Bluejay Women Ready for South Dakota State in WNIT

Game 32 at South Dakota State ? Thursday, March 20 ? 7:00 p.m.
WNIT First Round
Creighton Bluejays at South Dakota State Jackrabbits
Frost Arena ? Brookings, S.D.
Radio: 88.9 FM, www.kvss.com
Free Live Video: www.gocreighton.com
Series History: Creighton leads 2-0
Last Meeting: CU won 78-43 in Omaha, Feb. 11, 1984

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

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

? Creighton is appearing in its sixth WNIT, and fourth since 2003. The Bluejays advanced to the WNIT Final Four in 2003 and won the event in 2004. CU is 10-4 all-time in the event, including 8-2 under head coach Jim Flanery.

? At 20-11, the Bluejays have captured 20 wins for the 11th time in school history, fourth time in the last seven years and third time in six seasons under Jim Flanery.

? Ally Thrall was named to the MVC First-Team, Sara Cain to the MVC Second-Team and Kelsey Woodard to the MVC All-Freshman Team.

? Creighton led the MVC with 43.1 rebounds per game in conference play and a plus 7.9 rebounding margin in MVC games. CU also tied for the league-lead with 6.6 three-pointers per game in Valley play.

? The Bluejays are shooting just 31.5 percent from the field in their last four games.

? CU is 2-0 all-time against South Dakota State, and has never played in Brookings.

Scouting the Bluejays
At 20-11 entering the postseason, the Bluejays have logged their third 20-win season in six years under head coach Jim Flanery. The Bluejays enter the WNIT 11-4 in their last 15 games, after a 1-1 showing and semifinal loss at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament last weekend. CU finished fourth in the MVC at 12-6, just one win shy of a four-way first-place tie and the top seed in the MVC tourney. While CU went 11-1 at home this year, the Jays are just 7-9 in road games.

CU started the season with a 7-4 non-conference record, as five non-conference foes earned NCAA bids and two more are in the WNIT. The Jays' biggest non-conference win came over now nationally-ranked and Big 12 regular-season champion Kansas State. CU also defeated Sun Belt West Division champion UALR and Summit League Tournament champ Oral Roberts.

Creighton is led by a pair of senior all-conference players in Sara Cain and Ally Thrall. Cain leads the team with 18 double-figure scoring games and 10.5 points per game. Thrall has dished a career-high 111 assists (3.6 per game) and is shooting a career-high 40.7 percent from three-point range. Rookie Kelsey Woodard ? who led the team with 11.6 points per MVC game ? was named to the MVC All-Freshman Team after setting an MVC record by earning Newcomer of the Week honors six times this year. Sam Schuett ranks fifth in the MVC and leads the team with 6.7 rebounds per game.

Scouting the Jackrabbits
South Dakota State (23-6) won the Summit League regular-season title by four games with a 16-2 record in their first season in the league. SDSU was not eligible for the NCAA Tournament this year and therefore did not participate in its league tournament. SDSU has won 12 straight and 17 of its last 18 games, while it is a perfect 14-0 at home this year. The Jackrabbits have not played since an 88-67 home win over Oral Roberts on March 3. SDSU is led by first-team all-conference forward Jennifer Warkenthien with 13.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Maria Boever adds 12.3 points and 5.8 boards, while Kristin Rotert (10.2) and Ketty Cornemann (10.0) also score in double figures. SDSU shoots 37.2 percent from three-point range and averages 7.8 three-pointers per game. It averages 72.7 points and out-scores opponents by 13.3 points per game.

The Coaches
Jim Flanery (Creighton, 1987) has guided his team to four WNIT appearances and three 20-win seasons in his first six years at the helm. In 2003 he became the winningest rookie coach in school and MVC history and in 2004 he led the Bluejays to the postseason WNIT Championship. Now in his sixth season at CU, his record is 108-79 (.578). Prior to serving as CU's head coach, Flanery served as CU's top assistant for a decade. Flanery is 8-2 all-time in the WNIT. South Dakota State is led by Summit League Coach of the Year Aaron Johnston. Johnston is 193-61 in his eighth season at the helm of SDSU.

Flan in the Postseason
Head Coach Jim Flanery has now guided four of his first six teams to the postseason WNIT. He is 8-2 in his first three appearances in the WNIT. The Jays went 3-1 in the 2003 WNIT, advancing to the Final Four. In 2004, the Bluejays went 5-0 and captured the WNIT title. The 2005 Bluejays lost their first round game.

CU-SDSU Series
Creighton leads the all-time series with South Dakota State, 2-0. The teams have not met since a 78-43 Bluejay victory in Omaha on Feb. 11, 1984. Creighton needed overtime to get by the Jackrabbits, 74-68, on Feb. 1, 1980 in Omaha. The Bluejays have never played in Brookings and last played in the state of South Dakota on Nov. 19, 1983 when they beat Morningside 67-60 as part of a tournament host by the University of South Dakota.

And the Winner Has ...
The Creighton-South Dakota State winner will advance to play Marquette in the second round of the WNIT, as the Golden Eagles (16-14) received a first-round bye. The game will take place on Monday at a to-be-determined site and time. CU is 4-0 all-time against Marquette.

Cain and Thrall Return to WNIT
Seniors Sara Cain and Ally Thrall both played in CU's last WNIT game as freshmen in 2005. Cain, who scored two points, played a season-high 23 minutes and led the team with seven rebounds in CU's 67-52 loss at Iowa. Thrall played just 12 minutes and a three-point field goal accounted for her only points.

We're Back
Creighton, the 2004 postseason WNIT Champion, is appearing in the WNIT for the sixth time in school history and the fourth time since 2003. The Jays have won their first game in the WNIT three times and been one-and-done twice. See results below.

Creighton in the WNIT (10-4)
3-18-05 at Iowa L, 52-67
3-30-04 UNLV W, 73-52
3-27-04 Richmond W, 81-72
3-24-04 Oregon State W, 74-64
3-21-04 at Washington W, 74-69
3-19-04 at Colorado State W, 79-68
3-31-03 Auburn L, 62-73
3-25-03 at Iowa W, 70-64
3-22-03 at Siena W, 96-86
3-20-03 at Maine W, 74-67
3-11-99 at Kansas State L, 60-71
3-21-87 Providence* W, 91-89
3-20-87 California* L, 82-86
3-19-87 Stephen F. Austin* W, 76-68
* at Amarillo, Texas; Home games in Bold

Similar Foes
Creighton won its only game against a Summit League foe this year, defeating tournament champion Oral Roberts 60-57 in Tulsa on Dec. 21. SDSU is 2-0 against MVC teams, defeating Southern Illinois 62-53 and UNI 63-53.

Opponents in Postseason
Creighton again played one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the MVC, with seven of its 11 opponents advancing to postseason play. Five Bluejay foes will play in the NCAA Tournament, headed up by No. 2 seed Rutgers. Iowa State, Kansas State, Nebraska and Oral Roberts also had tickets punched to the Big Dance. Arkansas-Little Rock and Kansas will join the Bluejays in the WNIT.

All-Conference Honors
? Ally Thrall became the first Bluejay guard to earn first-team all-Missouri Valley Conference honors since Laura Spanheimer in 2004-05, following honorable mention accolades last year. The point guard led the MVC with 37.8 minutes played per conference game. The senior leads the team with a career-high 111 assists this year.
? Sara Cain earned her first all-MVC honors, being tabbed second-team. The forward tops the team with 18 double-figure scoring games and 10.5 points per game. She is averaging a career-best 5.5 rebounds per game.
? Kelsey Woodard was voted to the MVC All-Freshman Team after leading the Jays with 11.6 points per game in conference play. She set an MVC record by being named Newcomer of the Week six times. The guard leads the team and ranks third in the league, shooting 84.3 percent at the free-throw line. She set a school record by making the first 23 free-throw attempts of her career.
Jays Snap Opponents Winning Streaks
South Dakota State enters the WNIT on a 12-game winning streak and the Bluejays welcome that. Creighton has ended a 14-game winning streak and a 10-game winning streak this year. On Feb. 2, the Bluejays went to Normal, Ill., and snapped Illinois State's 14-game winning streak and handed the Redbirds their first MVC loss. On Feb. 17, CU ended Evansville's 10-game winning streak. In both games the Bluejays made at least half of their shots from the field.

Offense is Offensive
Creighton is 2-2 in its last four games, but has not shot above 33 percent from the field in any of its last four outings. The Bluejays are shooting 31.5 percent from the field, 28.1 percent from three-point range and just 63 percent at the free-throw line in their last four games, while averaging 61.2 points per game.

Bad Offense Entering WNIT ... Revisited
As noted above, the Bluejay offense is struggling as it enters the WNIT. This trend is similar to what the 2005 WNIT team experienced leading up to and during its lone game in the postseason that year. In 2005, the Jays shot below 26 percent in their two games leading up to the WNIT, combining to shoot 25.2 percent from the field and scoring a season-low 44 points against Drake in the MVC Tournament. The Jays then shot 37.3 percent from the field, but just 26.7 percent from three-point range in a 67-52 loss to Iowa in the first round of the 2005 WNIT.

Thrall Shares
Ally Thrall has dished a career-high 111 assists this season. Her 111 helpers are the most by a Bluejay since South Dakota native Holly Sivesind handed out 124 assists in 1995-96.

Thrall Scores
Senior Ally Thrall continues to climb the Creighton career scoring chart. Earlier this season she became the 19th player in school history to eclipse 1,000 career points. She enters the WNIT ranked 17th in school history with 1,101 points. She is just nine shy of tying current graduate manager Kristi Woodard for 16th at 1,110 points.

Woodard's Woes
Freshman Kelsey Woodard has been a big reason for Creighton's success this year, perhaps a reason Bluejay opponents have keyed on her lately. She has not scored in double figures in CU's last four games, tying her longest drought of the year. She is averaging 6.3 points and shooting just 17.9 percent (5-28) from the field in her last four games, including 13 straight field goal misses over her last two games.

Cain's Next Free-Throw
Senior Sara Cain enters the WNIT with 199 career free-throw attempts. To qualify for the top-10 in school history Cain needs just one more free-throw try. Her current career free-throw percentage of 75.9 percent (151-199) would rank eighth in school history.

Putting Out the Fire
Junior Michelle Kaus is Creighton's leading scorer over the past three games, averaging 12.7 points in that span, while twice scoring a season-high 15 points. Kaus will not be available in the WNIT however, as she suffered a left knee injury in the final minute of play in CU's MVC semifinal loss to Illinois State.

Pair Pull Double-Doubles
Sam Schuett led Creighton with 16 points and 10 rebounds in the Jays' MVC quarterfinal win over Missouri State - her third double-double of the year and sixth of her career. Kristina Voss followed the next day and with a team-best 17 points and 11 rebounds for her third double-double of the season and her career in CU's loss to Illinois State in the semifinals.

March Happiness - Not Madness
Since 2001-02, the Bluejays have just one losing record in March - and that was last year despite CU's run to the MVC Tournament title game. The Jays were 2-3 last March. This year the Jays are 3-2 in March and under Jim Flanery the Jays have posted a 22-13 (.629) March record.

Home Court Advantage
Creighton went 11-1 at home this season, including 8-1 in MVC play. The 8-1 MVC home record marked the fifth time in the last seven years the Jays went 8-1 or better at home in conference play. CU was undefeated (9-0) at home in MVC play in both 2001-02 and 2002-03 and then went 8-1 at home in the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons. Since 2001-02, the Jays are now 50-13 (.794) at home in conference play.

Road Troubles
Creighton is 7-9 in away games this year, compared to its 11-1 overall home record and 8-1 in MVC action. Statistics show the Jays score more, shoot better and take better care of the ball at home. Statistical comparisons below:

Statistic Home Away
Record 11-1 7-9
PPG 74.4 62.5
Opp. PPG 64.9 66.1
FG% 44.4 37.1
Opp. FG% 39.1 42.7
3FG% 38.6 32.5
Opp. 3FG% 31.4 34.1
Reb. Margin +8.7 +3.7
Asst. / game 16.9 12.6
TO / game 16.8 17.6
TO margin -2.2 -2.9

20-20-20 For Flan
With a win over Missouri State in the quarterfinals of the MVC Tournament, the Bluejays captured their 20th win of the season. The Jays have now logged three 20-win campaigns in Jim Flanery's six seasons at the helm. Flanery's predecessor Connie Yori won 20 games three times in her 10 years as CU's head coach, while Bruce Rasmussen captured 20 wins in five of his 12 years leading the Bluejays.

Woodard Leads Jays in MVC Scoring
Freshman Kelsey Woodard became just the second Bluejay freshman to lead the team in scoring in MVC play, as she topped the team with 11.6 points per game in Valley games. She joins CU Hall of Famer Becky Flynn as the only Bluejay freshmen to lead the team in conference scoring. Flynn averaged a team-best 14.3 points per game in MVC play as a rookie in 1992-93 when she was named both the MVC Newcomer and Freshman of the Year.

Three in Free-Throw Top 10
Creighton is shooting 74.7 percent as a team at the free-throw line this year - just shy of the record 75.3 percent set by the 2004-05 team. Three Bluejays enter the WNIT ranked in the CU single-season top-10 in free-throw percentage. Kelsey Woodard (.843) is fifth, Sam Schuett (.840) ranks sixth and Sara Cain (.806) ranks tenth.

High One-Five for Kaus
Michelle Kaus poured in a season-high 15 points in CU's regular-season finale at Missouri State (March 8) and again equalled that output against Illinois State (March 15) in the MVC Tournament semifinals. The junior drained a season-best five three-pointers, making 5-of-7 shots from beyond the arc against Missouri State and then made a season-best 4-for-4 free-throws against ISU.

Taking Care of the Ball
Creighton averages 17.0 turnovers per game this year, but has done well to take care of the ball over its last four games. The Jays had at least 10 turnovers in each of the first 27 games of the season, but has had nine or fewer in three of CU's last four games. The Jays are averaging just 12.7 turnovers per game in their last four, including a season-low seven turnovers at Wichita State (March 6).

Don't Give Up, Don't Ever Give Up
Creighton trailed by 19 with 4:40 to play against Missouri State (March 8). The Jays got to within four in the final minute, largely in part to Ally Thrall. The senior scored 14 points in the final 2:39 of the game, making 6-for-7 from the field in that span. She finished with a team-high 22 points.

The Energizer Bluejay
Senior Ally Thrall played every minute of Creighton's final two regular-season games and played all 45 minutes of Creighton's win over Illinois State (Feb. 29). She has now played 33 career “complete games” ? including playing all 45 minutes of an overtime game five times in her career. She has also played better than 40 minutes in two other OT games in her career, but did not play the entire game in those contests. She has played the entire game eight times this season Thrall led the MVC with 37.8 minutes played per conference game.

Cain is More than Able
Forward Sara Cain put together back-to-back season-high scoring outputs in her final two regular-season home games to help her earn MVC Player of the Week honors on March 3. The senior waited until her 114th career game to record her first double-double, doing so with a then season-high 15 points and a career-high 14 rebounds against Illinois State (Feb. 29). She then poured in a season-high 22 points and tied her career-high with three three-pointers in Creighton's win over Indiana State (March 2). For the week she averaged 18.5 points and 10.5 rebounds.

Woodard's Weekly Tradition
Kelsey Woodard was named the MVC Newcomer of the Week for the sixth time this season on March 3 after averaging 15.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in CU's wins over Illinois State and Indiana State. Against ILSU, Woodard poured in 19 points and then added 12 points on 4-for-5 shooting from three-point range against the Sycamores. No player in league history had earned MVC Newcomer of the Week more than four times in a season.

Bluejays Can Board
Creighton continues to be the top rebounding team in the MVC this season. The Jays lead the MVC with 41.1 rebounds per game and 43.1 per MVC game. CU also led the Valley with a 7.9 rebounding margin in conference play, while it ranks second in overall games with a plus 5.9 rebounding margin.

The Ally Way
Ally Thrall scored a career-high 26 points in CU's overtime win over Illinois State (Feb. 29). Thrall launched a career-high 23 shots in the win, the most field goal attempts by a Bluejay since Angie Janis unloaded 23 attempts against Evansville on Feb. 19, 2006. It marked the second time this season Thrall notched a career-high in a home overtime win for the Bluejays - as she scored 23 against Missouri State on Jan. 6.

Not Half Bad
Creighton shot a season-high 51.7 percent (30-58) from the field in its win over Indiana State (March 2). It marked the fourth time this season the Bluejays have shot at least 50 percent from the field, after doing so just twice combined over the previous two seasons. CU also made more than half of its attempts from three-point range for just the third time this season, shooting 54.4 percent (12-22) from beyond the arc. The 12 treys equalled a season-high. CU is 15-1 under Jim Flanery when making at least 50 percent of its shots, while it is 11-3 when shooting at least 50 percent from three-point range.

Free-Throw Info
Ally Thrall has moved into elite company on the career free-throw percentage list. Thrall is now 189-for-232 at the stripe in her career, to put her 81.5 percent as the second-best percentage in school history. She trails only current graduate manager Kristi Woodard's school record of 86.2 percent.

Working Overtime
Creighton improved to 2-1 in overtime games this year with an 80-77 win over Illinois State on Feb. 29. The Bluejays also topped Missouri State 79-73 (Jan. 6) at home and fell at SIU (Jan. 20) 75-74 in OT. The win over MSU was CU's first overtime win since 2006. The Jays went 0-2 in overtime last year. The Jays are 9-5 in overtime games under Jim Flanery.

Close Calls Go Our Way
Creighton's three-point win over Wichita State on March 6 was the Bluejays' ninth game this season decided by five points or less. The Bluejays improved to 7-2 in such games this season and are 32-18 in games decided by five points or less under Jim Flanery.

That's a Winner
After notching back-to-back losing seasons in 2005-06 and 2006-07, this year's Bluejays have helped avoid making dubious school history. With their 69-51 win at Northern Iowa (Feb. 21), the Bluejays guaranteed themselves a winning season to avoid three straight losing seasons for the first time in the 35-year history of Bluejay women's basketball.

Double the Double-Doubles
Junior Kristina Voss pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds at Indiana State (Jan. 31) to go along with 13 points for her second double-double of the season and career. The 15 rebounds were the most by a Bluejay since Angie Janis pulled down 16 against Missouri State on Jan. 9, 2006. Voss went 7-for-7 at the free-throw line in the game as well.

Get Woodard 10 Points for the ?W'
Kelsey Woodard has scored in double figures 14 times this season and in those games the Bluejays are 12-2, while the Jays are just 8-9 when she fails to score 10 in a game.

Four Score 10+
Four Bluejays scored at least 10 points in Creighton's win over Evansville (Feb. 17). The Bluejays are now 7-0 on the season when they have four players score in double figures, including their win over Illinois State earlier this month.

More Keys to Success
When Creighton shoots 40 percent or better from the field this year it is 17-1, while the Jays are just 3-10 this season when shooting below 40 percent. The Jays are 13-4 when making at least six three-pointers in a game and 7-1 when making at least 10 three-pointers in a contest. CU is 12-5 when Kelsey Woodard starts and 9-4 when Sam Schuett is in the starting lineup.

Rare Happenings
Creighton lost at Bradley 52-51 on Feb. 23, its first loss in Peoria since Bluejay freshman Kellie Nelson was six months old. The Bluejays had won 17 straight games against Bradley in Peoria, dating back to Dec. 2, 1989.

Nelson Ratings
Freshman Kellie Nelson had a breakout game against Evansville on Feb. 17 ? in fact it was more of a breakout half. The rookie center scored all of her career-high 16 points in 11 first-half minutes, while she had seven of her career-high eight rebounds in the opening half. She finished 6-of-9 from the field and 4-of-6 from the free-throw line in just 15 minutes of play in the game.

Balanced Bluejays
When Kellie Nelson led the Bluejays in scoring against Evansville (Feb. 17), she became the eighth different Bluejay to lead the team in scoring in a game this season.

Large Rebounding Margins
Creighton led the MVC in rebounding margin with a plus-7.9 margin in Valley action. Thirteen times this year the Bluejays have out-rebounded their opponent by at least 10 in a game - compared to just twice all of last season. CU out-rebounded Evansville 48-25 on Feb. 17, for the largest rebounding margin in a game by the Bluejays since out-rebounding McNeese State by 23 on Dec. 2, 2001.

Neuvirth's Numbers
Megan Neuvirth scored a season-high 13 points against SIU (Feb. 14). The forward scored 11 of her 13 points in the first half. Against Drake on Feb. 9, she tied her career-high and came within two steals of the school record with seven steals. Neuvirth leads the team and ranks fifth in the MVC with 52 steals (1.7 per game).

Cain Crashes Glass
Senior Sara Cain did not have a double-figure rebounding game through her first 109 career games, reaching nine rebounds five times, before pulling down 11 caroms against Southern Illinois (Feb. 14). She now has two double figure rebounding games in her last 10 contests, grabbing a career-high 14 against Illinois State (Feb. 29).

3FG Streak Snapped at 228
Creighton had made at least one three-point field goal in every game in the Jim Flanery era and for 228 straight games before an 0-for-6 night from beyond the arc against Southern Illinois (Feb. 14). The Bluejays had made a three-pointer in every game dating back to an 0-for-11 performance from long range against Alabama on Dec. 20, 2000.

Down the Stretch
Kelsey Woodard had two points through the first 32 minutes of Creighton's win over Southern Illinois (Feb. 14) before scoring 12 of her team-high 14 points in the final 7:30 to lead the Jays to victory. She accounted for 12 of CU's final 18 points in the win. In CU's first meeting with SIU (Jan. 20), she scored the final nine points of the game for CU, nine of CU's 11 overtime points and 13 of the last 15 points for the Jays.

Neuvirth for Three?
Megan Neuvirth entered CU's game at No. 24 Illinois State just 2-for-14 from three-point range on the season and with just three three-point field goals made in her first 51 career games. The sophomore forward stepped up and went 2-for-2 from three-point range to help the Jays get past the Redbirds (Feb. 2).

Woodard Earns MVC Honors
Kelsey Woodard was named both the MVC Player and Newcomer of the Week on Feb. 4 after scoring a game-high 20 points in each of CU's road wins the previous week. Woodard is just the second player in league history ? Illinois State's Kristi Cirone, Dec. 19, 2005 ? to earn both of the honors in the same week. She's the first CU freshman to be named MVC Player of the Week since Becky Flynn on Feb. 1, 1993.

20-20 Vision for Woodard
Kelsey Woodard scored 20 points in each of CU's wins at Indiana State (Jan. 31) and Illinois State (Feb. 2), becoming the first Bluejay to post consecutive 20-point games since Angie Janis did so in four straight games from Feb. 19-March 4, 2006. Woodard is the first freshman to post back-to-back 20-point games since Becky Flynn did so on March 1 & 4, 1993. The rookie now has three 20-point games this year, the most by a CU freshman since Flynn had five 20-point outings during the 1992-93 season in which she was named both the MVC Newcomer and Freshman of the Year.

Crites, Frank Tie Career-Highs
Sophomores Kelsey Crites and Katie Frank came off the bench to tie their career-highs in points in CU's 72-69 win over Bradley (Jan. 26). Crites poured in 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the field and added five rebounds in 17 minutes of play. Crites also established a career-high with six assists against UNI (Jan. 24). Frank ? who had scored four points in 11 career MVC games prior to the game ? finished with eight points in just eight minutes. Frank was a perfect 3-for-3 from the field and she drained her first career three-pointer and free-throw in the victory.

Sister Act
With older sister Kristi watching from the Bluejay bench as the graduate manager, Kelsey Woodard has shot her way past big sister. With 20 points at Indiana State (Jan. 31), Kelsey pushed her season point total to 181 through her first 19 games. In Kristi's rookie season of 2002-03, the elder Woodard played in 29 games and scored 179 points on the season. Through 20 games in her rookie season, Kelsey had already made more three-pointers (32-18), more free-throws (43-23) and dished more assists (46-20) than her older sister did during her all-MVC freshman team campaign.

Flan's 100th ?W'
Jim Flanery captured his 100th career victory as a head coach when the Bluejays defeated Indiana State 68-60 on Jan. 31. He joins Bruce Rasmussen (198) and Connie Yori (170) as the only other women's basketball coaches at Creighton to reach the 100-win plateau. Flan got his milestone win in his 175th game, while Rasmussen captured his 100th win in his 178th game and Yori needed 167 games to get to her 100th victory at Creighton.

Bluejays Top Top-25 Opponent
With a 75-71 win over No. 24 Illinois State (Feb. 2), the Bluejays snapped a 13-game losing streak to nationally-ranked opponents. The win marked CU's first over a top 25 team since Dec. 7, 1999. CU had not won a road game over a top 25 team since Jan. 2, 1999. CU is 1-1 against the top-25 this year and now 3-17 against the top-25 since 1998-99.

Voss Named Scholar of the Week
Kristina Voss averaged a double-double in road wins at Indiana State (Jan. 31) and No. 24 Illinois State (Feb. 2), pulling down a career-best 15 rebounds against the Sycamores. Voss, who carries a 3.09 GPA in elementary education, was named the MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week for her efforts.

Bluejays are No Bird Brains
Seniors Sara Cain and Ally Thrall have been named to the ESPN The Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-District VII Team. Cain, a second-team honoree, owns a 3.71 GPA in exercise science / pre-med, while Thrall, a third-team selection, carries a 3.78 GPA in public relations / advertising. The duo was also named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete Second-Team.

Bulldogs Deal Bluejays Bad Home Loss
Creighton opened its home schedule 5-0 this year, while out-scoring opponents by 19 points per game. That all came crashing to an end in a 22-point loss to Drake (Jan. 12). The 73-51 loss was CU's worst home loss under Jim Flanery and the Bluejays' worst home defeat since losing by 25, 84-59, to Missouri State on Dec. 30, 2000.

If the Schuett Fits
Sam Schuett snapped out of a scoring slump by leading the Bluejays with 18 points to go along with a career-high 13 rebounds against UNI (Jan. 24). Since scoring in double figures in five straight games (Nov. 23-Dec. 5), Schuett had not scored more than seven points and averaged just 5.4 points per game in her eight contests prior to the UNI outburst.

Woodard Wows
Freshman Kelsey Woodard poured in a career-high 25 points at Southern Illinois (Jan. 20), including nine of CU's 11 overtime points. She scored the final nine points of the game for CU and 13 of the last 15. Her point total was the highest by a Bluejay freshman since 1993 MVC Freshman of the Year Becky Flynn scored 28 against Bradley on March 1, 1993.

Career Game for Voss
Junior center Kristina Voss scored a career-high 21 points and added a then career-best 13 points for her first collegiate double-double at Southern Illinois (Jan. 20). Voss also played a career-high 36 minutes in the overtime defeat.

Dynamic Duo
Kristina Voss and Kelsey Woodard combined to have career games against Southern Illinois. Voss scored a career-best 21 points and Woodard had a career-high 25 points. The duo became the first pair of Bluejays to score 20 in the same game since Ally Thrall and Woodard's older sister, Kristi, both topped 20 against Wichita State on Jan. 7, 2006.

It's Crowded in Here
A hot start, a rivalry game and a pregame promotion at the Omaha Civic Auditorium had the fans turning out for the Creighton-Drake game on Jan. 12. The crowd of 2,437 was the 10th largest crowd in school history and the first crowd of more than 2,000 in three years at a CU home game. It was CU's largest crowd turnout since the 2004 WNIT Championship game, when 4,180 fans showed up to watch the Jays crush UNLV 73-52.

Woodard's Double-Double
Freshman Kelsey Woodard recorded her first career double-double against Missouri State (Jan. 6). She drained four three-pointers for 12 points and added a career-high 10 rebounds for the double-dime. Three of her 10 boards were offensive and came in OT.

Thrall For Three (x 5)
Ally Thrall established a career-high by making five three-pointers against Kansas State (Dec. 18). She was perfect from long range, making all five of her attempts in the first half. It marked the best three-point shooting day by a Bluejay since CU's all-time leading scorer and three-point specialist Kathy Halligan went 5-for-5 from long range on Feb. 20, 1992 against BYU. Below are the best three-point shooting games since that Halligan game.

Perfect 3-Point Games Since 1991-92
(at least four attempts)
Name 3FG-A Opponent, Date
Ally Thrall 5-5 Kansas St., 12/18/07
L. Spanheimer 4-4 Bradley, 1/30/05
L. Spanheimer 4-4 Oregon St., 12/2/04
Jenny Burns 4-4 Drake, 2/23/03
L. Spanheimer 4-4 Iowa, 12/8/02
Dayna Finch 4-4 Northwestern, 12/10/00
Missy Miller 4-4 Wyoming, 12/7/92
Kathy Halligan 4-4 Wyoming, 3/3/92
Kathy Halligan 5-5 BYU, 2/20/92

That's the Best Since ...
In CU's dominating 83-47 home win over Wichita State on Jan. 4, the Bluejays put up impressive numbers. The 36-point margin of victory was CU's largest ever in an MVC opener, while it was the Jays' largest margin of victory since beating Missouri State by 37, 84-47, on Jan. 6, 2002. CU's 52 rebounds were the most in a game since grabbing 53 against Louisiana Monroe on Dec. 10, 2005. CU's 27 assists were the most by a Bluejay team since dishing 27 against Northern Iowa on Feb. 24, 1994.

Freshmen Lead the Way in MVC Debut
The freshman duo of Kellie Nelson and Kelsey Woodard impressed in their MVC debut against Wichita State (Jan. 4). Woodard led the Bluejays with 13 points off the bench, draining her first three three-pointers and finishing 3-for-5 from beyond the arc, while adding five rebounds and four assists. Nelson also came off the bench and scored a career-high 11 points, making 5-of-6 free-throws.

That's Helpful
Creighton dished a season-high 27 assists on its 30 field goals against Wichita State (Jan. 4), the most assists in a game by the Bluejays in 14 years. Four Bluejays had at least four assists in the game, led by Ally Thrall's six. Sam Schuett, Kelsey Woodard and Kelsey Crites each had four helpers in the win, while 10 of 11 Jays recorded an assist in the victory.

By the Boards
Creighton's 52 rebounds against Wichita State (Jan. 4) were its most in over two years. Sam Schuett led the team with 10 caroms, while Sara Cain tied her career-high with nine boards. Kelsey Crites grabbed a career-best eight rebounds.

More Rebounds Than Points Allowed
Creighton pulled off a rare feat in its dismantling of Wichita State on Jan. 4 as the Bluejays pulled down more rebounds than points allowed. CU had 52 rebounds, while allowing just 47 points scored. The Jays also accomplished this in a 47-46 win at Indiana State on Feb. 8, 2004, when they grabbed 48 rebounds in that victory.

Winning Non-Conference Record
At 7-4, the Bluejays had a winning non-conference record for the first time since going 6-3 in 2004-05 season. The Jays were 2-7 against non-conference foes in 2005-06 and went 3-8 out of conference last year. The Jays went 7-2 in the non-conference schedule before MVC play in the 2002-03 season.

Ten Straight Makes
Creighton shot a season-high 51.1 percent from the field in its win over Kansas State (Dec. 18). Helping the cause was a span in the second half when the Bluejays made 10 straight field goals without a miss. Sara Cain and Kristina Voss had three straight baskets each during the run that put CU up by 20 with 7:27 left in the game.

Streak Stops With Broken Record
Sam Schuett set a school record earlier this year by making her first 22 free-throw attempts of the season. Just one game after Schuett's streak ended, Kelsey Woodard surpassed Schuett and made her 23rd straight freebie to start the season, before missing her final two free-throw attempts at Iowa State (Dec. 16). Woodard also established the school record for consecutive free-throw makes to start a career.

Schuett is Player of the Week, Dec. 10
Sam Schuett became the first Bluejay to be named the MVC Player of the Week since current graduate manager Kristi Woodard earned the honor Jan. 9, 2006. Schuett earned the honor after putting up 16 points, eight rebounds, career-high six assists, three steals and a blocked shot at Denver (Dec. 5). Schuett is the first CU sophomore to earn the honor since Woodard did so on Jan. 12, 2004.

Holy Schuett
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. 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. Schuett also added a game-high 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the year against the Huskers.

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.

We'll Take That
The Jays 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.

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.

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

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.

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).

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.

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.

Put it in Neutral
For the first time in women's Missouri Valley Conference Tournament history, the event was be played at a neutral site. The 10-team event will took place in St. Charles, Mo. (a suburb of St. Louis) on March 13-16 at The Family Arena. The neutral site was 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 previous three seasons, the host school has been the seventh or eighth seed. The top four seeds advanced to the semifinals this year and top-seeded Illinois State won the first neutral site tournament.

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.

Bluejay Women Ready for South Dakota State in WNIT

Players Mentioned

Tyrai Bronson

Sara Cain

Kelsey Crites

Katie Frank

Chevelle Herring

Michelle Kaus

Jess Lammers

Kellie Nelson

Megan Neuvirth

Sam Schuett

Ally Thrall

Kristina Voss

Kelsey Woodard

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