Omaha, Neb.- The Villanova Wildcats fell on the road to the Creighton Bluejays on Sunday afternoon by a final if 72-58. Villanova falls to 3-5 overall and 0-2 in league action while Creighton advances to 5-2 and 2-0 in BIG EAST play.

Brianna Herlihy provided an early lead for the Wildcats on a three-point play at the line less than a minute in. The sides traded a combined five long distance connections by the first media timeout with Lucy Olsen and Kenzie Gardler sinking the first two for Villanova. A three from Morgan Maly started an 11-1 Creighton scoring run in the later portion of the opening period that Lior Garzon and Brooke Mullin ended with back-to-back threes to cut the Bluejays lead to 21-18 after the first quarter.

Villanova stayed within a point on a Mullin trey and Herlihy jumper to start the second quarter.  The Bluejays began to distance itself on an 11-0 run over three and half minutes. Bella Runyan stopped the Bluejays streak with a three-ball to cut into the deficit, 38-27. The 'Cats held Creighton without a field goal in the final three minutes of the first half while going a 7-2 run of their own. Zanai Jones capped the run with a pair of inside looks and the Wildcats headed into the break trailing 40-31.

Herlihy led the group with eight points throughout the first 20 minutes of play with Mullin adding on six of her own, all from long range. Villanova shot 11-of-25 in the first half, going 6-of-13 from three compared to a 4-of-10 showing from behind the arc for Creighton. The Wildcats forced five Creighton turnovers, three on pilfers, in the opening half but did not score on those opportunities.

Seven Villanova turnovers in nearly four minutes of the third quarter saw Creighton go on a 7-0 scoring run. Garzon connected on a jumper at the 2:41 mark to put Villanova down by 12. Over the two minutes of the quarter Creighton went on a 8-0 run and the Wildcats trailed 60-37 heading into the fourth quarter. 

Villanova scratched back in the fourth to the tune of a 12-3 run over 3:58 of action, sandwiched by a five-point effort from Garzon on a made jumper and three-pointer. Villanova hit 4-of-5 down the stretch of the contest. Jones scored nine of the points in the final frame, while Garzon and Mullin scored five, and Kylie Swider scored the final two on a layup in the final seconds. The Wildcats outscored the Bluejays 21-12 in the final quarter but fell by a final of 72-58.

Jones led the team with a career-high 13 points and five boards, four of those on the defensive end. She was one of three Wildcats to notch double-digit scoring, joined by Garzon and Mullin who netted 11 each.

Creighton's Lauren Jensen finished with a game high 23 points, finishing 8-of-17 from the floor and 4-of-10 from three.  Three of Bluejays finished with double digits, Emma Ronsiek (12), Mally (11), and Carly Bachelor (10). 

Villanova shot 21-of-50 from the field, going 7-of-21 from long distance while going 9-of-11 from the line.  Creighton shot 25-of-54 from the floor, netting 9-of-26 from three while finishing 11-of-17 from the free throw line.
The Wildcats will return to non-conference action on Thursday evening when they head to Harrisburg, Virginia to take on the James Madison Dukes. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 P.M.