KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – McKenzie Fujan scored a career-high 24 points as Creighton held off a late Syracuse rally to beat the Orange 61-56 and earn their first NCAA tournament victory since 1992.
After trailing by 10 points with less than five minutes remaining, Syracuse had a chance to tie the game with a 3-pointer in the final seconds, but Elashier Hall's shot hit the right side of the rim. Creighton's Sarah Nelson added two free throws with three-tenths of a second left.
Kayla Alexander, the leading scorer in Syracuse history, had 23 points and eight rebounds for the Orange (24-8). Carmen Tyson-Thomas added 13 points for Syracuse, which was seeking its first NCAA tournament victory.
Fujan shot 6 of 10 from 3-point range for Creighton (25-7) and had 17 points by halftime. Nelson added 17 points and Marissa Janning had 10 for the Bluejays.
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