Creighton exploded for three game-changing scoring runs in the first half and built a 13-point half time lead en route to a home win over Oregon State while Bradley was on the receiving end of a game-turning Illinois-Chicago burst in the second half of a road loss in Chicago on Friday night. 

In late action, Hawai'i held on for a three-point win over Evansville in the Paradise Classic.

Creighton 74, Oregon State 62

Sara Cain scored a career-high 15 points and tied her career-best with nine rebounds to lead the Creighton women’s basketball team to a 74-62 win over Oregon State Friday night at the Omaha Civic Auditorium.  The win was the second straight for the Bluejays, as they improved to 2-7 on the year and dropped the Beavers to 4-2.

Creighton fell behind 4-0 to start the game, but bounced back with a 10-2 run, before the Beavers responded with the next seven points to claim a 13-10 lead with 10 minutes to play in the opening half.  The Bluejays answered with a 10-0 run over a 2:34 span to take the lead for good.  CU also ripped off an 11-0 run in the first half to push to its largest lead of the opening frame, up by 13.  The Jays then carried the 13-point lead into halftime.

The Bluejays claimed their halftime lead due to 17 OSU turnovers and 14 Beaver fouls in the first half alone.  The Jays scored 15 first-half points off of turnovers and also made 10-of-12 free-throws in the first half.

CU didn’t let up in the second half, as it cruised to its first home victory of the year.  The Beavers scored only one field goal in the first six-plus minutes of the second half, as the Bluejays opened up their largest lead of the season, going up 54-29 with 15:11 to play in the game.  The 12-point final margin was the closest the foul-plagued Beavers could get to the Bluejays.

Cain finished 6-for-12 from the field and 3-for-4 at the charity stripe for her career-high point total.  She also pulled down a season-high nine rebounds, including five on the offensive end to help CU to a 35-33 rebounding advantage.  Kristina Voss and Megan Neuvirth each added seven boards, including five offensive caroms for Voss as well.

Michelle Kaus chipped in 13 points, making three three-pointers for the second straight game.  She also made all four of her free-throw attempts.  For the fourth straight game, Chevelle Herring scored in double figures, finishing with 12 points on a series of scoop shot layups.  Ally Thrall added a season-best seven assists.

Casey Nash led all players with 17 points for OSU, despite fouling out with over nine minutes to play.  Nash, one of three Beavers to foul out, also topped the team with eight rebounds.  Jasmine Smith and Ashley Allen also fouled out inside of two minutes to play for the Beavers.

The win keeps CU perfect against the Pac-10 under Jim Flanery (4-0) and perfect against the conference this decade (5-0).

The Bluejays will look to keep their winning streak alive when they play host to in-state rival Nebraska, led by former Bluejay mentor Connie Yori, on Tuesday.  The Jays and Huskers will tipoff at 7:05 p.m., Dec. 19, at the Civic Auditorium.

Illinois-Chicago 83, Bradley 69

Illinois-Chicago shot nearly 66 percent in the second half and used an 25-8 second half run to pull away from Bradley as the Flames defeated the Braves 83-69 in women’s basketball action Friday night at the UIC Pavilion. Bradley fell to 4-5 overall on the season with the loss, while Illinois-Chicago evened its record at 5-5.

The Braves started out hot, hitting six of its first nine shots from the field to take an early 16-5 lead. Bradley cooled off, however, making 3-of-19 to close the half, as UIC outscored the Braves 32-16 over the final 14:43 of the opening half to take a 37-32 advantage at the break.

The Flames pushed their lead to double digits several times in the opening minutes of the second half, before Bradley cut the deficit to four points (52-48) on an Erika Nelson three-pointer with 14 minutes remaining. Krystal Hugelier hit a three-pointer on UIC’s next possession to help spark a 25-8 Flames run that pushed Illinois-Chicago’s lead to 77-56 with 4:42 to play.

Bradley closed the game with a 13-6 spurt, but it was too little too late as the Flames ended the Braves five-game win streak in the series with an 83-69 victory. The win was UIC’s first against Bradley since defeating the Braves 66-63 on Dec. 29, 1994 in Chicago.

Senior guard Erika Nelson followed up her 20-point effort against Loyola with a game-high 19 points Friday. Nelson matched a career-best with five made three-pointers. Junior Devyn Flanagan was the only other Bradley player in double figures with 13 points on 6-of-13 shooting. Sophomore Kelly Krumwiede had her streak of three consecutive double-doubles snapped, finishing with eight points and eight rebounds.

The Braves shot 40 percent from the field, while committing 19 turnovers. UIC capitalized on the Bradley miscues, posting a 24-13 edge in points off turnovers and controlled play on the inside, owning a 46-20 advantage in points in the paint.

Five players scored in double figures for Illinois-Chicago with freshman Cassie Johnson pacing the Flames with 14 points on 7-of-7 shooting off the bench. Jacquay Holmes chipped in 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while LaShonda Grant and Jackie Parker both had 12 points. Parker also added four assists and five steals off the bench.

Illinois-Chicago shot 65.6 percent in the second half and finished the game with a 54.7 field goal percentage. The Flames committed just 12 turnovers, including four in the second half and came with 10 steals on the night.

Bradley closes out non-conference play with a two-game homestand, beginning Sunday with a 2:05 p.m. game against Northern Illinois at Robertson Field House.

Hawai'i 71,  Evansville 68 (OT)

University of Hawaii guard Janevia Taylor scored a game-high 21 points Friday night, including four of the game’s final six points in overtime, to lead the host Rainbow Wahine to a 71-68 overtime victory over the University of Evansville Purple Aces in the first round of the 2006 Paradise Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Taylor hit a back-breaking three-pointer with 2:57 left in overtime to give Hawaii a 70-66 lead. After UE answered with a lay-up by Anaris Sickles 47 seconds later, the two teams traded possessions without scoring until Taylor hit one of two free throws with 15 seconds remaining to give Hawaii a 71-68 cushion. Evansville had a chance to tie twice in the final 15 seconds, but a shot by junior guard Courtney Felke was strong and Rebekah Parker’s half-court heave at the buzzer was off the mark.

Parker scored 13 of her team-high 18 points in the second half to help Evansville force overtime and overcome a 37-32 halftime deficit. Senior guard Ashli Senff tied Parker for team-high scoring honors with 18 points, including 15 first-half points. Junior center Laura Gaybrick also produced her best game of the 2006-07 season with a season-high 10 points, seven rebounds, and four steals for UE.

Taylor led a group of four Rainbow Wahine in double-figures with 21 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field. Forwards Pam Tambini (18 points, 11 rebounds) and Brittany Grice (12 points, 10 rebounds) both recorded double-figures for Hawaii, while guard Saundra Cariaga added 11 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. In all, Hawaii outrebounded Evansville 48-29.

“Rebounding was really the key,” said UE head coach Tricia Cullop. “We didn’t do a good job of boxing out tonight, and Hawaii made us pay. We need to learn from this game and fix our mistakes, because once the conference season starts, the stakes great raised even more and every game is vitally important.”

With the victory, Hawaii improves to 5-4 overall and advances on to face Chattanooga (5-4) in the championship game of the Paradise Classic. Evansville, meanwhile, slips to 5-4 and will face Portland State (2-7) in the consolation game of the Paradise Classic on Saturday afternoon. The game will begin at 5:00 p.m. central time and can be heard live in the Tri-State area on 91.5 F.M.-WUEV.