• Box Score: Creighton 65, Northern Iowa 50

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DaNae Moore shot a hole in Northern Iowa's scouting reports Friday night in helping the Creighton women's basketball team cruise to a 65-50 win.

Moore has spent her four seasons as a Bluejay focusing on defense and rebounding to such an extent that Missouri Valley Conference foes often play off of her when the Bluejays have the ball.

Northern Iowa did, and Moore responded by making all but one of her six shots in tying her career-high with 11 points as Creighton improved to 10-9 overall and 4-4 in the league in winning in front of 1,145 at D.J. Sokol Arena.

“We'll take 5 out of 6 from DaNae every night,” Creighton coach Jim Flanery said. “She knows that there are going to be games that if they don't play off of her, we don't want her to make a play with the dribble.

“What I love about her is when teams do play off of her, she's confident enough to shoot that 17-footer. That's tough mentally because sometimes wide-open shots are harder than shots with a little bit of defense.”

Moore, the Bluejays' only senior, embraces her role on the team and has never taken offense at opponents who might underestimate her offensive skills.

“We have so many great players that it's never bothered me,” Moore said. “And I know that when teams do trap off of me, I have to take the opportunity and shoot the ball.

“My role has always been a defensive one, and I don't have to go out there and score 20 points to feel that I've contributed.”

The Bluejays also got a 12-point contribution from reserve guard Taylor Johnson to help offset Northern Iowa's ability to shut down Creighton scoring leader Carli Tritz. The Panthers (12-7, 5-3) became the first opponent in the past 12 games to hold the sophomore guard to fewer than 10 points.

Tritz finished with six points to go along with a season-high six assists. Ally Jensen led the Bluejays with 14 points — 12 in the first 20 minutes — and Sarah Nelson also scored 12 for Creighton.

“Flan talks every day about bench points and how our bench needs to outplay the other team's bench,” Moore said. “They locked down on Carli, so it was huge for other people to step up.”

Creighton's reserves outscored Northern Iowa's 21-6. The Bluejays also held advantages in points off turnovers (11-5), second-chance points (10-7) and fast-break points (9-7).

“Our kids were ready to play,” said Flanery, who tied predecessor Connie Yori for the most Valley wins in program history with 108. “You could tell on the five or six possessions on defense, we really sat down and guarded.

“We paid attention to the things we needed to, and you build confidence. If you make mistakes early and they get some easy baskets, then a team that's 3-4 in the league isn't as confident.”

Northern Iowa didn't get any baskets in the first 4 minutes and 13 seconds as Creighton took a 10-0 lead. The first of Johnson's three 3-pointers ignited a 15-4 run that turned a six-point lead into a 17-point bulge with 5:19 left in the half.

The Bluejays led 37-20 at the break. Northern Iowa pulled within 12 points with 8:26 to play before Johnson sparked a 9-0 run with another 3-pointer.

“She was the last of our 11 that I put into the game, and I liked the fact that she didn't put her head down,” Flanery said. “She came in ready to contribute, and that's tough for a freshman to get.”

Johnson, a 5-foot-11 guard from Platte City, Mo., has endured the normal ups and downs of a freshman season. She came into Friday's game averaging 5.5 points and shooting 27.7 percent from beyond the arc. She made 3 of her 6 3-pointers Friday night.

“I've had way too many ups and downs, and I'm working on becoming more consistent,” Johnson said. “At times, I still feel like the little freshman and I still get nervous before games. But it's getting better.

“A game like tonight's really helps my confidence.”

Contact the writer:

402-679-2298, steve.pivovar@owh.com
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