In the Bluejays' 50-48 OT victory over Wichita State, Creighton head coach Jim Flanery tallied his 100th career Missouri Valley Conference win, becoming just the seventh coach in league history to reach the milestone.

In other action around the Valley, UNI won its seventh straight contest, a 58-34 decision over visiting Bradley, as the Panthers improved to 8-1 in conference action, marking their best-ever start to league play.  Missouri State improved to 7-2 at the halfway point in the league schedule in after a convincing 90-61 win at Drake.  Illinois State won its fourth consecutive game, a 61-50 victory at Evansville, while Indiana State survived a scare on the road at Southern Illinois, topping the Salukis 48-42 for its second straight road win.

CREIGHTON 50, WICHITA STATE 48 (OT)
CU (13-7, 7-2 MVC); WSU (10-10, 4-5 MVC)
OMAHA, Neb. - Carli Tritz hit a pair of free throws with 4.2 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Creighton women's basketball team a 50-48 win over Wichita State Saturday night at D.J. Sokol Arena.  Playing the first overtime game in the venue's history in front of the largest crowd (2,121) in the second-year arena's history, the Bluejays never led or trailed by more than four in a game that featured 11 ties and 10 lead changes.  Tritz led all players with 17 points, as it was her two free throws with 11.5 second left in regulation that forced overtime.

The win was Jim Flanery's 100th Missouri Valley Conference win, becoming just the seventh coach in league history to reach that milestone.  The Bluejays improved to 13-7 overall and 7-2 in league play on the season, while dropping the Shockers to 10-10 overall and 4-5 in Valley action.

Creighton led 39-38 after a Tritz jumper with 1:36 to play.  Neither team attempted a field goal over the next minute, exchanging turnovers, before a Sara Nelson foul on Wichita State's Haleigh Lankster with 28.7 seconds left in regulation.  Lankster, who entered the game as WSU's leading scorer, made her first free throw for her first point of the game, but missed the second, only to have the Shockers grab the rebound and get fouled again with the score even at 39-39.  CU's ninth foul put Jessica Diamond at the line with 24.9 seconds left in the second half.  Diamond missed, but again the Shockers came away with the rebound, one of their 20 offensive boards in the game.

Lankster stepped to the line and hit both of her free throws with 21.9 seconds left in regulation to give the Shockers their final lead of the game, up 41-39.  The Shockers then fouled Tritz to put the rookie at the line with 11.5 seconds left in the second.  She canned both to knot the score at 41 all and Diamond's game-winning attempt missed on the Shockers end of the court, sending the game to overtime.

Creighton scored the first four points of the extra frame, the first two on Kelsey Woodard free throws and the next two on a basket by Sarah Nelson.  After WSU made a bucket with 2:24 to go in overtime, neither team scored until Tritz hit a pair of free throws with 24.2 seconds left to put CU back up 47-43.  But WSU would answer with a Morgan Boyd three-pointer with 17.6 ticks left, getting the Shockers back within one.  Woodard, the second-most accurate free throw shooter in school history, then made 1-of-2 free throws with 14.2 seconds left to put CU ahead 48-46.  Sarah Nelson then stole the WSU in-bound pass, but missed both of her free throw attempts after getting fouled wth 12.6 to go.

The Shockers evened the game at 48-48 as a fast break lay-up by Diamond with just over six seconds to play.  On the in-bounds play, Tritz was fouled in the back court by Boyd and went the free throw line with 4.2 seconds left.  The five-time MVC Newcomer of the Week, drained both for a 50-48 CU edge.  Lankster's three-point attempt at the buzzer was on-line, just too long and the Jays escaped with a hard-fought win.

Seven of CU's nine points in overtime came at the free throw line.  Creighton shot just 30.8 percent from the field, including a season-low 10.5 percent (2-19) from three-point range in the win.  The Jays were 16-of-25 at the free throw line, while the Shockers went 8-of-14 at the stripe.

The Shockers out-rebounded the Bluejays 52-37, with 20 boards coming on the offensive glass.  WSU shot just 31.1 percent in the game and 18.2 percent (2-11) from long range.

Tritz led all players with 17 points, making a career-high 7-of-10 free throws, while adding four rebounds and four assists.  Kelsey Woodard chipped in 12 points, despite making just 3-of-14 shots from the field, she did finish 5-of-6 at the free throw line and had a career-high four steals.  Sarah Nelson scored 12 points and added a game-high nine rebounds, making all five of her field goal attempts.  CU's starters accounted for all 50 points in the win, with Kellie Nelson adding eight and Sam Schuett held to a season-low one point, finishing 0-for-8 from the field.  Schuett did dish six assists to lead all players.

UNI 58, BRADLEY 34
UNI (15-5, 8-1 MVC); BU (10-10, 2-6 MVC)
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The University of Northern Iowa women’s basketball team earned its seventh straight win by topping Bradley 58-34 Saturday afternoon in the McLeod Center. It is the third straight game that UNI has held its opponent to fewer than 40 points, and the 34 points are the fewest allowed by the Panthers since 1974. The win gives UNI a one-game lead in the Missouri Valley Conference race at the midpoint of the conference season.

Lizzie Boeck led UNI (15-5, 8-1 MVC) with 16 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Jacqui Kalin finished with 13 points and four rebounds, and Rachel Madrigal finished with nine points. Erin Brocka grabbed seven rebounds while dishing out five assists.

UNI held an 8-7 lead with 14:32 left in the first half. The Panthers outscored Bradley 23-5 over the next 11:30 to build a 31-12 lead with three minutes on the clock. Bradley scored with 2:55 remaining, but a free throw from Amber Kirschbaum and a layup and free throw from Boeck gave UNI a 35-14 lead at the break.

The Panthers maintained at least a 20-point lead throughout the second half, extending their advantage to as many as 28 points on the way to the victory.

MISSOURI STATE 90, DRAKE 61
MSU (16-5, 7-2 MVC); DU (9-11, 3-6 MVC) 
DES MOINES, Iowa - The Missouri State Lady Bears rode a career-high 36 points from Casey Garrison to snap a five-game road losing streak against Drake with a decisive 90-61 victory at the Knapp Center Saturday afternoon. In all, the Lady Bears would shoot a remarkable .667 (22-of-33) in the second half to outscore the Bulldogs by a 55-25 margin.

Garrison scored 14 straight MSU points to spark a big second half run for the Lady Bears, who turned a one-point halftime deficit into a 20-point lead over the first eight-and-a-half minutes of the period.

The Lady Bears established season highs for points, field goals and assists, while the 29-point win matches last season’s win at Evansville for the largest road margin of victory under Milleson and marks Missouri State’s first win at Drake since February 20, 2005. Additionally, the Lady Bears’ .559 (33-of-59) field goal percentage represents their best team shooting effort in four seasons under head coach Nyla Milleson.

Garrison keyed Missouri State’s 12-0 run at the onset of the second half, canning a three from the right wing on the Lady Bears’ opening possession. She hit a pair of free throws on the next trip down the court before recording a steal and driving three-quarters length of the court for two more points and a 42-36 MSU lead.

Christiana Shorter added a bucket before Garrison struck again, this time with another big triple that gave the Lady Bears their first double-digit lead of the day with 17:18 to play. MSU would stretch its lead to 16 with just under 15 minutes to go after Jaleshia Roberson and Shorter scored, and Garrison hit her fourth straight three-point attempt.

The Lady Bears would extend their advantage to 64-44 on Karly Buer’s second three of the game to cap the 29-8 outburst with 11:43 to play. They would continue to pour it on in what would turn out to be their most-productive offensive half on the road under Milleson. Whitney Edie, who finished with a season-high 12 points, completed a three-point play with just over two minutes to play to stretch the MSU lead to 32--its largest of the afternoon.

Shorter would score 14 of her 19 points on the day after intermission, and Buer also finished in double figures with 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting. Garrison handed out a season-high seven assists to complete an all-around performance that included a  personal-high of 13 field goals on 19 attempts in just 32 minutes of playing time. The Bolivar, Mo., product’s 5-of-6 showing from three-point range also marked a new career high.

The lopsided result did not appear to be in the cards after a back-and-forth first half. Drake relied on the post presence of Rachael Hackbarth to rally past the Lady Bears and take a 36-35 lead into intermission after the junior center went 6-of-7 from the floor and 5-of-6 at the charity stripe to total 17 first-half points for the Bulldogs.

The Lady Bears built six-point leads on three separate occasions in the opening 20 minutes, only to see Drake close the gap each time. MSU grabbed the upper hand early in the contest, as Shorter tallied the first three points for the Lady Bears, and Edie drained a three-pointer four minutes in to hand the visitors a 6-2 advantage.

Drake bounced back behind five early points from MVC scoring leader Kristin Turk to pull to within one with just under 15 minutes to play in the period.

MSU would reel off five unanswered points, taking a 15-9 lead on Buer’s trey from the top of the key. But DU came right back with a 5-0 run of its own to draw to within one, as Hackbarth began a stretch of 10 straight points for the Bulldogs.

The Lady Bears once again pushed their lead to six points with Garrison accounting for five unanswered points. Hackbarth would continue to dominate the procedings, however, totaling 15 points in the final 9:19. DU finally drew even at the 1:42 mark on a Turk bucket, then grabbed their first lead of the day on Angela Christianson’s three-point play with 52 seconds to go.

ILLINOIS STATE 61, EVANSVILLE 50
ILS (14-6, 6-3 MVC); UE (7-13, 2-7 MVC)
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Illinois State scored 14-straight points to start the second half and pull away from Evansville for a 61-50 win Saturday afternoon. Amanda Clifton’s defense helped spur the Redbirds, who trailed the majority of the first half, to their fourth-straight win.

Clifton had a season-high five of ISU’s 11 steals, giving the Redbirds double-digit steals in three-straight games. After giving up 37 points in the first half, ISU limited Evansville to just 13 points on 3-of-21 shooting in the second half.

Emily Hanley led ISU with 17 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. She was 8-for-10 from the field to record her sixth-straight double-digit scoring effort. Hannah Spanich filled the stat sheet with 13 points, six rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks off the bench. Shala Jackson had 11 points, seven rebounds and two steals.

After a Broadway three-pointer pulled the Redbirds within two, Evansville scored six-straight points to lead17-19 with 11:34 left in the first half. ISU turned the ball over six times in the first eight minutes of the game, leading to 11 Evansville points.

The Redbirds shook off their slow start and put together a 10-2 run, which included five points off Evansville turnovers, to tie the score at 19. Evansville answered with a three-pointer on the ensuing possession, but two transition layups gave ISU its first lead of the game, 23-22, at the six-minute mark.

Stephanie Bamberger converted a three-point play and Samantha Heck made a three-pointer at the top of the key to close out a 12-2 Purple Aces run that regained the lead, 34-25, with 2:32 remaining. Evansville maintained that lead, 37-32, at halftime. Broadway led the Redbirds with eight points, knocking down two three-pointers, and Heck led all scorers with 12 points.

Defense set the tone early in the second half, as the Redbirds forced the Aces to turn the ball over on six of their first seven possessions and scored 10 points in four minutes to go back on top, 42-37. Clifton had three of ISU’s five steals, including a pass she intercepted at midcourt and streaked down the floor for a layup to cap the run. 

Evansville’s first field goal came more than five minutes into the half and at the third media timeout at 7:24, the Aces had just four points on 1-of-11 shooting from the field and 2-of-7 shooting from the free throw line.

Following that media timeout, Evansville put together five-straight points with baskets on consecutive possessions to cut the deficit down to five, 52-47. Illinois State’s offense had stalled, shooting just 2-for-15 in a span of more than eight minutes. 

Evansville went the final 5:47 without a field goal, allowing ISU to clinch the win with a 9-3 run.

INDIANA STATE 48, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 42
INS (11-9, 5-4 MVC); SIU (2-18, 0-9 MVC)
CARBONDALE, Ill. - It wasn't always pretty inside SIU Arena on Saturday afternoon, but the Indiana State women's basketball team made it two road victories in a row with a 48-42 win over Southern Illinois in front of 820 fans in Carbondale, Ill. The victory moves the Sycamores to 11-9 overall and 5-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference, while the Salukis fall to 2-18, 0-9 MVC.

For the second straight game, the Sycamores fell behind 8-0 on the road, as the Salukis scored the game's first eight points over the opening three minutes of action. Freshman Teri Oliver scored all eight for the Salukis, coming on a pair of 3-pointers and two free-throws.

ISU battled back to take a brief lead with 10:37 remaining in the half, using a pair of free-throws from sophomore Taylor Whitley to take an 11-10 lead. The Sycamores went ice cold after that, scoring just three points over the remainder of the half, on a jumper by Whitley with four minutes left and a free-throw from freshman Anna Munn with one second remaining on the clock.

The Salukis took a 26-14 lead into the locker room, on the strength of a 16-3 run over the final 10 minutes of the half. ISU shot just 17.2% from the field (5-for-29) in the first half, including 1-for-12 (8.3%) from beyond the three-point line and just 3-for-9 from the charity stripe.

Indiana State began their comeback with an 8-0 run to start the second half, with all eight points coming from junior Shannon Thomas to cut the SIU lead to 26-22 with 16:03 remaining. After the Salukis pushed their lead back to nine points with a layup and a 3-pointer, ISU scored the game's next 11 points to take their first lead of the second-half, at 33-31 with 8:04 left to play on an old-fashioned three-point play from senior Kelsie Cooley.

The Sycamores led for the majority of what was left in Saturday's contest, with SIU briefly taking the lead at 39-38 on a steal by Oliver and a layup by redshirt freshman Renee Reed with 4:15 left to play. ISU regained the lead for good when junior Brittany Schoen knocked down a six-foot jumper off an out-of-bounds play with 2:54 remaining. The jumper was Schoen's only basket of the game.

Just as they did against Evansville, Indiana State knocked down their free-throws at the end of the game to secure the victory, going 6-for-8 at the line in the game's final 33 seconds to pull out the win.

Munn and Cooley tied for the team-high in points, with both Sycamores going for 13. Thomas added her sixth double-double of the season, with 10 points and 12 rebounds, while Whitley tossed in nine. Despite not scoring, redshirt freshman Andrea Rademacher grabbed six rebounds in 14 minutes off the ISU bench to keep the Sycamores within striking distance in the first half.

The Sycamores shot just 26.8% (15-for-56) from the field on Saturday, including just 2-for-16 (12.5%) from beyond the arc. ISU also struggled at the charity stripe for the game, knocking down 16 of their 26 shots. The Salukis also had trouble finding their shot, going 14-for-62 (22.6%) from the field and 8-for-30 from three-point range.