Creighton women fall to South Dakota despite forcing 29 turnovers
OMAHA — Creighton forced 29 turnovers but made only 13 of 57 shots and never led as South Dakota beat the Bluejays 54–49 on Wednesday night at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
The Coyotes scored the game's first basket and led 12–2 late in the first quarter. They were still up 19–8 with 7:45 left in the second quarter when the Bluejays answered with an 11–1 run. Mya Moore's 3-pointer started it, and Ava Zediker's 3-pointer with 3:57 left before halftime made it 20–19, which stood as the halftime score.
South Dakota opened the third quarter with seven straight points. Creighton climbed back within 36–34 on two Moore free throws with 1:16 left in the period, but the Coyotes scored the last four points of the quarter to lead 40–34. South Dakota stretched the margin to 48–38 with 4:09 to play. Creighton got within five twice, the last time on Jayla Williams' layup at the buzzer.
Creighton shot 22.8% from the field and made 5 of 24 3-pointers. South Dakota outrebounded the Bluejays 44–24, outscored them 24–10 in the paint and made 24 of 32 free throws to Creighton's 18 of 21. The Bluejays turned the Coyotes' turnovers into 21 points and committed 14 turnovers of their own.
Neleigh Gessert, a sophomore from Omaha who played at Millard West High School, led Creighton with 12 points. She made two of five 3-pointers and all four of her free throws. Zediker, a sophomore, added 10 points and three steals, and Moore, a freshman, scored 10 off the bench. Allison Heathcock had six steals, and Williams finished with seven points and four steals.
Molly Joyce scored 14 points for South Dakota and made 8 of 10 free throws. Latazia Williamson had 12 points and 11 rebounds. The crowd was 763.
Creighton is 2–1, and South Dakota is 3–0. The Bluejays play at Northern Iowa at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15, in Cedar Falls, Iowa; the school lists the game on ESPN+. Creighton then hosts Omaha at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, at D.J. Sokol Arena. The team's schedule does not list admission.
Source: Creighton Athletics: official box score, Creighton vs. South Dakota, Nov. 11, 2026, the Creighton women's basketball schedule and roster.
How we checked this: Reported from Creighton Athletics' official box score and play-by-play for Creighton vs. South Dakota, its game recap, and Creighton's schedule and roster, opened Nov. 11, 2026, at 9:16–9:19 p.m. CT, and checked against the record by our copy desk before publishing.