An automatic bid to the women’s NCAA Tournament is on the line Monday in the Big East, and two top 25 teams will battle for it.
Paige Bueckers and No. 3 UConn are set to take on No. 22 Creighton at 7 p.m. ET at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut on Monday in the Big East championship game, where Geno Auriemma’s squad is in search of their fifth straight conference title.
It is the first time the Huskies and Bluejays are meeting up in the postseason since UConn rejoined the Big East prior to the 2020-21 season.
Bueckers, a candidate for national player of the year, led UConn to a dominant 82-54 semifinal win against Villanova on Sunday, scoring a game-high 23 points on 10-of-17 shooting and nabbing six rebounds. In addition to Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, star freshman Sarah Strong has had a strong start to the postseason. The Big East Freshman of the Year is averaging 15 points and 15 rebounds per game in two tournament games thus far.
Two Creighton players to watch out for will be Lauren Jensen and Morgan Maly, veteran guards who have been a staple of Jim Flanery’s program. Jensen leads Creighton in scoring at 18.0 points per game, while Maly is averaging 17.5 per game herself.
Regardless of the outcome in Monday’s championship game, both programs are well positioned to make March Madness. ESPN’s Charlie Creme has UConn as a No. 2 seed entering Monday, while Creighton is projected as a No. 8 seed.
With that, follow along here for live scores, updates and highlights of the Big East championship game between UConn and Creighton:
This section will be updated at tip-off
This section has been updated with new information
Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd lead No. 3 UConn to its fifth straight Big East tournament title with a commanding 70-50 win over No. 22 Creighton. It’s the 23rd Big East tournament title for the Huskies.
Bueckers finished with a game-high 24 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field with eight rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals. UConn’s defense was phenomenal all night, causing 19 turnovers and holding Creighton to 35.8% shooting from the field.
Creighton isn’t going down without a fight.
Geno Auriemma has seen enough, calling a timeout after Kiani Lockett hits a 3-pointer to push Creighton’s run to 6-0 over the last 57 seconds. UConn retains a 57-43 lead, but the Bluejays are outscoring the Huskies 9-4 in the fourth quarter.
Paige Bueckers is up to 20 points on the evening with a jumper, which extends UConn’s lead to 57-40 with 6:59 remaining in the fourth quarter. Bueckers’ jumper ends a three-minute scoring drought.
It’s the 17th game this season that Bueckers has reached at least 20 points in a game, and her third in the Big East tournament.
Ice Brady gets called for an illegal screen, as Paige Bueckers tried moving near the UConn bench. Molly Mogensen, who took the hit from Brady, then hits a 3-pointer for Creighton.
The Huskies are one quarter away from winning their fifth straight Big East tournament title, as they lead 53-34 going into the fourth.
UConn had its worst quarter shooting of the night in the third quarter, as it only hit five of its 15 shots from the field in the frame. Paige Bueckers leads all scorers with 16 points.
A positive for Creighton in the third quarter was Morgan Maly. The veteran forward scored seven points in the frame alone after just scoring two points in the entire first half.
Azzi Fudd gets called for her second personal foul of the evening. It comes right after Kaitlyn Chen turned over the ball for the Huskies, their 13th turnover of the night.
Something to monitor over the next 4:55 of the third quarter with UConn out in front 49-28.
Paige Bueckers is up to 14 points on the night, as she switches her hands while going up for the easy coast-to-coast layup off the glass. She has now scored five of UConn’s last 12 points going back to the second quarter.
It is the first made basket of the third quarter for UConn after it missed its first four shots from the field. Creighton has yet to score in the second half, as it trails the Huskies 44-22 with a timeout on the floor.
A dominating first half by UConn gives the Huskies a commanding 40-22 lead going into the locker room at halftime.
Lauren Jensen attempted a 3-pointer on Creighton’s last possession in hopes of getting something started but it didn’t fall — a near perfect description of how the first half went for the Bluejays.
While the offense certainly was there in the first half for the Huskies, it was the defense for Geno Auriemma’s squad that stood out in the first 20 minutes: 15 defensive rebounds, 11 caused turnovers, seven steals and two blocks while holding Creighton to 35.7% from the field (10% 3-point shooting).
The Huskies are 20 minutes away from their 23rd Big East tournament crown.
Paige Buckets!
Bueckers hits a 3-pointer from the top of the key for her third triple of the night, and it forces Creighton to call a timeout. Huskies leading Bluejays 35-15 with 4:01 remaining in the second quarter.
UConn is 7-for-13 from 3-point shooting, compared to Creighton’s 0-for-7 shooting from 3.
Azzi Fudd is heating up from downtown as she hits a transition 3-pointer off the assist from Paige Bueckers. That makes three straight 3-pointers for Fudd, who now has a game-high nine points. Fudd’s 3-point shooting has been big for UConn over the last few weeks, and one of several reasons why the Huskies can make a deep run in March.
All momentum is with UConn here, as the Huskies have their largest lead of the night at 32-15 at the under-five media timeout in the second quarter. Creighton is on a 3:14 scoreless drought.
What a first quarter for the 22-time Big East tournament champions.
Azzi Fudd hits a 3-pointer in transition off a steal from Paige Bueckers just before the end of the quarter to put UConn up 27-11. It was quick two 3-pointers for Fudd in the final 1:37 of the frame after she was held scoreless for the previous eight minutes.
Creighton struggled mightily against UConn’s defense in the opening frame, as the Bluejays turned the ball over seven times and made just five shots from the field.
A pair of triples puts Paige Bueckers on the board and extends UConn’s lead to 19-7 with a personal 8-0 run. Bueckers also had a pair of free throws at the charity stripe between her 3-pointers.
Creighton calls a timeout on the floor with 2:07 remaining in the first quarter.
Here come the Jays.
After a disastrous start — 0-for-4 shooting and five turnovers — to open the first quarter, Creighton has responded with a quick 6-0 run in the last 1:06 to bring the score to 11-6 going into the under-five media timeout. Lauren Jensen hit a pair of buckets for Creighton, while Morgan Maly has the other.
UConn has not scored in the last 2:34 after starting the game 11-0.
UConn’s offense is causing mismatches and struggles for Creighton’s offense, which has been historically a top-ranked one in the Big East under Jim Flanery.
Bluejays are 0-for-4 from the field to start the night, as the Huskies lead 11-0 after the first five minutes.
The Huskies are the first on the board with a jumper from center Jana El Alfy inside the paint. If UConn wins its fifth straight Big East conference tournament title on Monday, it will be because of its dominance inside the paint and scoring from Paige Bueckers, who is averaging 21.5 points through two tournament games this season.
UConn would extend its lead to 4-0 with a El Alfy layup on its next possession after causing a turnover on the other end.
Here’s a look at the starters for Monday’s game between UConn and Creighton:
UConn:
Creighton:
Paige Bueckers and UConn have taken the court at Mohegan Sun Arena for pregame warm-ups ahead of Monday’s conference championship game against Creighton. UConn enters the night 44-1 all time at Mohegan Sun Arena.
UConn enters Monday’s game with a 25-6 record in the Big East conference championship game, per its game notes. A win Monday against Creighton would give UConn its 23rd Big East tournament title and its 30th overall conference tournament championship.
Fox Sports 1 will televise Monday’s women’s Big East championship game between UConn and Creighton, with John Fanta (play-by-play), Kim Adams (analyst) and Allison Williams (sideline reporter) on the call.
Streaming options for the game include the Fox Sports Go app (with a TV login) and Fubo, the latter of which carries FS1 and offers a free trial to new subscribers.
UConn and Creighton are scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. ET from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut on Monday, March 10 in the 2025 women’s Big East tournament championship game. UConn is 44-1 all-time at Mohegan Sun Arena, including a perfect 11-0 in the Big East tournament, per its game notes.
As noted by UConn’s game notes, the Huskies are 11-0 in their all-time series against the Bluejays.
Austin Curtright, USA TODAY Sports: UConn 70, Creighton 55
“UConn, like it has twice before this season, will fend off Creighton yet again, this time taking home some hardware afterward. Paige Bueckers will finish out her final regular season with another conference championship, as she has done each of her five seasons with the Huskies.”
Game lines and odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Monday, March 10
Here’s a look at UConn’s last five results. To view the Huskies’ full 2024-25 schedule, click here.
Here’s a look at Creighton’s last five results. To view the Bluejays’ full 2024-25 schedule, click here.
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