Creighton Women Overcomes Butler, 67-59

Omaha, Neb. -- Behind a combined 47 points from the trio of Grace Boffeli, Kendall McGee and Kennedy Townsend, Creighton Women's Basketball defeated Butler 67-59 on Sunday, Jan. 4. The win lifted the Bluejays to 7-8 on the season and 3-3 in BIG EAST play, while Butler dropped to 7-8 overall and 1-4 in conference contests.

The Bluejays were more than a little sluggish at the start, committing four turnovers on the first four possessions. Despite the slow start, Creighton was down just 17-9 after the first quarter and trailed 23-13 with 7:11 left in the first half. 

Creighton flipped the game in its favor with a 16-2 run to close the second quarter, forcing Butler into five turnovers during the frame. Kendall McGee got things starter for the Bluejays with a steal and a layup. Moments later Elizabeth Gentry dropped in a driving layup. Norah Gessert continued the run via a mid-range jumper to pull within four at 23-19 (2:57). 

After a Butler bucket on the inside, Kennedy Townsend took the game over! The senior got rolling with a driving layup, then blocked a shot on defense and connected on a transition three. Following another Butler turnover, Townsend dialed long distance once more to give Creighton its first lead at 27-25 with 1:06 left in the half. The Creighton run concluded on a second bucket from Norah Gessert, but Butler dropped in the final basket of the frame as the Bluejays led 29-27 at the break.

Townsend picked right up where she left off in the third, scoring the first five points, then Boffeli dropped in a layup to push Creighton out to a 36-27 edge (8:11). Butler responded with seven straight of its own as the third quarter went back and forth. Near the close of the frame Townsend connected a fourth time from distance and Boffeli scored on the interior to give Creighton a 47-40 advantage (1:27), taking a 47-42 lead into the fourth.

The Bulldogs crept as a close as three (47-44) early in the fourth, but Creighton kept Butler at bay down the stretch by hitting 14-of-18 from the free throw line. 

Townsend and Boffeli led Creighton with 16 points, while McGee delivered a career-high 15 points. Butler got a game-high 17 points from Saniya Jackson, 15 from Mallory Miller and 14 from Addison Baxter.

Creighton returns to action on Thursday, Jan. 8 as the Bluejays go back out on the road to face Marquette at 7:00 pm.