scored nine points on 3-of-5 from deep and dished out four assists without a turnover in 15 minutes.

“Jayme Horan has been awesome,” Flanery said. “I started Jayme all three games overseas. I felt like maybe our rotation would be a little bit better bringing Jayme off the bench. It’s not easy for someone who’s put in the time, and Jayme played really well tonight too. Jayme’s doing some really good things, so I want to credit her, because I feel like it wasn’t an easy call to throw Kiani in there, because this summer I started Jayme just from an experience standpoint, trying to figure some things out. So I don’t think the starting lineup is set in stone, maybe. But my point is they’re both deserving.”

The Bluejays will tip off the season Nov. 8 on the road as they head to Brookings to face a South Dakota State team that won 27 games last season.

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