Bluejays Host No. 24 Cyclones in Women's Basketball Sunday

Game 3 vs. Iowa State ? Sunday, Nov. 23 ? 2:05 p.m.
Iowa State Cyclones at Creighton Bluejays
Omaha Civic Auditorium ? Omaha, Neb.
Radio: 88.9 FM, www.kvss.com ? Video: www.gocreighton.com
Series History: Iowa State leads 15-7
Last Meeting: Iowa State won 60-52 in Ames, Dec. 16, 2007

? The game can be heard on Spirit 88.9 FM (KVSS) and online at www.kvss.com. Brad Burwell and former Bluejay Sara Cizek Going will call the action.

? Live video for all home games will be available for a season-pass fee of $39.95 or a per game fee of $4.95. More information is available at www.gocreighton.com.

? Live stats for this game and all home games can be found on the CU athletics website at www.gocreighton.com.

? Creighton is 60-21 (.741) at home under Jim Flanery, including an 11-1 overall record and 3-0 non-conference mark last year.

? Senior Michelle Kaus tore her left ACL against Nebraska on Monday and will join junior Sam Schuett (left ankle) in missing the remainder of the season.

? Before her injury, Kaus became the 12th player in school history with 100 career three-pointers made.

? Chevelle Herring scored a career-high 19 points against Nebraska last Monday.

? CU's Kristina Voss and ISU's Nicky Wieben were high school teammates in Ankeny, Iowa, leading the team to four straight state titles and a No. 2 national ranking.

? CU is 7-15 all-time against Iowa State, including a 4-7 mark in Omaha.

Scouting the Bluejays (0-2)
While Creighton has played two games this year, it has four losses ... CU is 0-2 on the year and has lost senior Michelle Kaus (knee) and junior Sam Schuett (ankle) to season-ending injuries ... The Jays were picked to finish second in the MVC this year, after finishing just one win shy of a shared MVC title a year ago ... CU returns eight letterwinners and four players who started at least 15 games last year from its 21-12 team which advanced to the second round of the postseason WNIT ... CU led the MVC with 40.7 rebounds per game last year and established a school record for total rebounds ... CU also led the MVC with 222 3-pointers last year ... Through two games, CU has twice as many turnover (32) than assists (15) ... Senior Chevelle Herring leads the team with 13.5 points per game, after missing all of last year with a knee injury ... Senior Kristina Voss tops the team with 8.5 rebounds per game.

Scouting the Cyclones (2-0)
Iowa State, picked to finish third in the Big 12, is ranked No. 24 in this week's ESPN/USA Today poll and is 2-0 on the year, including a 79-54 win at Northern Iowa on Thursday ... ISU lost just one letterwinner and returns all five starters from last year's 21-13 team ... Eleven players are averaging at least 12 minutes played per game ... Kelsey Bolte leads the team with 12.5 points and is 7-of-14 on three-pointers ... Freshman Ashley Arlen leads the team with 10.0 rebounds per game ... Opponents are shooting just 27.5 percent against ISU through two games.

The Coaches
Jim Flanery (Creighton, 1987) has led his team to four WNIT postseason appearances and three 20-win seasons in his first six seasons at Creighton. In 2003 he became the winningest rookie coach in school and MVC history and led the Jays to the 2004 WNIT Championship. Now in his seventh season at CU, his overall mark is 109-82 (.571). Prior to serving as CU's head coach, Flanery served as CU's top assistant for a decade. Flanery is 0-1 against Iowa State and he is 7-14 against Big 12 opponents. Bill Fennelly (William Penn, 1979) is in his 14th season at Iowa State where he is 282-132 (.681). He has led the Cyclones to nine NCAA Tournaments in his 13 seasons, while he also led Toledo to three NCAA Tournaments in seven seasons. Now in his 21st year of coaching, he is 448-185 overall.

CU-ISU Series History
Creighton is 7-15 all-time against Iowa State, including 4-7 in Omaha. The Cyclones have won the last nine meetings overall, and the last four in Omaha, with the Bluejays. CU's last win over ISU came on Nov. 30, 1993 in Omaha. The last time ISU visited the Civic, the fifth-ranked Cyclones needed overtime to top the Jays 75-74 on Nov. 27, 2001.

Last Year vs. Iowa State
The Cyclones closed the game on a 23-5 run to come-from-behind and top the Jays 60-52 in Ames. CU led 47-37 with 9:35 to play following an Ally Thrall three-pointer. The Jays then missed their final nine attempts from the field during ISU's run. CU missed 10 of its first 11 shots of the game, but closed the first half on an 18-3 run to lead 28-22 at halftime. Kelsey Woodard scored the final eight points of the first half and finished with a team-best 12 points in the game. Kelsey Bolte had 15 points and 10 rebounds off the bench for ISU. Alison Lacey added 15 points and Nicky Wieben had 11 points for ISU. CU made 9-of-20 three-pointers (45.0) and out-rebounded ISU 33-29.

Battling the Big 12
Creighton continues its Big 12 schedule against Iowa State, its second of five games against the conference this season. The Jays lost to Nebraska last Monday and went 1-3 against the Big 12 last year, including a 69-62 home win over eventual league champion Kansas State. CU is 7-14 against the Big 12 under Jim Flanery, including 5-4 in Omaha. Flanery's record against Big 12 opponents; Colorado 2-0; Iowa State 0-1; Kansas 2-3; Kansas State 1-3; Missouri 0-1; Nebraska 2-5; Texas Tech 0-1.

Tough Schedule
Creighton again plays one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the MVC, facing five Big 12 teams, five 20-win teams and four opponents which advanced past the first round of the NCAA tournament last year. Iowa State is the third of the five 20-win teams and second of four NCAA Tournament teams CU faces this year, as the Cyclones finished 21-13 last year. In addition to the four NCAA teams (Iowa State, Kansas State, Nebraska, Oklahoma), the Jays also take on two WNIT teams in non-conference play (Kansas, UC Davis). ISU has advanced to the second-round of the NCAA Tournament in each of the last two seasons.

ACL-U
That's Anterior Cruciate Ligament University, not that other ACLU. When Michelle Kaus tore her ACL against Nebraska (Nov. 17), it marked the latest in a long line of ACL tears for Bluejays. Kaus also tore the same ACL last March. No longer a Bluejay, Abby Henry tore her ACL in the preseason last year and missed the entire season. Megan Neuvirth tore her ACL in CU's final game of the 2006-07 season and Kelsey Crites tore her ACL in Creighton's sixth game of the 2006-07 season. Even the women's basketball sports information contact, Rob Simms, tore his ACL in May of this year.

Milestone Reached
Michelle Kaus pushed her career three-point total to 101 with three makes against Nebraska last Monday. In so doing, Kaus became the 12th player in school history to eclipse 100 career three-pointers.

Hot Shooting, Bad Injuries
Senior Michelle Kaus has now suffered two torn left ACL's in an eight month period, the first ending her 2007-08 season last March. The most recent occurred last Monday against Nebraska, ending her 2008-09 season. In both instances, Kaus had been on fire from long range right before the injury took place. Last year Kaus connected on 16-of-30 shots from three-point range (.533) in her final eight games before the injury. This season, she was 6-for-9 (.667) from long range.

Be Careful Kristina
Should Michelle Kaus choose to take a medical redshirt and return next season, that would make senior Kristina Voss the only member of the five-person class to make it through her career in four seasons and without a season-ending injury. Kelsey Crites, Chevelle Herring and Megan Neuvirth are all fourth-year juniors, having already redshirted because of injuries.

Chevy Reaches New Plateaus
Chevelle Herring established career-highs with 19 points, five rebounds, nine field goals and 22 field goal attempts against Nebraska last Monday. Her former career-high also came against a Big 12 team, scoring 18 against Missouri in 2006.

Same (Slow) Start For Woodard
After shooting 58.3 percent (14-24) from the field and 50 percent (8-16) from three-point range during exhibition play, Kelsey Woodard has not had the same success in the regular-season. Woodard is shooting 24 percent (6-25) from the field and 30.8 percent (4-13) from long range. Last year as a freshman, Woodard made just 3-of-13 (.231) shots from the floor and was 0-for-7 from three-point range in her first two games.

Iowa Natives
Senior Kristina Voss (Ankeny) and junior Kelsey Crites (Clinton) both hail from Iowa. Voss was a high school teammate of Iowa State's Nicky Wieben, as the two combined for four state titles and a No. 2 national ranking at Ankeny. Head coach Jim Flanery is from Guthrie Center, Iowa.

Season-Ending Injuries
For the fourth consecutive season the Bluejays have lost at least one player to injury for the entire season. This year junior Sam Schuett suffered an ankle injury in practice on Oct. 31 and will be forced to miss the season following surgery on the left ankle on Nov. 10. Senior Michelle Kaus tore her left ACL on Nov. 17 and will also miss the season. Chevelle Herring (2007-08), Kelsey Crites (2006-07) and Megan Neuvirth (2005-06) were the previous players to go down with season-ending injuries. Crites played six games in 2006-07, while Herring and Neuvirth did not play a game the seasons they were injured.

Adjust the Numbers Again
When the season started, the Jays returned 75.9 percent of their rebounding, 66.1 percent of their scoring and 61.1 percent of their assists from last year's squad. However, subtract Sam Schuett's stats from the mix and the numbers drop to 59.1 percent of rebounding, 54.3 percent of scoring and 49.3 percent of assists. Schuett led the team with 6.8 rebounds per game last year, was third in assists and fifth in scoring Then subtract Michelle Kaus' numbers from the equation and the numbers fall to 55.4 percent of rebounding, 48.5 percent of scoring and 47.1 percent of assists from last year are now active on the roster.

Block Party
Kristina Voss and Megan Neuvirth both equalled career-highs with three blocked shots each against Nebraska last Monday.

Free-Throws Not Falling
Creighton opened the season with its worst free-throw shooting performance in two seasons, making just 13-of-25 for 52 percent. That percentage against Arkansas State on Nov. 14, was CU's worst performance at the stripe since Feb. 9, 2007, when the Jays made 2-of-4 freebies. The Jays shot 64.3 percent (9-14) against Nebraska and are now shooting 56.4 percent at the line on the year. Last year the Jays ranked second in the MVC and 33rd in the NCAA with a 74.8 free-throw percentage.

Pulling Rank
Iowa State enters the game ranked No. 24 in the ESPN/USA Today Poll. The last time the Jays played a team ranked No. 24 in a poll, they came away with a 75-71 win at AP No. 24 Illinois State on Feb. 2, 2008. That win snapped a 13-game losing streak to opponents in the AP top-25 for the Jays and marked CU's first ?W' over an AP top 25 team since Dec. 7, 1999. CU had not won a road game over a top 25 team since Jan. 2, 1999. CU went 1-1 against the top-25 last year and is 3-17 against the AP top-25 since 1998-99.

Newcomer's Debut
Creighton's lone freshman, DaNae Moore, made her collegiate debut in the Jays' season-opener at Arkansas State. Junior college transfer Stephani Rhoten also debuted, making her first Division I field goal attempt, a three-pointer in the second half. Moore, who missed both CU exhibitions with a broken hand, played nine minutes and made the only field goal attempt in her welcome to college basketball.

Downward Trend
Kelsey Woodard and Megan Neuvirth averaged 18.5 and 17.0 points per game, respectively, in exhibition play, but have not followed the same trend in the regular-season thus far. Woodard, who shot 58.3 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from three-point range in exhibition play, is 6-of-25 (.240) from the field and 4-of-13 (.308) on three-pointers, and is averaging 11 points. Neuvirth shot 65 percent from the field in two exhibitions but has made only 7-of-25 (.280) shots in her first two games.

Exhibition Recap
Creighton won both of its exhibition contests of Division II opponents from the MIAA. CU topped Nebraska-Omaha 93-68 and defeated Central Missouri 78-56. The Jays averaged 85.5 points, shooting 46.5 percent from the field, 31.7 percent from three-point range and 67.8 percent from the free-throw line. CU out-rebounded the D2 foes by an average of 10 boards per game. Kelsey Woodard led CU with 18.5 points per game, making 8-of-16 shots from three-point range. Megan Neuvirth averaged 17 points and 10.5 rebounds per game and topped the team with 4.5 assists and 3.0 steals per game. Kellie Nelson (13.5), Kristina Voss (11.0) and Chevelle Herring (10.0) each average double figure point totals as well. The Jays forced 47 turnovers, but committed 37 in the two exhibition games.

Neuvirth's Near Triple-Double
While it was only exhibition play, Megan Neuvirth's performance against UNO on Nov. 4 was impressive. The junior had 14 points, career-best 14 rebounds, five steals and tied her career-high with eight assists. She's approached a triple-double before, with 14 points, 11 rebounds and seven steals against Indiana State on March 1, 2007 and nine points, eight rebounds and eight assists against Evansville on Feb. 15, 2007. Only two Bluejays have ever recorded a triple-double in the regular-season ? Becky Flynn (Jan. 11, 1994) and Laura Spanheimer (Jan. 8, 2004).

Preseason Picks
The Bluejays have been picked to finish second in the MVC preseason poll as voted on by league coaches, media and sports information directors. The Jays were picked to finish sixth in last year's preseason poll, and ended the year in fourth. The last time the Bluejays were tabbed for a second-place finish was 2004-05, and then went on to finish second. In fact, each of the previous three times the Bluejays were tabbed for a second-place finish (1993-94, 2003-04 and 2004-05), the Jays did finish in second place. Illinois State is the unanimous MVC preseason favorite, earning all 40 first-place votes.

We're Back
The Bluejays return eight letterwinners and four players who started at least 15 games last year, while they lose three letterwinners and two starters. Gone are Tyrai Bronson and starters Sara Cain and Ally Thrall. Returning starters Kristina Voss (32), Megan Neuvirth (21), Kelsey Woodard (19) and Sam Schuett (15) were all regulars in the starting lineup, while Michelle Kaus also started 11 contests last year.

All-Conference Losses
Creighton lost two all-conference players to graduation following last year. Point guard Ally Thrall was named first-team all-MVC after leading the team in scoring (10.8) and assists (3.8). Thrall led the MVC by playing 36.5 minutes per game and averaged 37.4 minutes played per game over her final three seasons at Creighton. Sara Cain earned second-team all-MVC honors after ranking second on the team with 10.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.

Welcome to Creighton
The Jays welcome two newcomers to this year's roster, sophomore Stephani Rhoten of Canyon, Texas, and freshman DaNae Moore of Apple Valley, Minn. Rhoten, who attended Seward County (Kan.) Community College last year, is Creighton's first junior college transfer since Taya Allen in 1998-99. Allen was named the MVC Newcomer of the Year that season. Moore, a high school teammate of Bluejay senior Michelle Kaus at Eastview High School, alone makes up the smallest freshman class in CU women's basketball history.

Rhoten's Road to Omaha
Stephani Rhoten has three years of eligibility remaining at Creighton after playing her freshman season at Seward County CC in Liberal, Kan., last year. Rhoten averaged 14.2 points, 6.1 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game in her only junior college season. The guard was named second-team all-conference and honorable-mention all-region after leading both the conference and region in assists.

Chevy Returns
Junior Chevelle Herring returns to the court this year after missing all of last season due to preseason knee surgery. The fourth-year junior took a medical redshirt last year. Herring, who is expected to see a majority of CU's point guard minutes, finished third on the team with 8.6 points per game as a sophomore in 2006-07.

Voss Has Seniority
Senior Kristina Voss has played in more games (93), started more games (50), scored more points (591) and made more field goals (205) than any current Bluejay on the roster. Her career field-goal percentage of 50.2 leads all Bluejays as well. Last year she led the team by shooting 53.3 percent from the field, which would have ranked third in the MVC had she not fallen just two field goal makes shy of the statistical minimum (three made per game). She also led the team in double-doubles (3), FT made (77) and FT attempts (102) last year.

Record Rebounding
Creighton not only led the MVC with 40.7 rebounds per game and finished second with a plus-5.4 rebounding margin last season, but the Jays also established a school record for rebounds in a season. CU pulled down 1,342 total boards, 892 of which were on the defensive glass, setting school records in both categories. Sam Schuett topped the team and ranked fourth in the MVC with 6.8 rebounds per game. Schuett averaged 7.2 boards per MVC game, as CU averaged 43.1 rebounds in conference play.

League Leaders
In addition to leading the MVC in rebounding last year, the Bluejays also led the way with 222 three-pointers made. Kelsey Woodard and Ally Thrall tied for the team-lead with 52 three-pointers made, which ranked in the MVC top-10. CU finished second in the league in free-throw percentage (.748), three-point field-goal percentage (.353) and total assists (471).

Woodard Can Shoot
Kelsey Woodard led the Bluejays in free-throw shooting and three-point field goals made as a freshman last year. The guard set school records by starting the year and her career with 23 consecutive free-throw makes and led the Jays by shooting 84.1 percent at the line. Her 52 three-pointers made tied for the team lead and her 39.7 career three-point field goal percentage ranks sixth in school history.

Nebraska Flavor
Six of Creighton's 11 players on this year's roster are from Nebraska ? Bellevue natives 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).

Women's Turn at Qwest Center
Creighton will play the first regular-season women's basketball game in Qwest Center Omaha history when the Bluejays host Drake on Friday, Feb. 27. The Jays have previously played two exhibition games, both wins over Central Missouri, at the Qwest Center.

Three in Free-Throw Top 10
Creighton shot 74.8 percent as a team at the free-throw line last year - just shy of the record 75.3 percent set by the 2004-05 team. Both Kelsey Woodard and Sam Schuett ended the year ranked in the single-season top-10 in free-throw percentage in school history last year. Woodard led the team and ranks fifth all-time in free-throw percentage at 84.1 (74-88), while Schuett was right behind Woodard for sixth in a season at 83.3 percent (65-78). Sara Cain (.803) finished last year ranked 10th in single-season free-throw percentage.

Finch Flies Home
The MVC's most prolific three-pointer shooter has returned to the Creighton bench this year. Dayna Finch, a 2004 Creighton graduate, is back on the Bluejay bench as an assistant coach, following a two-year stint at Northern Colorado and two seasons as a graduate assistant at Nebraska. Finch's 294 career three-pointers made remains the MVC record, while her 1,260 career points rank 13th in school history. She replaces Rekha Hollomon, who took a position on Baylor's basketball staff.

So Long Civic
Creighton is playing in its final season at the Omaha Civic Auditorium, as it is slated to move into the new, on-campus Ryan Center and D.J. Sokol Arena prior to next season. The Bluejays went 11-1 at the Civic last year and is 60-20 at home in their six seasons under head coach Jim Flanery.

About Our New Home
Creighton is currently building an on-campus facility for basketball and volleyball. The Ryan Center and D.J. Sokol Arena, a 75,600 square-foot facility, will house a gym seating 2,500 to 3,000, athletics staff 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 in August, 2009.

Bluejays Host No. 24 Cyclones in Women's Basketball Sunday

Players Mentioned

Tyrai Bronson

Sara Cain

DaNae Moore

Ally Thrall

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