Third-Quarter Triples Lift Creighton Past BGSU, 72-65

Friday, March 19

Rockford, Ill.

2:00 PM CT (3:00 PM ET)

Bowling Green State University

20-7,14-4MAC

Creighton

10-11,6-7Big East

Creighton

Bowling Green

Photo by: Glen Sisk, Creighton Athletics

March 19, 2021 | Women's Basketball

Box Score BGSU-Creighton Stats Coach Fralick Postgame Interview

Hempfling has monster game in national postseason debut

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Athletics

ROCKFORD, Ill. – Creighton University hit a trio of three-point field goals early in the third quarter en route to a 72-65 win over the Bowling Green State University women's basketball team Friday afternoon (March 19). The WNIT first-round contest was held at the UW Health Sports Factory.

With the win, Creighton moves on to face Northern Iowa on Saturday evening. The Falcons (20-7) now face Dayton on Saturday, with tipoff set for 11:00 a.m. local time (12:00 p.m. ET).

Junior Kadie Hempfling scored a career-high 22 points to lead all players. Hempfling also had seven rebounds and three assists, and she tied her career bests in both steals (five) and blocked shots (two).

Freshman Nyla Hampton scored 15 points, including 11 in the second half, while sophomore Elissa Brett had nine points and a team-leading 11 rebounds.

But, Carly Bachelor and Temi Carda had 20 and 19 points, respectively, for the Bluejays.

Creighton led by a point at the half, and the contest was tied after Brett scored three points in the first minute of the third quarter. But, the Bluejays knocked down three-pointers on three consecutive possessions in roughly a minute, taking a 45-36 lead, and BGSU never got closer than four points thereafter.

FIRST QUARTER
• The Falcons got off to a quick start. as the BG defense came up with steals on three of the first four Creighton possessions. After a Kadie Hempfling steal, Nyla Hampton flipped the ball back to Hempfling for a long three-pointer to open the game's scoring. Then, Hempfling found a cutting Kenzie Lewis for a hesitation layup and a 5-0 lead.
• Hempfling hit a driving reverse layup, and Lexi Fleming drove and scored for a 9-3 BG advantage. The Bluejays responded with a 7-0 run, taking a brief lead, but Lewis splashed a three-point try, putting the Falcons up, 12-10.
• Moments later, Elissa Brett hit a corner three, and Madisen Parker found Angela Perry for a turnaround bucket and a 17-14 lead. Hempfling's driving layup in the waning seconds gave the Orange and Brown a five-point lead, 19-14, after 10 minutes.
• The Falcons forced nine Creighton turnovers in the first quarter, while committing just one turnover themselves. BG had a 12-0 lead in points off turnovers in the first period.

SECOND QUARTER
• Olivia Trice came up with a steal almost immediately after the second period began, and the ensuing possession resulted in Hempfling finding Trice for a reverse layup. Then, a Fleming steal led to a Hempfling three-point play and a 24-14 BG lead.
• But, the Bluejays rallied back, and Jayme Horan's three-pointer tied the score with 4:11 left in the quarter. A free throw gave CU an 11-0 run and a one-point lead 45 seconds later.
• Hampton's steal led to a Brett right-side three-pointer off of an 'extra pass' by Lewis, and the Falcons had a 27-25 lead. But, back came the Bluejays, as a three-pointer was followed by a Temi Carda layup. Hempfling banked home a shot, and Hampton hit a long two-pointer to tie the game with a minute to go. Morgan Maly responded with a three-pointer, but Hampton's floater with five seconds remaining cut Creighton's lead to one point, 34-33, at the intermission.
• Hempfling had a game-high 12 points in the opening half.

THIRD QUARTER
• Brett made a layup on the opening possession of the quarter, then drew back-to-back fouls on the Bluejays, with her free throw tying the contest at 36-36 less than a minute in. But, Carda knocked down a three-pointer, and Maly hit a trailing three. Carly Bachelor then hit a corner three in transition, and the Bluejays suddenly had a 45-36 lead as the Falcons used a timeout.
• Out of that break, Lewis found Hempfling for a trey, but Chloe Dworak hit from beyond the arc. Hampton responded with a driving banker and a three-point play, cutting the deficit to six points, and after Maly answered with a hoop, Hampton grabbed an offensive rebound in the middle of three Bluejays, laying the ball up and in.
• Perry hit a pair of free throws at the 2:48 mark to cut the Creighton lead to 50-46, and after a quick Bachelor layup, Perry's baby hook made it a four-point game after 30 minutes.
• The Bluejays went 4-for-6 from the arc in the third quarter, and were 9-of-15 from long range in the first three quarters.

FOURTH QUARTER
• Neither team hit a field goal for over three minutes at the start of the fourth quarter, and Hempfling's free throw was the only BG point for over six minutes in the period.
• The first field goal for either team of the quarter came on Bachelor's second-chance layup at the 6:34 mark, and after Lewis blocked a CU shot, a putback as the shot clock expired made it a 58-49 game. A putback gave the Bluejays an 11-point lead with just over four minutes to go.
• From there, BG could get no closer than five points. Hempfling made a layup, then spun and banked a shot home after an offensive board. Fleming's layup made it a 62-55 game with 2:19 to go.
• The Falcons pressed, but the Bluejays made just enough free throws to keep it a multiple-possession game down the stretch. Hempfling, Fleming and Hampton made buckets, but Creighton had an answer each time. CU went 14-of-16 at the free-throw line in the fourth quarter.

STATS, NOTES & NUMBERS
• BGSU is now 7-7 all-time in the WNIT. Friday's game was the Falcons' first-ever neutral-site contest in the tourney.
• BGSU had 23 more field-goal attempts than Creighton. The Falcons went 27-for-70 from the floor (38.6%), while the Bluejays were 21-of-47 (44.7%).
• Creighton was 9-for-17 (52.9%) from three-point range, while BG went 5-for-18 (27.8%) from the arc. The Bluejays were 21-of-28 at the free-throw line, while the Falcons went 6-for-8 at the stripe.
• CU had a narrow 38-35 rebounding advantage. BGSU had 11 turnovers while forcing Creighton into 20, and the Falcons had advantages of 23-11 in points off turnovers and 38-20 in points in the paint.

UP NEXT
• BGSU, as mentioned, will face Dayton on Saturday (March 20). Tipoff is set for 11:00 a.m. CT (12:00 p.m. ET) at the UW Health Sports Factory.
• Check BGSUFalcons.com for all of the latest news and updates re: the 2020-21 Falcons.

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