Uncasville, Conn. — In a thrilling encounter at the Big East Tournament quarterfinals, Lauren Jensen and Morgan Maly powered No. 23 Creighton to a narrow 72-70 comeback victory over Georgetown on Saturday night. The duo combined for an impressive total of 42 points, while Kiani Lockett sealed the win with two decisive free throws in the closing moments.
Despite trailing 52-40 early in the third quarter, Creighton turned the game around by taking a 70-68 lead with just over a minute left to play, thanks to successive layups by Jensen and Mallory Brake. This marked Creighton’s first lead since holding a slim 36-34 advantage in the second quarter. The game reached a tense climax when Kelsey Ransom from Georgetown tied the score at 70 with two free throws with 49 seconds to go.
Creighton’s attempt to break the tie ended with two missed shots, while Ransom’s jump shot for Georgetown also fell short. Lockett seized the chance by grabbing the rebound and confidently sinking her crucial free throws with only four seconds on the clock. Victoria Rivera’s last-second three-point attempt for the Hoyas failed to connect, concluding the match in Creighton’s favor.
After bouncing back from a 72-53 setback against then-No. 5 UConn, which snapped their seven-game winning streak, Creighton (25-5) advanced to face the winner of the Xavier-Seton Hall match-up in Sunday’s semifinal. Jensen led the charge with 22 points, shooting 9-of-20, while Maly contributed significantly with three 3-pointers, going 8 of 17 overall. Both players also shared the load on the boards, combining for 13 rebounds. Lockett was perfect from the free-throw line, making all six attempts and totaling eight points.
For No. 10 seed Georgetown (12-19), Ransom registered a double-double with 20 points and 10 assists. Ariel Jenkins supported with 16 points and 11 rebounds. The Hoyas capitalized on their momentum in the second quarter, ending it with a strong 12-2 run to take a halftime lead of 46-38. Ransom and Jenkins were instrumental during this period, scoring nine points each as Georgetown outscored Creighton 30-16 during the second quarter.
