Women's Basketball Looking For Opening in Villanova

Villanova, Pa. - Following an 0-3 start to BIG EAST play, the Creighton women's basketball team enters the city of brotherly love looking for a crack against Villanova on Tuesday, Jan. 5.

1/5: - 6:00 pm: Creighton (6-8, 0-2 BIG EAST)
at Villanova (7-5, 0-2 BIG EAST)

Online Stream - BIG EAST DIGITAL NETWORK (BEDN): Nick Mantegna (Play-by-Play)
and DJ Sixsmith (Color Analyst)

Stats (Free): http://creighton.statbroadcast.com
Webstream (Free): http://foxsportsgo.com

Series History: Villanova leads 3-1
Villanova won last meeting 61-53 on March 1, 2015 at Villanova.

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Bird Seeds

Creighton last opened a conference season 0-3 during the 2011-12 season. That year the Bluejays finished Missouri Valley action with an 11-7 mark, winning the Valley Tournament to earn a berth into the NCAA Tournament.
Freshman Audrey Faber is on pace (15.6 ppg) to become just the second freshman in Creighton history to score at least 500 points in her first season as a Bluejay. You may have heard of the other, Connie Yori (former Creighton head coach and current head coach of Nebraska).
Tuesday's contest features two of the best teams in the NCAA at taking care of the ball. Villanova's 7.5 turnovers per game leads the NCAA, while Creighton ranks in fifth at 11.8.

Series with Villanova: Villanova leads 3-1

Villanova holds a 3-1 series lead on the Bluejays, taking the last three meetings. The Wildcats claimed a 61-53 win in the final game of the regular season in 2014-15 at Villanova. Creighton is 0-2 in Villanova.

Villanova leads 3-1
Home: 1-1 Away: 0-2 Neutral: 0-0
Date   Result   Score/Site
12/28/13   W   65-58 in Omaha
2/1/14   L   54-68 at Villanova
1/9/15   L   61-65 in Omaha
3/1/15   L   53-61 at Villanova

Scouting Villanova (8-5, 2-1 BIG EAST)
Season after season the Villanova are a team that remains constant, the Wildcats are a disciplined team that uses the slows the game down and forces the opposition to execute effeciently. Villanova takes care of the basketball better than any team in the country, 7.5 turnovers per game.

Villanova is led by senior Caroline Coyer (14.2 ppg), who played for Team USA this summer. Coyer not only leads the Wildcats in scoring, she runs the offense with a team-high 65 assists.

Villanova also relies on freshman Adrianna Hahn (11.5 ppg) to provide production off the bench, while center Megan Quinn
averages just shy of a double-double in BIG EAST play with 9.3 ppg and 10.0 rpg.

Keys to the Game w/Villanova

Offensive execution: The lower volume of possessions against the Wildcats puts a premium on executing. The Bluejays have struggled to consistently score this season and Villanova thrives if it can get out to a lead.
Protect the interior: Creighton matches up well with the Wildcats athletically. That makes the paint a battle of will. Creighton is 0-8 when getting outscored by 10 or more in the paint. The Bluejays are 6-1 when Creighton has is within 10 in the paint.
Transition defense: The Bluejays were hurt by Georgetown's fast pace. Although Villanova is less likely to run, Creighton cannot give away easy buckets either on turnovers or fast breaks off made baskets.

Women's Basketball Looking For Opening in Villanova

Players Mentioned

Audrey Faber

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