Women’s Hoops Opens Season at Dwelling Towards South Dakota State

Omaha, Neb. — The check flights have been accomplished and it’s time for our new Bluejay Women’s Basketball flock to take the court docket in a significant sport on Monday, November third as Creighton will open the 2025-26 season at residence towards South Dakota State at 6:00 pm in D.J. Sokol Arena.
 

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Takeoff History
The Bluejays are 22-29 in season openers coming into the sport with South Dakota State. The Bluejays are 35-16 in residence openers and 14-37 in street openers.

Under head coach Jim Flanery Creighton is 10-13 within the first sport of the season and 17-6 in residence openers. 

This would be the fourth time the Bluejays open a  season towards South Dakota State, going 1-2 to this point. Creighton defeated the Jackrabbits 78-69 in 2022, however fell 63-56 in 2016 and 76-71 final season.

Exhibition Recap

Creighton performed a pair of exhibition video games, besting Missouri Western 117-66 and defeating North Dakota State in a impartial website contest performed in Sioux Falls, South Dakota by the rating of 64-61.

Series with South Dakota State: Creighton Leads 11-6 

Creighton leads the general collection with South Dakota State, 11-6. The Bluejays are 7-1 towards the Jackrabbits at residence. 

Series with South Dakota State: 

Date    Opponent    Score

2/1/80    South Dakota State    W, 74-68 (ot)

2/11/84    South Dakota State    W, 78-43

3/20/08    & at South Dakota State    W, 76-69 

11/14/12    at South Dakota State    W, 63-54 

11/12/13    South Dakota State    W, 68-63

3/23/14    & at South Dakota State    L, 51-62

11/18/14    at South Dakota State    W, 88-81

12/12/15    South Dakota State    L, 51-53

11/11/16    at South Dakota State    L, 56-63

12/15/17    South Dakota State    W, 72-65

11/15/18    at South Dakota State    L, 48-74

11/12/19    South Dakota State    W, 61-48

11/30/20    at South Dakota State    L, 47-66

11/21/21    South Dakota State    W, 67-55

11/7/22    at #23 South Dakota State    W, 78-69

12/21/23    South Dakota State    W, 58-46

118/24    at #23 South Dakota State    L, 71-76

& = WNIT sport



About South Dakota State

• Located in Brookings, South Dakota. 
• The Jackrabbits went 30-4 final season, reaching the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament.
• Head coach Aaron Johnston has led SDSU to 18 postseason berths, together with 13 NCAA Tournament berths below his helm. 
• The Jackrabbits return two of 5 starters from final season, together with 2024-25 main scorer Brooklyn Meyer (17.0 ppg) and Madison Mathiowetz (8.9 ppg). 
• Brooklyn Meyer was honored because the 2024-25 All-Summit League First Team and All-Tournament Team and likewise returning, Katie Vasecka was deemed 
• All-Summit League Third Team.

About SDSU Head Coach Aaron Johnston

• Aaron Johnston will start his twenty sixth season at SDSU towards Creighton. 
• He has a 628-195 general file and his 628 wins declare him SDSU’s winningest ladies’s basketball coach in 
• program historical past.
• Last season he guided the Jackrabbits to its thirteenth look within the NCAA Tournament.

Scouting South Dakota State (1-0)
With their season opener at Creighton only a week away and an exhibition towards Augustana on Oct. 29 coming earlier than the season debut, the South Dakota State Jackrabbits return to the ground with out two of final season’s 5 starters.

The beginning 5 is with out Haleigh Timmer, Paige Meyer and Mesa Byom. Last season, Timmer and Meyer every averaged 12.8 factors per sport for the Jackrabbits, with Timmer taking pictures 48.4% from the sphere and Meyer 43.6%. 

Byom, a starter in 29 of South Dakota State’s 34 video games, averaged 6.6 factors per sport and recorded 46.6% taking pictures from the sphere.

Head coach Aaron Johnston and the SDSU program will see the return of senior veteran starters Brooklyn Meyer and Madison Mathiowetz.

In 2024-25, Meyer posted a team-high 17 factors per sport on 62.7% taking pictures for 579 factors over 899 minutes, whereas Mathiowetz averaged 8.9 factors on 45.5% taking pictures (37.6% from three) for 301 factors in 855 minutes.



Scouting Creighton (0-0)

Ahead of the common season debut towards South Dakota State, Creighton went 2-0 in exhibition matchups, defeating Missouri Western and North Dakota State collectively 181-127.

Returning to the ground for the primary time in 2025-26, the Bluejays overwhelmed Missouri Western in a 117-66 offensive showcase. Three years in the past, Creighton opened its 2022-23 exhibition schedule with a 91-34 win over the Griffins, however this 12 months the Bluejays outscored them by a further 26 factors.

In the matchup, returning veteran Kennedy Townsend scored 11 factors within the first 10 minutes.

Creighton’s second pre-season sport victory with North Dakota State got here by a narrower margin, because the Bluejays emerged victorious 64-61. Townsend as soon as once more recorded double digits with 12 within the matchup, whereas sophomore Elizabeth Gentry tallied 11 factors.

Veterans Kiani Lockett and Townsend are joined by 5 freshmen and a graduate switch added to the roster. 

Dating again to the 2021-22 season, the Bluejays received three of the final 4 matchups with the Jackrabbits. 

Familiarity for Jewett

After spending 9 seasons with the Jackrabbits (2013-21) Bluejay assistant coach Mike Jewett  has slightly Jackrabbits reunion once they are available in to play the Bluejays on Monday Night. Jewett served eight seasons  as affiliate head coach for the Jackrabbits, earlier than serving because the assistant coach/interim head coach for South Dakota through the 2023-24 season.  During Jewett’s time in Brookings, he compiled a formidable 223-71 file, together with six NCAA Tournament bids.

Twin Magic

Creighton has thrived recruiting together with in-state expertise and Omaha natives, Norah and Neleigh Gessert. The twins from Millard West High School want to make impression as soon as they step on the court docket Monday evening towards the Jackrabbits. They know what it takes to win together with successful back-to-back state championships in Nebraska Class A and going a file of 55-2 of their junior and senior 12 months of highschool. 

Neleigh leads Millard West in factors with 1,542 and  has the only season file with 520 factors in her junior 12 months, she additionally leads in blocks with 152. Norah however is the chief in at Millard West with 399 and broke the only season file with 163 in her senior 12 months. 



Location, Location, Location

The make-up of a roster follows related guidelines as actual property, location issues. Of the 24 gamers that make up the Creighton and South Dakota State rosters, are primarily from the Midwest area..

Although the Bluejays and South Dakota State typically battle on the recruiting path, the one overlapping states among the many 

2025-26 rosters is Minnesota and Iowa. 

The breakdown of residence states for every roster gives a glimpse into the recruiting footprint for every crew. 

Creighton – 11 Players: Minnesota 2, Nebraska 2, Iowa 2, Illinois 1, 

Missouri 1, Colorado 1, Oklahoma 1, Serbia 1).

South Dakota State – 13 Players: (South Dakota 6, Minnesota 4, 

North Dakota 2, Iowa 1).

Bluejays Returners Asked to Lead the Way

Creighton returned 4 gamers from final 12 months’s crew that included two seniors and two sophomores, returning starter Kiani Lockett leads the best way with additionally fellow senior Kennedy Townsend, sophormores Allison Heathcock, and Elizabeth Gentry. 

Lockett averaged 6.1 ppg and a pair of.3 apg by her span of 32 video games performed, together with 30 begins. Townsend got here off the bench in 33 video games averaging 5.8 ppg and a pair of.2 rpg. Heathcock got here off the bench for 30 video games and Gentry got here off the bench for 19 video games.