Omaha, Neb. ? Creighton likes to crank it up. Kansas University likes to shut ’em down.
High-scoring Creighton and defensive-minded KU, both with 5-3 records, will clash in women’s basketball tonight. Tipoff will be at 7:05 p.m. at the Omaha Civic Auditorium.
“They don’t need a shot-clock operator,” KU coach Bonnie Henrickson said about the run-and-gun Bluejays.
Curiously, Kansas is coming off its highest-scoring game of the season — an 84-51 flogging of Dartmouth on Saturday in Allen Fieldhouse. In that outing, freshman Taylor McIntosh recorded her first career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, junior Kaylee Brown notched a career-high 18 points, and junior Erica Hallman counted 13 assists, the second-highest total in school history.
The Jayhawks are holding foes to just 49.6 points a game, the second lowest figure among Big 12 Conference schools.
Creighton averages more than 75 points a game behind its high-powered trio of Laura Spanheimer, Angie Janis and Kristi Woodard.
“They shoot the ball really well,” Henrickson said. “They average about 27 three-point shots a game, so we’ll try to play at a pace that’s good for us. We won’t necessarily slow it down. We want to run, if we have the numbers.”
The Bluejays already have beaten Big 12 Conference teams Nebraska (58-57) and Colorado (84-68).
Creighton also has won four straight from the Jayhawks. In the last meeting two years ago in Allen Fieldhouse, the Bluejays rolled to a 72-58 victory. KU hasn’t knocked off the ‘Jays since 1998.
Kansas and Creighton have two common foes — Minnesota and UMKC.
KU bowed to the nationally-ranked Golden Gophers, 62-45, in Minneapolis. Minnesota tripped Creighton, 79-71, in Omaha. Both KU and Creighton have played and defeated UMKC at home.
6Sports video: KU women roll over Dartmouth
KU-Creighton game notes (.pdf)