CHICAGO – Creighton became the first No. 7 seed since 2008 to knock off a No. 2 seed when the Bluejays sent Villanova home from the BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Tournament, Presented by the Jeep Brand, on Sunday afternoon. Creighton, the eighth seven-seed to advance to the BIG EAST Semifinals, will face third-seeded Seton Hall, which won a track meet of a game against sixth-seeded Marquette to punch its ticket to a second straight semifinal. Top-seeded DePaul prevailed against ninth-seeded Butler thanks to a balanced Blue Demon offense and will face fourth-seeded St. John’s, which pulled away from fifth-seeded Georgetown in Sunday’s quarterfinal round.
For the full recaps, postgame quotes and stats of today’s games, click here:
Villanova-Creighton /
Marquette-Seton Hall /
DePaul-Butler /
St. John’s-Georgetown
For more on tomorrow’s games, see below.
Semifinal: No. 3 Seton Hall vs. No. 7 Creighton – 3 p.m. (CT) – FS1
Which Team Awaits: Winner of No. 1 DePaul/No. 4 St. John’s
2015-16 Regular-Season Series: 2-0, Seton Hall (86-82 on 12/31 at CU; 77-71 on 2/26 at SHU)
In The Tournament: First Meeting
Why Seton Hall Will Win: The Pirates had their highest scoring outing since late January on Sunday in the quarterfinal win over Marquette, totaling 93 points which is the most The Hall has ever scored in the BIG EAST Tourney. The Pirates have lost just one game this season when they score more than 80, so if they can ring up the score, the odds are in their favor. In two wins of Creighton this season, SHU totaled 86 and 77 points. Tabatha Richardson-Smith is a key factor against the Bluejays after totaling 27 and 22 points in the previous victories.
Why Creighton Will Win: The Bluejays are one of the hottest teams heading into Monday, knocking off second-seeded Villanova to earn a three-game season sweep. Creighton also has wins over St. John’s and Marquette within the last 20 days, with the Red Storm sweeping Seton Hall during the regular season and the Golden Eagles taking The Hall down to the wire on Sunday afternoon. Creighton drained double-digit threes during its two setbacks versus Seton Hall earlier this year, but have hit under 10 in each of the last three games which the Bluejays have won. Creighton has scored a combined 81 points in the paint during its three-game winning streak and if the Bluejays continue to get inside, they could see themselves in their first BIG EAST title game.
Semifinal: No. 1 DePaul vs. No. 4 St. John’s – 5:30 p.m. (CT) – FS1
Which Team Awaits: Winner of No. 3 Seton Hall/No. 7 Creighton
2015-16 Regular-Season Series: 2-0, DePaul (71-61 on 1/3 at SJU; 77-71 on 2/7 at DPU)
In The Tournament: DePaul, 2-0 (Last: 2014 Semifinals, 65-57)
Why DePaul Will Win: The reigning champs playing in their own building are hard to stop – averaging over 83 points per game and boasting an averaging scoring margin of +20.6 points per game inside the friendly confines of McGrath-Phillips Arena this season. The Blue Demons are on a seven-game BIG EAST Tournament winning streak and have won their last nine games overall, with St. John’s included in both of those streaks. In a rematch of the 2014 BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals, DePaul will aim for the same outcome as back then, which saw the Blue Demons top the Red Storm en route to their first league crown.
Why St. John’s Will Win: Aliyyah Handford and Danaejah Grant combined for 40 points on Sunday night versus fifth-seeded Georgetown, a mark they have reached 10 times this season and are 10-0 when doing so. Two games which the high-scoring duo was held in check were the previous DePaul matchups, combining for 36 in the Jan. 31 loss, and 27 in the Jan. 3 setback. With Jade Walker and Aaliyah Lewis showing they can score too, it’s more complicated for DePaul than just marking Handford and Grant. Add to it the sense of urgency of adding a quality win to their NCAA Tournament resume, the Red Storm are especially thirsty for this win.
Tickets
Single-session tickets for the 2016 BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Tournament are still available while all-session ticket booklets are just $50. Each single session will feature two games, with the exception of Session 5, which is the championship game. Single-session tickets are just $12 for adults and $8 for children, while group tickets are also available. Groups of 20 or more are just $5 per person.
Fans can call 773-325-SLAM (7526) to purchase tickets, or buy them online by clicking
HERE.
Live Stats
Live stats for all nine BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Tournament games can be viewed at: bigeast.statbroadcast.com
2016 BIG EAST Tournament
Presented by the Jeep Brand
All games played at McGrath-Phillips Arena - Chicago, Ill.
All times local – Central Standard
First Round – March 5
G1: No. 7 Creighton 70, No. 10 Providence 53 –
Recap/Quotes
G2: No. 9 Butler 48, No. 8 Xavier 47 –
Recap/Quotes
Quarterfinals – March 6
G3: No. 7 Creighton 57, No. 2 Villanova 48 –
Recap/Quotes
G4: No. 3 Seton Hall 93, No. 6 Marquette 86 –
Recap/Quotes
G5: No. 1 DePaul 76, No. 9 Butler 49 –
Recap/Quotes
G6: No. 4 St. John’s 65, No. 5 Georgetown 52 –
Recap/Quotes
Semifinals – March 7
G7: No. 7 Creighton vs. No. 3 Seton Hall, 3 p.m. (FS1)
G8: No. 1 DePaul vs. No. 4 St. John’s, 5:30 p.m. (FS1)
Final – March 8
G9: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 7 p.m. (FS1)