Preview: Nebraska Women's Basketball vs. Creighton with Breakdown

Creighton Scout

Head Coach

Jim Flanery | 24th season at Creighton & as HC | 453-275 (.622) Career Record & at Creighton | 8x NCAA Tournament App., 1x Elite Eight | 1x BIG EAST Regular Season Title; 2x MVC Regular Season Title | Previous head coach at Loras College | Previous assistant at Creighton. 

2024 Finish

L, 57-66 vs. Illinois in NCAA Tournament First Round.

2024 Record & Awards

26-7 (16-2 BIG EAST, 2nd) | AVCA National Freshman OTY | All-Americans: 1x Honorable Mention | East Coast All-Region Freshman OTY | All-Region: 4x First Team | All-BIG EAST: 2x First Team, 1x Honorable Mention.

All-Time Series

Nebraska leads 31-19 (Nov. 22, 2024 last matchup, 80-74 Creighton) 

Key Returners

• Kiani Lockett | G | Sr. | After starting in 30 of 32 games last season as a junior, Lockett has transformed into CU's leading scorer with 17 points in each of Creighton's first two games.
• Kennedy Townsend | G | Sr. | A top bench contributor for Creighton last season, averaging 12 points a game as part of CU's starting lineup in 2025-2026.
• Allison Heathcock | G | Soph. | Averaging over eight points per game in her first two games as a starter after appearing in 30 games as a true freshman last season.
• Elizabeth Gentry | F | Soph. | Another player that saw action as a true freshman, the Colorado native starts for CU as a 6-foot-3 center.

Key Departures

•  Lauren Jensen | G | Graduated | 2024 AP All-American Honorable Mention, who averaged over 17 points per game and finished her career with back-to-back spots on the All-BIG EAST First Team.
• Morgan Maly | G/F | Graduated | Nebraska native who joined Jensen with over 17 points per game and two-straight seasons on the All-BIG EAST First Team while leading CU in rebounds.
• Molly Mogensen | G | Graduated | Creighton assist leader and one of two full-time starters to shoot over 40% from three in her final college season.
• Mallory Brake | F | Graduated | The fourth starter to move on over the offseason, the Minnesota native led the team in steals with 50.
• Jayme Horan | G | Graduated | A Millard South graduate who shot over 37% from three off the bench for CU in her final season of college.
• Brooke Littrell | G/F | Graduated | A former Central Missouri player who averaged over nine minutes per game in 32 contests as a graduate transfer.

Impact Transfers/Newcomers

• Ava Zediker | G | Fr. | Heralding from Des Moines, the true freshman has scored 25 points off the bench in her first two career collegiate games.
• Grace Boffeli | F | Gr. | Northern Iowa transfer that has posted 8.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game early in her CU tenure.
• Neleigh Gessert | G | Fr. | Another true freshman to crack the lineup, the Millard West graduate has added 17 points in 32 minutes through two games.
• Kendall McGee | G | Fr. | No. 3 overall prospect in Minnesota coming out of high school, and has seen the floor for 23 minutes through her first two college contests.

Outlook

Creighton head coach Jim Flanery and his women's basketball team experienced a changing of the guard as part of a pivotal offseason for the program. After four-straight NCAA Tournament appearances — including an Elite Eight appearance — the Bluejays said goodbye to an historic senior class.

That's highlighted by two-time All-BIG EAST First Team performers Lauren Jensen and Morgan Maly, who both averaged over 17 points per game while Jensen was named an AP All-American Honorable Mention. Molly Mogensen graduated after leading the team in assists and shooting over 40% from three. The same could be said for Mallory Brake (steals leader), Jayme Horan (37% from three), and Brooke Littrell.

With only 11 players total on the roster and seven of them newcomers, it's a new era for CU in the 2025-2026 season. Returning starter Kiani Lockett has transformed into Creighton's biggest scoring threat, averaging 17 points through two games, which have come against Summit League favorite South Dakota State and Drake. Kennedy Townsend was a key bench asset last season, but has added 12 points a game as a new starter, while sophomore Allison Heathcock represents another new name to the starting lineup.

The six-player recruiting class was an impressive haul for Flanery, bringing in three top-100 players, highlighted by Ava Zediker, who's second on the team with 12.5 PPG off the bench. Neleigh Gessert (8.5 PPG), Kendall McGee (11.5 MPG), and Norah Gessert (11.0 MPG) will also see playing time as freshmen. Graduate post Grace Boffeli is the only new addition through the transfer portal, coming from Northern Iowa, and leads the team with 7.5 rebounds per game while chipping in 8.5 points.

This is a drastically different team than the one that's broken the hearts of Nebraska for the past few seasons, and for that reason, NU should enter Wednesday as the favorite — especially at home. CU is more battle-tested at this point, but Nebraska has the depth and pedigree to snap its three-game losing streak to the Bluejays.