JON WALKER
WorldHerald Staff Writer
Lauren Jensen delivered the knockout punch.
Creighton and St. John's traded blows from start to finish, turning Sokol Arena into something of a boxing ring, and Jensen's layup with 28 seconds left was enough cushion for the No. 23 Bluejays to escape Wednesday night with a 65-62 victory.
They weathered 13 lead changes, six ties and 29 minutes of trailing by hitting timely shots and clamping down to win their sixth straight and stay on UConn's heels atop the Big East.
"They made us compete," coach Jim Flanery said. "We needed it."
St. John's (14-12, 4-11 Big East) responded every time the Jays (224, 14-1) drew close. It was like that from tipoff, and it stayed that way until Jensen's left-handed layup.
Kiani Lockett put CU ahead by a point with eight minutes left, then the Red Storm jumped back in front before Morgan Maly hit a go-ahead 3-pointer, then SJU hit two shots to go up three. Molly Mogensen nailed a tying triple, then St. John's answered and led by two with 4:05 to play.
Right after, Jensen cashed a corner 3, and Creighton took a lead it never relinquished.
The Jays forced the Red Storm into five straight misses and four turnovers down the stretch. They rarely had an answer for Lashae Dwyer, whose 18 points led St. John's four double-figure scorers, but CU anchored down when it had to.
"Emotionally, we stayed steady and stable, especially throughout the fourth quarter," Maly said. "Our defense picked up, and they made tough shots, but we didn't let that affect the next two or three possessions. We just stayed with it."
It was the late-game experience that comes with a roster featuring nine upperclassmen. They've been there, done that.
"That's been an emphasis for our group all year," Maly said.
Buckets from Lockett, Maly and Mallory Brake buoyed the Jays through a sluggish start and the Red Storm's relentless rim pressure.
Maly, feeling the effects of a lingering knee injury, hit a jabstep jumper to put the Jays up 16-15 midway through the second quarter, and Skye Owen's first 3-pointer of the night started the Red Storm's lead-grabbing 7-0 run.
Then it turned into a shot-making slugfest.
Creighton and St. John's combined to hit 14 of 15 shots, including 13 straight, through the final six minutes of the first half. Kennedy Townsend got to the rim to lead a mixed bag of CU scorers through the fiery stretch, but Dwyer and Ber'Nyah Mayo had SJU up 35-32 at the break.
"I didn't realize it was 13 straight," said Jensen, who dropped 16 points. "That's crazy."
They never let up, either. That back-and-forth never stopped. Neither led by more than six.
Maly heated up and dropped 14 of her game-high 20 points in the second half, including 11 in the third quarter, and Dwyer's drives through the lane and to the rim kept SJU hanging down the stretch.
But Jensen knocked St. John's to the canvas late, and the Red Storm never got up. Creighton has three games left in the regular season, starting with Sunday's trip to DePaul.
Then the Jays get a rematch with UConn, and if they can pick up their first win over the Huskies, they'll have a chance at their first conference crown since joining the league more than a decade ago.
"We're gonna swing away at these last three games," Flanery said.