NIT first round: CSU 68, Creighton 79
A standing ovation awaited Joy Jenkins and Jasai Ferrucho as
they walked off the floor after playing Creighton in the first
round of the National Invitational Tournament Friday night, but the
1,386 fans at Moby Arena weren’t applauding a victory.
Instead, they paid their respects to the two seniors, who walked
off the court for the last time after CSU’s 79-68 season-ending
loss.
“I just think we did not play good and we got beat by a better
team,” said CSU head coach Chris Denker. “It felt like we were
fighting uphill the whole time.”
The game featured two teams with similar stories. Both had
decent seasons with more than 15 wins, both suffered early
departures from their conference tournaments and both wound up
playing in the tournament reserved for the best teams not to make
the NCAA Tournament field.
Creighton’s more experienced squad applied a pressure defense
that forced 20 Ram turnovers. The Bluejays four-guard offense also
consistently beat CSU off the dribble for open shots.
“They run their stuff pretty well,” said Creighton head coach
Jim Flanery. “They were bigger than us and beat us on the inside,
but they could not guard us on the perimeter.”
Creighton outscored CSU 32-26 in the paint but kept its lead by
draining nine 3-pointers. Five Bluejays reached double figures in
scoring, including Christy Nenemen with 16 points and Codi Walker
with 12 off the bench.
“We just had defensive breakdowns tonight and it is unfortunate
because it led to a lot of their baskets,” said Jenkins, who had
six points, two rebounds and two steals.
Ferrucho lead the Rams with 16 points and six assists, while
sophomores Lindsay Thomas and Vanessa Espinoza added 15 and 11
points, respectively. Freshman Kylee O’Dwyer scored a career-high
14 points off the bench, eight of which came from post moves in the
paint.
“You really saw the Kylee of the future, the kid that can score
in the paint and on the perimeter; she’s got a lot of tools,”
Denker said. “I think the world of Kylee and she stood out as a
leader out there, and, for a freshman, that is a special
trait.”
CSU tied the game at 30-30 late in the first half, but a late
Creighton run gave the Bluejays a 35-30 advantage at halftime.
Thomas put the Rams on the board first in the second half by
grabbing an offensive rebound and putting the ball in the basket.
Creighton then went on a seven-point run and the Rams never got
within four points for the remainder of the game.
The Rams finished their year with a 17-12 record in a
roller-coaster season that ended much sooner than expected.
“Every season teams go through highs and lows,” Jenkins said.
“We were high before our last two games and then we just could not
play our style of ball.”
Creighton will now enter the second round of the NIT with a 20-9
record.
For Jenkins and Ferrucho, who have been roommates and teammates
for four years, the cheering fans at Moby left them with a
bittersweet feeling.
“We love our fans and always will,” Jenkins said. “These fans
supported us our whole careers. People went out of their way and
waited in line on a Friday night just to shake our hands.”
As for leaving the gym for the last time as Rams, the seniors
had a hard time describing their emotions.
“I don’t think words can describe it,” Jenkins said. “It was
really hard.”
A teary-eyed Ferrucho agreed.
“It was really hard,” she said.
What lies ahead for next season?
The Rams will lose a lot of leadership and aggressiveness with
Jenkins’ departure and Ferrucho, who led the team in assists, will
leave a big vacancy at the guard position.
CSU has a lot of promise in its sophomore class of Espinoza,
Thomas and Melissa Dennett, all of who made the second or third
All-Mountain West Conference teams. The three all started for the
Rams this season.
Freshmen O’Dwyer and Annika Walseth showed glimpses of their
greatness this season as both proved to be valuable inside the
paint and at hitting 3-pointers. Fellow freshmen Sara Brown, Molly
Nohr and Marilyn Moulton had limited playing time this year and
will need to step up and prove themselves in their sophomore
seasons.
As one of the youngest teams in the nation, the Rams believe
they have a bright future.
“With only losing two players, I think you are going to see
improvement from age and maturity,” Denker said. “You are going to
see a lot of experience growing up and getting better. We are going
to work hard in the off-season and try and make the individuals
more well-rounded.”
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