Moore Leads Creighton Women to 72-50 Win at Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa -- Led by a game-high from freshman Mya Moore, Creighton Women's Basketball defeated Northern Iowa 72-50 on Sunday, November 15. The win pushed the Bluejays to 3-1 on the season, while the Panthers fell to 1-3.

Down 7-0 in the opening moments, the Bluejays ratcheted up their defense as Creighton forced 12 turnovers in the opening frame to go on a 12-2 run to lead 12-9 (4:24). The two teams traded treys in the final minute of the frame, moving the game to the second knotted at 17-17.

The defensive intensity continued to feed the Creighton offense as the Bluejays opened the second quarter with 14 straight points and a 16-1 run to take a 33-18 advantage with 2:42 remaining in the first half. Late in the second Bluejay sophomore Neleigh Gessert picked up a technical foul on a push under the basket, but a late three from fellow sophomore Ava Zediker sent Creighton to the locker room with a 38-24 edge.

The second half began with another three-ball from Zediker and a jumper from the elbow by Gessert to push the Jays' margin to 19 at 43-23 (7:14). Northern Iowa chipped away over the next four minutes, outscoring Creighton 12-3 to get within 10 at 46-36 (3:15). That was as close as the Bluejays allowed the game to get. Junior Allison Heathcock delivered a pair of driving layups in the final minutes of the frame as Creighton took a 52-39 lead into the fourth.

Creighton's freshman took center stage in the final frame, accounting for 19 of Creighton's 20 points. The Bluejays' lead grew to as large as 23 points at 72-49 on a trifecta from freshman Jayla Williams in the final minute.

Moore led all scorers with 18 points, while Zediker finished with 17 points and nine rebounds. Northern Iowa got 12 points from Lauren Walker and 11 from Callie Levin in the loss.

The Bluejays open their home schedule against Omaha on Wednesday, November 18 at 6:30 pm in D.J. Sokol Arena.