OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Morgan Maly scored a career-high 24 points and No. 18 Creighton held off Drake 75-71 on Saturday night.
Maly sank 9 of 16 shots with four 3-pointers, adding six rebounds for the Bluejays (8-1), who snapped a four-game skid against the Bulldogs (5-3). Emma Ronsiek added 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc. Lauren Jensen had 13 points and Rachael Saunders hit all eight of her free throws and scored 11.
Maggie Bair scored a season-high 26 for Drake. Bair, who also grabbed 11 rebounds, had nine points in the fourth quarter when the Bulldogs erased almost all of a 17-point deficit to begin the quarter. Grace Berg scored 13.
Ronsiek and Jensen hit back-to-back 3-pointers and Jensen added a layup as the Bluejays closed out the first quarter with an 8-1 run for a 16-14 lead. Creighton scored eight points off of nine Drake turnovers in the period.
Maly scored eight in a 13-0 run and the Bluejays opened up a 29-17 lead midway through the second quarter. Bair scored eight of her 15 first-half points over the final 3:38 to keep the Bulldogs within 12 at halftime.
Maly had eight points, Ronsiek scored seven and Creighton led 60-43 after three quarters.
Katie Dinnebier and Berg had back-to-back three-point plays and Dinnebier sank a 3-pointer to get Drake within 65-57 with 6:33 left to play. Bair had two straight layups, Berg added one of her own and Bair sank a 3 to get the Bulldogs within 68-66 with 2:27 remaining.
Two Molly Mogensen free throws halted Drake's 18-3 run and Jensen had a layup off a turnover to put Creighton up 72-66 with 1:34 to go. Saunders made two free throws and Mogensen hit one of two in the final 11 seconds to keep the Bulldogs at bay.
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