Creighton women’s basketball coach Jim Flanery said he expected the bulk of this past season’s six-deep senior class to return for one more run. Those expectations became reality Sunday.
Lauren Jensen, Morgan Maly, Molly Mogensen, Mallory Brake and Jayme Horan announced in a joint video posted to X that they’re coming back to CU and taking advantage of their extra year of eligibility granted by the altered COVID-19 season.
"Creighton is such a special place to me," Mogensen said in the video. "The relationships that I've made the past four years are incredible, second to none. I've loved this game since I was a little girl. And I'm not ready for that to be done yet."
— Creighton Women’s Basketball (@CreightonWBB) April 7, 2024
The only one of the bunch not returning is Emma Ronsiek, a two-time Big East first-team selection who will leave Omaha sixth on the program’s all-time scoring list. She entered the transfer portal last Tuesday.
The handful of soon-to-be fifth-years helped the Bluejays finish 26-6, second in the Big East behind only UConn and with a program record third-straight NCAA tournament appearance.
"To go through a season and only have one month where you lost more than one game is a testament to the maturity of our team, the togetherness of our team," Flanery said. "I think it's really easy during a season to have a dip.
"Their consistency was really gratifying."
The seniors have played a significant part in the Jays’ success the past four seasons.
Jensen — out of Lakeville, Minnesota — averaged 17.2 points (36% on 3s) and 3.2 assists this season en route to first-team Big East honors for a second straight season. The former Iowa transfer dropped 19 points on the Hawkeyes in the second round of Creighton's Elite Eight run two years ago.
A Crete grad, Maly was named Big East first team in back-to-back seasons. She finished the 2023-24 campaign as the Jays’ leading rebounder and third-leading scorer behind Jensen and Ronsiek.
CU will have its point guard back in Mogensen, a two-year starter who commanded the offense alongside Jensen. Mogensen led the Jays in assists a season ago before doing it again this winter with 136.
Brake embraced being Creighton’s Swiss Army knife, doing the dirty work on both ends of the floor. The 6-foot forward started every game this past year — her first in the starting lineup — and averaged 4.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.8 steals.
And Horan, a homegrown talent out of Millard South, will bring back depth with an opportunity to see more minutes after Ronsiek’s departure. The former Nebraska Gatorade player of the year has been a fixture for the Jays’ bench, appearing in 102 games without starting one.
As of Sunday's group announcement, Flanery has the foundation for his 23rd season at Creighton. And it’s a mightily experienced one.
The Jays also have a supporting cast of underclassmen — along with incoming freshmen Allison Heathcock and Elizabeth Gentry — seeking to make a fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament.
McKayla Miller, a freshman on this year's squad, also is in the transfer portal. Flanery said the staff may test the waters in the portal, especially to add numbers to the roster.