Women's Basketball Heads to Saint Louis

Game 4 at Saint Louis ? Tuesday, Nov. 25 ? 7:00 p.m.
Creighton Bluejays at Saint Louis Billikens
Chaifetz Arena ? St. Louis, Mo.
Radio: 88.9 FM, www.kvss.com ? Video: www.gocreighton.com
Series History: Creighton leads 2-0
Last Meeting: Creighton won 82-44 in Omaha, Jan. 8, 1988

? 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.

? Chevelle Herring has had back-to-back career-high scoring efforts in CU's last two games. She scored 19 against Nebraska, followed by 24 against No. 24 Iowa State.

? Both Chevelle Herring and Kelsey Woodard played the entire game against Iowa State on Sunday.

? Tuesday's game is one of more than 90 men's and women's games this season between Jesuit schools.

? CU held second-half leads over both Nebraska and No. 24 Iowa State, only to lose by five and four points, respectively.

? Senior Michelle Kaus tore her left ACL against Nebraska on Nov. 17 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.

? CU is 2-0 all-time against Saint Louis, posting a 79-45 win in its only previous trip to SLU on Feb. 2, 1985.

Scouting the Bluejays
Creighton is 0-3 on the season, having faced three squads which won at least 20 games last year ... On top of CU's three losses, the Jays have also 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 ... Junior Chevelle Herring is averaging a team-best 17 points per game after scoring a career-high 24 points against Iowa State on Sunday ... Megan Neuvirth and Kristina Voss are tied for the team-lead with 8.3 rebounds per game, while Voss has swatted six shots in her last two games ... Neuvirth also leads the team in assists and steals ... Through three games, CU has twice as many turnovers (44) than assists (22).

Scouting the Billikens
Saint Louis is 1-3 on the season following a loss to Kansas on Sunday ... SLU lost to MVC foe Southern Illinois, 85-77, to open the year ... The Billikens are picked to finish 10th in the 14-team Atlantic 10 after a posting a 10-20 mark last year ... SLU is playing at the brand new $81 million on-campus Chaifetz Arena ... Junior Theresa Lisch leads the team with 25.5 points per game, while adding 5.8 rebounds ... Lauren Woods leads the team with 7.3 rebounds per game ... SLU opponents are averaging 81.2 points per game this season.

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 109-83 (.568). Prior to serving as CU's head coach, Flanery served as CU's top assistant for a decade. Flanery has never lost to an Atlantic 10 opponent, posting an 81-72 victory over Richmond on March 27, 2004 in the WNIT Semifinals. Shimmy Gray-Miller (Michigan, 1994) is in her fourth season at Saint Louis, where she is 31-60 as a collegiate head coach.

CU-SLU Series History
Despite geographical proximity and the shared Jesuit mission, Creighton and Saint Louis have played just twice previously. The Bluejays have won both previous meetings, winning 82-44 in Omaha on Jan. 8, 1988 the last time these teams played. CU topped SLU 79-45 in St. Louis on Feb. 2, 1985 in the only other meeting between the squads.

Jesuits vs. Jesuits
Tuesday's game between Creighton and Saint Louis is part of the nationwide Jesuit Basketball Spotlight project, using Jesuit basketball to raise awareness of Jesuit education, as both CU and SLU are Jesuit schools. The Jesuit Basketball Spotlight project highlights more than 90 games this season between men's and women's teams from the 28 Jesuit colleges and universities across the United States. Each of the 28 is dedicated to strong academics and teaching women and men to serve others and live a faith that does justice. Jesuit, Catholic colleges and universities in the United States have more than 200,000 students currently and more than 1.7 million living alumni. The Jesuit educational mission began in Europe approximately 500 years ago.

Cruisin' With Chevy
Chevelle Herring, aka Chevy, leads Creighton with 17 points per game this season after posting back-to-back career-high scoring games. On Nov. 17 against Nebraska she scored 19 points on 9-of-22 shooting from the field. She followed that with a 24-point outing against 24th-ranked Iowa State. She finished 7-for-19 from the field against ISU and went 7-for-8 at the line against the Cyclones. Herring's three highest scoring games of her career have all come against Big 12 teams (as her former mark of 18 was set against Missouri).

Block Parties
Senior Kristina Voss has tied her career-high with three blocked shots in each of CU's last two games. Voss had 11 blocked shots in 33 games last year. Junior Megan Neuvirth joined Voss at her block party against Nebraska (Nov. 17), also swatting a career-high three shots against the Huskers.

No Bench Scoring
For the first time under head coach Jim Flanery, the Creighton bench was held scoreless in the Jays' 63-59 loss to Iowa State Sunday. Three times previously the Bluejays had notched two points off the bench since 2002-03, with the last coming against Kansas in 2005. Creighton's bench is averaging 6.3 points per game this year and has scored less than 10 points twice in three games. Last year the Bluejay bench scored less than 10 points twice in 33 games.

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 22.2 percent (6-27) from the field and 28.6 percent (4-14) from long range. Last year as a freshman, Woodard was 8-of-23 (.348) from the floor and 1-for-10 from three-point range in her first three games.

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 have steadily improved at the line, shooting 64.3 percent (9-14) against Nebraska and 80.0 percent (20-25) against Iowa State. The Jays are now shooting 65.6 percent at the stripe this year, after they ranked second in the MVC and 33rd in the NCAA with a 74.8 free-throw percentage last year.

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. Each of CU's first three opponents this season won at least 20 games 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).

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.

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.

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 first college game.

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 (94), started more games (51), scored more points (607) and made more field goals (209) than any current Bluejay on the roster. Her career field-goal percentage of 50.6 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.

Players Mentioned

Tyrai Bronson

Tyrai Bronson

Sara Cain

DaNae Moore

DaNae Moore

Ally Thrall

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