Creighton Women’s Basketball Falls to No. 1 UConn in BIG EAST Matchup
There is no tougher assignment in women’s college basketball than walking into Storrs, Connecticut, and facing the No. 1 team in the country on its home floor. On Wednesday, February 11, the Creighton women’s basketball team did exactly that. The team is squaring off against top-ranked UConn in a marquee BIG EAST matchup.
Creighton Women’s Basketball Delivered Competitive First Quarter
The final score read 94-44 in favor of the Huskies, but the game told a deeper story. It was a tale of two halves. It showcased Creighton’s perimeter firepower early and highlighted just how relentless UConn can be when it turns up the pressure.
Final.#GoJays pic.twitter.com/gfyN5zhHSp
— Creighton Women’s Basketball (@CreightonWBB) February 12, 2026
With the result, Creighton moved to 12-13 overall and 8-8 in BIG EAST play. UConn, meanwhile, remained perfect at 26-0 overall and 15-0 in conference action. For ten minutes, the Bluejays went toe-to-toe with the nation’s best.
Creighton battled UConn’s defensive intensity and answered with what it does best. The Bluejays leaned on their “dead-eye range” from beyond the arc to stay within striking distance.
Neleigh Gessert and Kendall McGee each knocked down three-pointers, while senior Kennedy Townsend drained a pair from deep. With just 57 seconds remaining in the first quarter, McGee scored Creighton’s first two-point basket of the night, tying the game at 14-14.
For a brief moment, the Bluejays had silenced the crowd and proved they belonged on the same floor. But UConn closed the opening period on a 5-0 run to take a 19-14 lead into the second quarter.
UConn converted Creighton turnovers into 10 points, including a steal and layup in the closing seconds of the first quarter that carried over into a larger surge. The Huskies pushed their lead to as much as 42-21 as their defensive intensity created transition opportunities.
Still, Creighton showed fight. On the Bluejays’ final offensive possession of the half, Neleigh Gessert drilled a three-pointer to send the teams into the locker room with a 42-24 score.
UConn shot 20-for-31 over the final 20 minutes, an impressive 64.5 percent from the field. The Huskies outscored Creighton 52-20 after halftime, turning a competitive opening stretch into a decisive conference victory.
Allie Ziebel led Connecticut with a game-high 20 points. Azzi Fudd added 19, and Sarah Strong contributed 16.
Bluejays’ Top Performers Step Up
Despite the lopsided final margin, Creighton had bright spots. Elizabeth Gentry paced the Bluejays with 12 points, marking her seventh double-digit scoring performance of the season. Kennedy Townsend added 10 points, continuing her steady veteran presence.
Against a team like UConn, every clean look and every made shot must be earned. Creighton’s leaders continued to compete until the final buzzer.
Wednesday’s contest followed a similar script to the teams’ first meeting on January 11, when No. 1 Connecticut defeated Creighton 95-54. Creighton tied the score at 10-10 with 3:41 left in the first quarter after back cuts from Grace Boffeli and Kennedy Townsend.
The second quarter proved decisive in that matchup as well. Connecticut forced 13 Creighton turnovers and outscored the Bluejays 33-7, taking a commanding 54-21 lead into halftime. The Huskies later extended their advantage to as much as 51 points at 87-36 in the fourth quarter.
Ava Zediker provided a memorable spark for Creighton in that January contest. She scored 14 of her game-high 24 points in the final five minutes to bring the score to its 95-54 conclusion.
The February 11 game marked the 13th all-time meeting between Creighton and UConn and the 12th time the Huskies entered ranked inside the Top 10. Creighton previously came within one bucket of its first win over UConn during the 2023 season.
Before traveling to Connecticut, Creighton was riding a four-game winning streak and held a 12-12 overall record with an 8-7 mark in BIG EAST play.
That stretch included an overtime victory over Marquette, the program’s first extra-session game since March 4, 2023, against Seton Hall. Creighton has now won four straight overtime games and improved to 44-24 all-time in overtime contests.
At home, the Bluejays are 20-9 in overtime, including an impressive 8-1 record at D.J. Sokol Arena. Interestingly, the three overtime games prior to the Marquette win also came against Seton Hall.
Against Marquette, Ava Zediker poured in 25 points along with six assists and three steals. Grace Boffeli added 23 points and 14 rebounds in that victory and grabbed 17 rebounds in a win over Georgetown.
Creighton now turns its attention back home. The Bluejays will host Villanova on Sunday, February 15, at 4:00 p.m. at D.J. Sokol Arena. The game will air nationally on truTV.
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Shayni Maitra is a sports girl through and through writing about everything from locker room drama to game-day legends in the NFL and NBA. She’s covered the action for outlets like College Sports Network, Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, NB Media, and PinkVilla, blending sharp takes with a deep love for storytelling. Whether it’s college football rivalries, Olympic gold-chasers, or the off-field chaos that keeps Twitter alive, Shayni brings the heat with heart—and just the right amount of humor.