Creighton Women Open 2025 With Win Over Butler

OMAHA, Neb. -- Lauren Jensen and Jayme Horan combined for 19 points in the second half as the Creighton women's basketball team held off Butler, 68-64, to open 2025 on Wednesday afternoon..

Creighton (11-3, 3-0 BIG EAST) won for the 10th time in the last 11 games and kept place atop the league standings with No. 7 UConn. This is the sixth time in a dozen BIG EAST seasons that Creighton has started 3-0 in league play, and first time since its Elite Eight team in 2021-22. Butler dropped to 10-6 overall and is winless in three conference contests.

Creighton led 17-8 after the opening quarter thanks to a 9-0 run in which it held the Bulldogs scoreless for a five-minute stretch. Morgan Maly had 10 points in the opening 10 minutes, sinking 4-of-6 shots in addition to grabbing four rebounds. The first quarter extended Maly's streak of double-figure scoring games to a BIG EAST best 23 games in a row, eight more than her closest active competitor, and also saw her move past Christy Neneman (1,732) into sixth on Creighton's all-time scoring list.

CU then opened the second quarter with the initial eight points in 79 seconds, leading to a Butler timeout after falling behind 25-9. At that point, Maly had 13 points and  Jensen 10 as both women were outscoring the visitors. The Bluejay lead ballooned as large as 34-15 before Butler closed the half on a 9-2 surge to draw within 36-24 at the half.

Bluejay head coach Jim Flanery waited just 43 seconds into the third quarter before using a timeout after a lay-up by Butler narrowed the gap to 10. Butler drew within five (39-34) before a Kennedy Townsend three-pointer and an offensive putback by Horan helped return the lead to double-figures with 4:17 left in the third quarter. CU led 51-42 after three quarters.

CU's veteran senior class carried the Bluejays down the stretch, scoring 21 straight points in one stretch, before a huge triple from Townsend helped give CU a 66-54 lead with 3:34 left. Butler made a free throw with 0.3 seconds left for the final margin.

Jensen led Creighton with 24 points for her 30th career game with 20 points or more, but the fifth-year senior fouled out with 2:58 left.  Maly registered her eighth career double-double, finishing with 17 points and 10 rebounds. After a scoreless first half, Horan had all nine of her points after the break.  Creighton shot 41.0 percent for the game, 34.6 percent from three-point range and made 69.2 percent of its free throws.

Butler was paced by 16 points from Lily Carmody and 15 points and 10 rebounds by Kilyn McGuff. BU's bench accounted for 29 of its 64 points.

The Bluejays are back in action on Saturday at 1 p.m. Central when it visits Providence.