OMAHA, Neb. (USD) — No. 22 Creighton put up 29 first-quarter points in jumping out to an early lead against South Dakota, downing the Coyotes 81-55 on Friday afternoon inside D.J. Sokol Arena.
Creighton (2-0) evens the all-time series history with South Dakota (1-1) at 14 wins apiece.
The Bluejays returned four of five starters from last year’s NCAA Tournament squad. Guard Morgan Maly recorded a double-double for the second-straight year against the Yotes. She dropped 30 points on 10-of-19 shooting with six 3-pointers, while also pulling down 10 boards. All five starters finished in double-figure scoring. Forward Emma Ronsiek had 16 points, guard Lauren Jensen had 11, guard Molly Mogensen had 10 and forward Mallory Brake added 10 points with nine rebounds.
Graduate transfer Tori DePerry out of Saginaw Valley State was the lone Coyote to score in double digits. She brought a spark at the start of the second half, helping close CU’s lead to 10 points at 45-35. DePerry tallied 13 points with eight boards.
Creighton outrebounded the Coyotes 46-38. Brake grabbed six of the Bluejays’ 15 offensive boards. Junior guard Grace Larkins pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds in the game.
The Coyotes return home to host Northern Colorado at 7 p.m. Tuesday inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
