Lauren Jensen scores 28 points and No. 23 Creighton women defeat DePaul 83-74

CHICAGO — Lauren Jensen scored 28 points and No. 23 Creighton used a strong second half to defeat DePaul 83-74 on Sunday.

Creighton led by three points at halftime and the Bluejays’ lead was three points late in the third quarter before Molly Mogensen and Kennedy Townsend hit 3-pointers for a 62-53 lead heading to the final period. Creighton’s 8-0 run in the middle of the fourth put the game well in hand at 77-60.

Morgan Maly had 15 points and seven rebounds and Mogensen had 11 points, six rebounds and five assists for Creighton (23-4, 15-1 Big East). Mallory Brake contributed 11 points.

Taylor Johnson-Matthews scored 26 points and Jorie Allen had 22 points and seven assists for DePaul (12-17, 7-9). Meg Newman collected 13 rebounds.

Johnson-Matthews scored eight points and Allen had seven in the first quarter, leading DePaul to a 22-14 lead in the final minute of the period. Creighton battled back in the second quarter and Kiani Lockett’s three-point play gave the Bluejays a 32-31 lead. A 3-pointer by Jensen, who scored 10 points in the quarter, gave Creighton a 41-38 lead at halftime.

Creighton remains one game behind No. 5 UConn as the regular season winds down. The Bluejays visit the Huskies on Thursday and host Villanova on Sunday.

DePaul finishes at Seton Hall on Thursday and at home against St. John’s on Sunday.