– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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UNCASVILLE, CONNECTICUT — This time around, the heart monitors were not needed for fans and players alike at the end of a Big East Tournament game between Seton Hall and Creighton. And, just like in the last two years, it’s the Blue Jays who weathered another tough tussle to advance to the Big East’s Final Four.
Morgan Maly and Lauren Jensen combined for 45 points in leading the second-seeded Blue Jays to a 72-65 victory over No. 7 Seton Hall to begin the night session of the 2024 Big East Tournament quarterfinals. Creighton advances to Sunday’s semifinal, where they will take on No. 6 Georgetown in the second of two semifinal games.
Creighton and Seton Hall have met in each of the last four Big East Tournaments, with the games in 2022 and 2023 being decided on buzzer-beaters. The Pirates pulled off the upset in 2022 before Morgan Maly’s tip-in at the buzzer gave the Blue Jays the dramatic victory last year. When the teams entered the fourth quarter of tonight’s game separated by just three points, with Creighton up 53-50, another heart-stopping finished seemed to be in the offing.
Instead, Jensen scored nine of her 22 points in the fourth quarter, and her personal 5-0 run to begin the fourth quarter opened up a 58-50 lead for the Blue Jays. Creighton sealed by game by virtue of hitting all 10 on its free throws in the final frame.
In the nightcap, the Hoyas scored the first 10 points of the game and never looked back against the third-seeded Red Storm. Graceann Bennett led Georgetown with 16 points and seven rebounds.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Saturday’s event, with all photos taken by ALOST senior photographer Robert Cole. After clicking on the first photo to enlarge the picture, make sure to press the left and right arrow buttons to scroll through the rest of the pictures. There are 33 pictures in total.
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