Anna 
No. 23 Creighton started strong with the first seven points of the game and never looked back, defeating Seton Hall 73-44 in the semifinals of the BIG EAST Tournament on Sunday, March 9. The win secures Creighton a spot in the championship game, where they will face No. 3 Connecticut on Monday at 6 p.m. Central on FS1.
Creighton (26-5) was on fire early, hitting their first five three-pointers and leading 23-6 after the first quarter. The Bluejays extended their lead to as much as 29-6 before Seton Hall managed to close the gap with an 11-0 run, making the score 33-22 at halftime.
In the second half, Creighton quickly put an end to Seton Hall’s comeback hopes. They opened the third quarter with eight of the first 12 points, keeping the Pirates at least nine points behind for the remainder of the game.
The Bluejays sealed the victory with a dominant 19-4 run to start the fourth quarter, pushing their lead to as large as 69-39.
Lauren Jensen led Creighton with 19 points, moving into third place on the school’s all-time scoring list with 2,029 points. Morgan Maly, who ranks second on the list with 2,042 points, contributed 14 points. Both players sat out with 5:46 remaining. Creighton shot 52.7% from the field and made 12 of 23 three-pointers.
Seton Hall (22-9) was led by Faith Masonius, who scored 16 points. The Pirates struggled with shooting, making just 27.8% of their attempts and hitting only 3 of 18 from beyond the arc.
In the other semifinal, Connecticut (30-3) cruised to an 82-54 victory over Villanova, earning a spot in their 21st consecutive conference tournament title game. The Huskies remain undefeated at 35-0 in tournament games at Mohegan Sun Arena. Connecticut defeated Creighton earlier this season, winning 72-61 in Omaha and 72-53 in Hartford.
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