Women's Basketball Travels to Denver for Wednesday Game

Game 8 at Denver ? Wednesday, Dec. 5 ? 8:00 p.m. (CST)
Creighton Bluejays at Denver Pioneers
Magness Arena ? Denver, Colo.
Radio: 88.9 FM, www.kvss.com
Series History: First Meeting

? The game can be heard on Spirit 88.9 FM (KVSS) and online at www.kvss.com. Brad Burwell and Rob Simms will call the action.

? Live stats and live video for this game and select road games can be found on the CU athletics website at www.gocreighton.com.

? Sam Schuett scored a career-high 30 points at Nebraska last Friday, adding 10 rebounds for her fourth career double-double. She is averaging 16 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in CU's last four games.

? Kelsey Woodard has set a school record by starting her career 19-of-19 from the free-throw line, while she has tied the CU record by making the first 19 of the season.

? Woodard and Schuett (18-for-18) are tied for the NCAA lead with a perfect free-throw percentage, while the Bluejays lead the MVC and rank 11th in the NCAA in free-throw percentage (.789).

? The Bluejay bench has scored at least 30 points in each CU win this year and is averaging 34.3 points per game.

? Creighton and Denver have never played in women's basketball, while the Bluejays topped Denver's Sun Belt Conference foe, UALR, 67-54 on Nov. 10.

? CU is 2-0 in Colorado this year and 4-0 in the state all-time under Jim Flanery.

Scouting the Bluejays (4-3)
Creighton is 4-3 on the year, including 2-2 on its current six-game road trip which it will not return home from until Dec. 18 ... The Jays are 1-3 in road games this year ... CU is coming off a 13-19 season, including an 8-10 sixth-place finish in the MVC and a spot in the Valley Tournament title game ... CU is picked to finish sixth in the MVC preseason poll ... The Bluejays show impressive offensive balance, with nine players averaging better than five points per game, led by Sam Schuett's 10.6 ... Sara Cain ranks second on the team with 9.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game ... Megan Neuvirth, the 2007 MVC Newcomer of the Year, tops the team with 5.6 rebounds per game ... The Bluejays are forcing 19.4 turnovers per game and averaging 8.6 steals ... CU owns a plus-3.3 rebounding margin on the year ... The Jays average 67.1 points per game and allow 65.1 ... Junior Chevelle Herring and freshman Abby Henry are both out for the season due to knee injuries.

Scouting the Pioneers (2-3)
Denver (2-3) is picked to finish second in the Sun Belt Conference West Division, behind UALR ... Two of DU's three losses this year have come to top-25 teams Duke and Wyoming ... Nnenna Akotaobi leads the team with 12.2 points per game ... Sara Benham adds 10.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, while Alisha Godette leads the team with 6.2 boards per game ... Andie Mason leads the team with 10 three pointers made ... DU averages 57.2 points per game, allows 60.6, shoots 39.8 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from 3-point range.

The Coaches
Jim Flanery (Creighton, 1987) guided his team to three straight WNIT appearances to start his career, while capturing the 2004 WNIT Championship. In 2003 he became the winningest rookie coach in school and MVC history. Now in his sixth season at CU, his overall mark is 92-71 (.564). Prior to serving as CU's head coach, Flanery served as CU's top assistant for a decade. Flanery has never faced Denver, while he is 1-1 against Sun Belt Conference teams, including 1-0 this year. Denver is coached by two-time Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year Pam Tanner (Illinois State, 1989). She is 181-165 in her 13th season with the Pioneers.

Most Perfect
Freshman Kelsey Woodard and sophomore Sam Schuett are both perfect at the free-throw line this season, with Woodard establishing a school record by starting her career with 19 consecutive makes. Woodard has also tied the school mark for consecutive makes to start the season, equalling the record set by Holly Sivesind to open the 1996-97 season. Woodard is the most perfect free-throw shooter in the country through games on Dec. 2, as there are seven players in the NCAA who have not missed a free-throw this year, but none have made more than her 19 attempts.

Contagious Shooting
Kelsey Woodard isn't the only Bluejay with the distinction of being the most perfect this year. Sophomore Cavel Witter of the men's team has started his season and his Bluejay career by making 22 straight free-throws to rank as the most perfect free-throw shooter in the NCAA on the men's side.

Rocky Mountain High
Creighton's game at Denver on Wednesday will be its third in Colorado this season, where the Jays are 2-0 after winning a tournament hosted by Colorado State over Thanksgiving weekend. Under Jim Flanery, the Bluejays are now 4-0 in Colorado and 4-0 against teams from the state (2-0 against Colorado and 2-0 against Colorado State). The Jays have won six straight games in the state, dating to an 86-73 loss to CSU on Jan. 27, 1990.

Sam I Am
With a career-high 30 points at Nebraska (Nov. 30), sophomore Sam Schuett became the first Bluejay to score 30 points since Angie Janis scored 30 against Bradley on March 2, 2006. Schuett made a career-high 11 field goals in the game, including the first 10 she attempted. Her 11 field goals in the game are the most by a player in the MVC this season thus far. She was the first Bluejay to score 30 on the road and against a non-conference opponent since Laura Spanheimer had 31 at Oregon State on Dec. 2, 2004. No CU sophomore had scored 30 points since Christy Neneman poured in 39 against Drake on March 9, 2002 in the MVC Tournament title game.

Double Your Pleasure
As if exploding for a career-best 30 points in a game wasn't enough, Sam Schuett added a game-high 10 rebounds for her first, and the teams first, double-double of the year. It was Schuett's fourth career double-dime.

Break from Big 12
Creighton's game at Denver gives the Jays a break from their Big 12 schedule. CU's last two games, and its next two games, are against Big 12 foes. CU has lost eight straight games against the Big 12, dropping to 6-12 against the conference since 2002-03. CU has lost to Kansas and Nebraska this year, while it will look to snap the streak when it plays at Iowa State and hosts Kansas State in its next two games.

Shoot Better, Win More
An easy enough formula and one the Jays have lived by through seven games this year. When Creighton shoots at least 40 percent from the field this year it is 4-0. When it does not shoot 40 percent in a game, it is 0-3. In fact, the Bluejays are shooting below 30 percent in their losses this year, making just 28.7 percent of their shots, including 25.7 percent from three-point range. In their four wins, the Jays are shooting 44.3 percent from the floor and 36.7 percent from long range.

Balancing Act
Nine Bluejays are averaging between 5.0 and 10.6 points per game, led by Sam Schuett. Ally Thrall leads the team with 30.7 minutes per game, while nine Bluejays average between 14 and 22 minutes per game. Through seven games, six different Bluejays have led the team in scoring in a game this year. Eight different Bluejays have scored at least 10 points in a game this year.

Woodard Named Newcomer of the Week
Kelsey Woodard was tabbed the MVC Newcomer of the Week (Nov. 26) after helping CU to three wins in the previous week. She averaged 11.3 points in the three wins, while shooting 5-of-9 from three-point range. Against Memphis (Nov. 19), she led the team with 14 points and against Kent State (Nov. 23) she topped the team with 13 points and career-best six assists.

Speaking of Kelsey
While freshman Kelsey Woodard has had a solid start to her career, sophomore Kelsey Crites has returned to form after redshirting because of a torn ACL last year. Crites is averaging 15.6 minutes per game, while scoring 6.1 points per game. The lefty unloaded a career-best 14 shots at Nebraska (Nov. 30), while she pulled down a career-high seven rebounds and tied her career-high with three steals against the Huskers. Against Memphis (Nov. 19), Crites tied her career-high with 11 points.

Candy Cains
Senior Sara Cain has turned her game up a notch this season, after coming on strong to end her junior year. The forward has made the first five three-pointers of her career this year, going 5-for-14 (.357) to open the year. At Nebraska (Nov. 30) she tied her career-high with nine rebounds and scored nine points to fall just short of her first career double-double. Over her last four games, she has scored in double figures three times and is averaging 11.3 points and 6.5 rebounds.

Bench Warmers
Creighton's reserves didn't keep the bench warm in the Bluejays 90-57 win over Memphis on Nov. 19, they kept the nets warm, as the Bluejay bench scored 50 points in the win. It marks the highest bench output in the Jim Flanery era, topping the 41 points the 2002-03 bench twice put up. In fact, it's the most bench points scored by the Bluejays since the reserves scored 53 against Northwestern on Dec. 10, 2000. CU's bench is averaging 34.3 points per game this year, scoring at least 43 points off the bench in three of CU's first seven games.

Bench Scoring under Flanery
Season Average High Game
?07-08 34.3 50
?06-07 19.6 35
?05-06 17.0 31
?04-05 13.9 29
?03-04 15.8 30
?02-03 22.4 41

Start the Reserves?
The Bluejay bench is averaging more points per game (34.3-32.9) than the starting five this year. The reserves haven't been much, if any, of a drop off from the starters this season. See the chart below:

Statistic Starters Reserves
PPG 32.9 34.3
FG% 38.8 36.0
Opp FG% 44.3 46.7
3FG-3FGA 20-69 27-80
3FG% .290 .338
FT-FTA 44-57 61-76
FT% .772 .803
Rebounds 19.6 19.6
Rebound Margin 0.0 +3.3
Assists 7.1 6.3
Steals 5.3 3.3

Family Tradition
Freshman Kelsey Woodard appears poised to chase a record set by her sister, Kristi, during her Creighton career. The rookie has made the first 19 free-throws of her career, making at least two in each of CU's first seven games. Kristi has the top two single-season free-throw shooting percentages in school history, making 89.2 percent in 2003-04 and 86.2 percent in 2004-05. The elder Woodard also owns the CU career free-throw shooting percentage record, making 86.2 percent in her career from 2002-06.

No Fun in the 90s
For the second straight season, a Big 12 opponent hung 90 points on the Bluejays on the road, as Kansas topped the Jays 91-56 (Nov. 27). Kansas State scored 94 on the Jays in a romp last year, the only time CU surrendered 90 points in a game last season. While the Jays are 6-0 when scoring 90 under Jim Flanery, they dropped to 0-6 when allowing 90 during Flanery's tenure. The Jays have allowed a 90-point game to an opponent once in each of Flanery's six years.

Start Me Up
Creighton opened the year 4-1 this season, its best five-game start since 2000. Last year the Bluejays started 0-7 and did not capture their fourth win of the season until Jan. 6. CU went 4-3 this November, its most wins in November since 1985.

Tournament Champions
Creighton captured the tournament title at the Rocky Mountain Invitational in Fort Collins, Colo. (Nov. 23-24). The Bluejays topped Kent State 71-57 and host Colorado State 78-56 to win the event. Sara Cain averaged 12 points and 6.5 rebounds per game to earn tournament MVP honors, while Sam Schuett added 11.5 points per game to earn all-tourney recognition. It was CU's first in-season tournament title since winning the InnSuites Classic in Flagstaff, Ariz., in 1998.

Good News from Behind the Arc
Creighton made 10 three-pointers in back-to-back games on Nov. 23-24 against Kent State and Colorado State. It marks the first time the Jays have put together consecutive double figure three-point games since the first two contests of the 2004-05 season. Last year's team hit 10 three-pointers in a game just once. Not only did CU made 20 threes in the two games, the Jays shot 42.6 percent (20-47) from behind the arc in that span.

Bad News from Behind the Arc
After making 20 three-pointers in its previous two games, the Bluejays shot a season-low 20.8 percent from three-point range, making just 5-of-24 shots from beyond the arc at Kansas (Nov. 27). The Jays are shooting 31.5 percent from three-point land this year, one year after ranking last in the conference and notching the worst three-point percentage in school history at 30.1 percent.

We'll Take That
The Bluejays forced a season-high 29 turnovers against Memphis (Nov. 19) and followed by forcing 25 turnovers against Kent State (Nov. 23). The 54 turnovers in a two-game span are the most under Jim Flanery and the most since the 1999 team swiped a combined 55 in a two-game span against USC and Wyoming.

Out of Action
The Jays have lost two players for the season due knee injuries, marking the third straight season knee problems have forced a Bluejay to miss the season. This year, junior Chevelle Herring and freshman Abby Henry are both out for the year due to injuries. Herring had surgery on an injured knee in early November, while Henry suffered a torn ACL in preseason practice. Last year Kelsey Crites went down with a torn ACL in the sixth game of the year and earned a medical redshirt. In 2005-06, Megan Neuvirth suffered a knee injury in the first official practice of the fall and missed the season. Herring and Henry will apply for medical redshirts at the end of the year.

90 for 90
Creighton scored 90 points against Memphis (Nov. 19) and helped head coach Jim Flanery capture his 90th career win. It was the sixth time under Flanery the Jays have scored at least 90, improving to 6-0 when reaching that mark since 2002-03.

Large Margins
Creighton topped Memphis 90-57 (Nov. 19) for a 33-point margin of victory, the largest in the Jim Flanery era. It was CU's largest margin of victory since topping Southern Illinois by 34, 88-54, in 2002. All of CU's wins have come by at least 13 points this year for an average 20.5 point margin of victory. Last year CU's largest margin of victory was 12 on two occasions.

More High Water Marks
In addition to being the largest margin of victory (33) and the most points scored by the Bluejay bench (50) in the Flanery era, the 48 points CU scored in the paint against Memphis on Nov. 19 were the most under Flanery. CU also forced 29 turnovers in the game, tying the high mark for a Flanery team set against Southern Illinois on Jan. 16, 2003. The Bluejays scored 36 points off the 29 turnovers, the second-most points off turnovers under Flanery, as the Jays scored 39 points off of Evansville turnovers on Feb. 13, 2003.

Take a Breather
Senior Ally Thrall has led the MVC in minutes played in each of the last two seasons. She had done so by playing at least 31 minutes in 60 straight games before playing just 22 minutes in CU's blowout of Memphis (Nov. 19). It was the fewest minutes played for Thrall since playing 22 against Houston on Nov. 30, 2005 in the third game of her sophomore year.

Cain is Able to hit Threes
Senior Sara Cain had attempted one three-pointer in her career through her first three seasons on campus. At Rutgers (Nov. 16), she launched six shots from long range, making two. She hit back-to-back three-pointers early in the second half to account for the first two trifectas of her career. She again drained two three-pointers in CU's win at Colorado State (Nov. 24).

Battling the Best
With a 62-43 loss at No. 6 Rutgers (Nov. 16), the Bluejays have now lost 13 consecutive games to nationally-ranked opponents. CU's last win against a ranked foe came on Dec. 7, 1999 when it defeated 14th-ranked Kansas in Omaha, 55-54. The Jays' last road win against a ranked team came Jan. 2, 1999, a 67-64 win at No. 25 Missouri State in Springfield, Mo. CU is 2-17 against the top-25 since 1998-99.

Shooting Woes at Rutgers
The Bluejays lost 62-43 at No. 6 Rutgers (Nov. 16). CU shot just 22 percent in the loss, its worst shooting performance since shooting 19.7 percent at Northwestern on Nov. 21, 2003.

Solid Debuts
Freshmen Kellie Nelson and Kelsey Woodard had strong collegiate debuts against UALR on Nov. 10. Nelson grabbed six rebounds in the first half and finished with seven points and seven rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench. Woodard was 3-for-6 from the field and had eight points while tying for the team-lead with three assists, also in 19 minutes off the bench.

Three for Thrall
Ally Thrall's three-point basket against UALR on Nov. 10 was the 103rd of her career, breaking a tie with Christy Neneman for sole possession of 10th place on the CU career charts. Thrall now has 109 career three-pointers and the next person she will aim for on the CU three-point list will be current graduate manager Kristi Woodard who made 132 treys in her career.

They're Back
Creighton had no seniors on the roster last year and returns 10 of 11 letterwinners and all five starters from last year's team. The only player not returning is role-player Jess Lammers, therefore the Jays are returning 99.6 percent of scoring and 99.5 percent of minutes played from last year's team. All but one (Katie Frank) of the 10 returners started at least two games for the Jays last year.

Nebraska Flavor
Over half of Creighton's 13 players on the roster this season are playing collegiate basketball in their home state. Bellevue natives Abby Henry (West), Chevelle Herring (East) and Kelsey Woodard (West), Omaha products Kellie Nelson (Westside) and Sam Schuett (Millard West) along with Katie Frank (South Sioux City) and Megan Neuvirth (West Point Central Catholic).

Preseason Picks
The Bluejays received one first place vote and have been picked to finish sixth in the MVC this year in the preseason poll voted on by league coaches, media and sports information directors. The Jays were picked to finish ninth in last year's preseason poll, and ended the year in sixth. The last time the Bluejays were tabbed for a sixth-place finish was 2001-02, when they captured their first regular-season Valley title. Drake is the MVC preseason favorite for the second straight year, earning 24 of 39 first-place votes.

Welcome to Creighton
CU's three freshmen are all from the Omaha area, including high school teammates Kelsey Woodard and Abby Henry. Both Bellevue West graduates verbally committed to Creighton prior to their sophomore year of high school. Kellie Nelson led her Westside team to a state runner-up finish, falling to Henry and Woodard's Thunderbirds in the state title game.

Senior Citizens
Sara Cain and Ally Thrall are seniors on this year's team, one year removed from a “senior-less” squad. Last year marked the first time since 1990-91 that the Bluejays did not have a senior. CU followed up that team without seniors by logging a school-record 28 wins and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.

Five Starters Back
The Bluejays have all five starters back from last year's team after opening last season with just one returning starter. Senior Ally Thrall was the only player to start all 32 games last year, while Sara Cain started 29 and Michelle Kaus started 26. Megan Neuvirth (19) and Sam Schuett (18) are also considered returning starters. Kristina Voss (16) and Chevelle Herring (15) also started for a good portion of the season, while Kelsey Crites and Tyrai Bronson also earned a pair of starts each. This marks the first time since 1990-91 that the Bluejays have returned all five starters. That 1990-91 squad finished 22-7.

All in the Family
Freshman Kelsey Woodard is following in the footsteps of older sister Kristi, who played at Creighton from 2002-06 and is now the graduate manager for the Jays. Kelsey is wearing the same No. 3 that Kristi wore during her playing career. The Woodard's sister in-law, Heidi Geier Woodard is in the CU Athletics Hall of Fame for her softball career in the late 1990s.

Coaching Changes
Creighton welcomes Rekha P. Hollomon as an assistant coach on this year's team, replacing associate head coach Tanya Warren. Hollomon, a native of North Carolina, spent last season at Ball State and has also been on staff at Eastern Illinois and Baylor. Warren left her alma mater to become head coach at MVC foe Northern Iowa.

Stealing is Good
The Bluejays logged 8.6 steals per game last year, including a league-leading 8.5 in MVC games. That was much improved from the 2005-06 squad which recorded the fewest steals per game (5.6) in school history. Megan Neuvirth led the MVC with 76 steals as a freshman last year, including 43 in conference play and an MVC record 14 during the Valley tournament.

Seniors, Co-Captains, Roomies, etc.
Roommates Sara Cain and Ally Thrall have many similarities. Cain (Walford) and Thrall (Des Moines) are both Iowa natives, both earned MVC All-Tournament Team honors last year and both were named second-team all-MVC scholar-athletes last year. They co-led the team with 10.6 points per game (though Cain edged Thrall 339-338 total) and they are co-captains as the only two seniors on this season's team.

Thrall's to the Wall
Senior Ally Thrall has led the MVC in minutes played in each of the last two years, averaging 38.3 minutes per game last year and 37.4 minutes per game as a sophomore in 2005-06. She tied a school record by playing in 123 (of 125) minutes at the MVC Tournament last year. She played the entire game 12 times last year and has played an entire game 25 times in her career, including all 45 minutes of an OT game three times.

Neuvirth is Newcomer of Year
Sophomore Megan Neuvirth was named the MVC Newcomer of the Year last season as a redshirt freshman. She led the league with 76 steals, including an MVC-best 43 in conference play. Neuvirth also led the team with 6.7 rebounds per game and 7.3 in MVC play. She was the only freshman on the MVC All-Defensive team. Her four double-doubles last year also topped the team and were the most by a CU freshman since Shannon Struby's nine in 1990-91.

Exhibition Recap
Creighton cruised past Division II Central Missouri 88-48 on Nov. 1 in its only exhibition game this year. Six Bluejays scored in double figures, led by Sara Cain's 13. Kristina Voss logged a double-double with 12 points and game-high 12 rebounds. Senior Ally Thrall was joined by freshmen Kellie Nelson and Kelsey Woodard with 12 points each. In fact, both freshmen were the first players to reach double figures for the Bluejays. Sam Schuett added 11 points for the Jays off the bench. CU shot 55 percent from the field, 45.5 percent (10-22) from three-point range and went a perfect 12-for-12 from the free-throw line while out-rebounding UCM 41-22. The Jays forced 25 turnovers and had a 38-18 advantage in points off turnovers and dominated the paint, out-scoring UCM 44-10 inside.

Schedule Notes
Creighton again plays the toughest non-conference schedule in the MVC. The Jays opened the season against Arkansas-Little Rock on Saturday, Nov. 10. UALR is one of six teams on CU's schedule that won at least 20 games last year. The Bluejays will also face four Big 12 teams (three on the road) and four NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago. Creighton's toughest task came at preseason No. 3 Rutgers, the 2006-07 NCAA National runners-up, on Nov. 16.

Blog Me
Senior guard Ally Thrall has her own blog on the Creighton athletics website at www.gocreighton.com. “Thrall's Thoughts” gives fans insights to the team through the eyes of one of its co-captains. The public relations / advertising major updates the blog once a week.

We're Moving
Creighton broke ground for a new on-campus women's basketball and volleyball facility on Oct. 16. The Ryan Athletics Center and D.J. Sokol Arena, a 46,000 square-foot facility, will house a gym seating 2,500 to 3,000, women's basketball and volleyball coaches offices, locker rooms, ticket offices, athletic training and meeting rooms, media workrooms and much more. Construction on the facility located at Webster and Florence Blvd. (19th Street) is expected to be completed by the end of 2008.

Put it in Neutral
For the first time in women's Missouri Valley Conference Tournament history, the event will be played at a neutral site. The 10-team event will take place in St. Charles, Mo. (a suburb of St. Louis) on March 13-16 at The Family Arena. The neutral site will be a welcome site for league members who have not hosted the event over the past four seasons. The host school won the tournament in 2004 (Missouri State), 2005 (Illinois State), 2006 (Missouri State) and 2007 (Drake). In each of the last three seasons, the host school has been the seventh or eighth seed.

Women's Basketball Travels to Denver for Wednesday Game

Players Mentioned

Tyrai Bronson

Sara Cain

Kelsey Crites

Katie Frank

Chevelle Herring

Angie Janis

Michelle Kaus

Jess Lammers

Kellie Nelson

Megan Neuvirth

Sam Schuett

Ally Thrall

Kristina Voss

Kelsey Woodard

Kristi Woodard

Related Videos