Creighton’s upset bid falls short, UCLA bounces Jays from women’s NCAA tournament
LOS ANGELES (WOWT) - Creighton fell just short of completing an upset of UCLA in the second round of the women’s NCAA Tournament on Monday, losing 67-63.
It was a tale of two halves, as the No. 7 seed Bluejays (26-6) led by eight at the halftime break before the No. 2 Bruins (27-6) came charging back, erasing that lead less than four minutes into the third quarter.
UCLA’s Kiki Rice was just one point shy of tying her career high, as she was the game’s leading scorer with 24 points. Lauren Betts served as the workhorse for the Bruins, scoring 20 points and raking in 10 boards.
Lauren Jensen again led the way for Creighton, scoring 20 points, which included a trio of three-pointers in the first half. Morgan Maly finished with 18 points, while Emma Ronsiek chipped in 14.
Creighton’s season comes to an end in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row. UCLA advances to face defending national champion LSU.
IN-GAME UPDATES
PREGAME COVERAGE
Creighton defeated UNLV 87-73 in the first round on Saturday night. The Bluejays got an offensive explosion from several different players, as Lauren Jensen dropped 25 points, Emma Ronsiek added 23 and Morgan Maly chipped in 16 points to go along with 8 rebounds.
The 15 three-pointers Creighton made on Saturday surely give the Jays confidence shooting the ball going into Monday’s matchup with UCLA, who finished tied for 2nd in the Pac-12 Conference this year and lost just one game at home all season.
The Bruins are led by a dominant 6-foot-7 center in Lauren Betts, who compliments the game of one of the best backcourt duos in the country: Charisma Osborne and Kiki Rice.
Rice had 20 points in the Bruins’ dominant 84-55 first round victory over California Baptist on Saturday.
GAME INFO
- WHERE: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angles, Calif.
- WHEN: 7:30 p.m., Monday, March 25
- WATCH: ESPN2
- LISTEN: 1620 The Zone
- VEGAS ODDS: Creighton +8.5, O/U 140.5
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