Creighton draws big WNIT crowds

Wednesday, March 31, 2004 | 9:31 a.m.

OMAHA, Neb. -- Say what you will about the Corn Belt, but at least basketball fans in this part of the country appreciate the women's game.

For the second time in three days, the Lady Rebels encountered a hostile road environment as an enthusiastic crowd of 4,180 turned out at the Omaha Civic Auditorium to whoop it up for the hometown Creighton Bluejays.

It was the second-largest home crowd in Creighton women's basketball history, topped only by the gathering of 4,439 that watched Auburn knock off the Bluejays in last year's WNIT semifinals.

Combined with the crowd of 7,305 that was on hand to watch them beat Iowa State in Ames on Sunday, the Lady Rebels must have felt like they were in Albuquerque again.

Although the Iowa State and Creighton crowds were nowhere close to the 18,018 that New Mexico attracted for the Lady Rebels' visit on Jan. 31, the racket they generated was impressive.

"As a player, you want to play in that type of atmosphere," said UNLV's Sheena Moore, who did her part to try to silence the crowd with 21 points. "It makes you want to step it up and bring your 'A' game."

Taking the analogy a step further, when Moore played her 'A' game at the Cox Pavilion, it was usually in front of a D-minus crowd.

Lady Rebels coach Regina Miller said she was happy that UNLV president Dr. Carol Harter was able to attend the game and feel the electric atmosphere firsthand.

"I told Dr. Harter that this is something we need to do in Las Vegas," Miller said. "Then maybe one day we'll get to host a WNIT championship game.

"I know Omaha's not Las Vegas, but there are other things to do here. In a city of 2 million, there's no reason we shouldn't be able to draw five or six thousand. We need to put a campaign together and make it happen."