Women's Basketball Opens MVC Season at Indiana State

Game 10 at Indiana State • Thursday, Dec. 31 • 5:30 p.m. (EST)
Creighton Bluejays at Indiana State Sycamores
Hulman Center • Terre Haute, Ind.
Radio: 1180 AM, www.koilam1180.com • Video: www.gocreighton.com
Series History: Creighton leads 27-12
Last Meeting: Creighton won 54-35, March 5, 2009 in Omaha

• The game can be heard on KOIL AM 1180 in Omaha and online at www.koilam1180.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.

• This game marks CU's final game of the decade. The Jays are 184-125 (.595) since Jan. 1, 2000, the most wins by a CU team in any decade.

• Creighton has the top RPI (61) and strength of schedule (19) in the MVC, while Indiana State's RPI (125) ranks fifth in the MVC and its SOS of 301 ranks last in the league.

• CU is 11-6 all-time in MVC openers and 11-6 in its first MVC road game of the season. The Jays have lost their last three MVC road openers.

• CU leads the MVC and ranks ninth in the NCAA with 8.4 three-pointers per game.

• The Jays have lost three straight games – all to top 25 teams – and are looking to avoid their first four-game losing streak since 2006.

• Sam Schuett and Megan Neuvirth scored 25 of CU's 28 points in the second half against Oklahoma on Dec. 20.

• CU is 27-12 all-time against Indiana State, including 9-8 in Terre Haute.

Scouting the Bluejays
The Bluejays are the preseason favorites in the MVC (34 of 40 first-place votes) ... Creighton returns seven letterwinners and four starters from last year's team which finished 22-12, advancing to the WNIT for the fifth time in seven years ... The Jays return three of the top nine scorers in the MVC, including 2009-10 MVC Preseason Player of the Year, senior forward Megan Neuvirth. The reigning MVC Defensive Player of the Year, she set a school record with 325 rebounds last year and leads all active MVC players in career rebounds (780) and career steals (238) and tops the team with 14.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game ... Senior point guard Chevelle Herring, a second-team all-MVC honoree last year, leads the team with 2.9 assists per game ... Junior guard Kelsey Woodard leads the MVC in three-point field goals per game and is 25-for-59 (.424) from beyond the arc ... Junior forward Sam Schuett has returned from a medical redshirt season in 2008-09 to average 10 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.

Scouting the Sycamores
Indiana State has the best non-conference record against the worst non-conference schedule ... ISU opened the year 7-0 before going 2-2 in its last four games ... The Sycamores are 3-1 at home ... ISU leads the MVC in scoring margin (+9.7), field goal percent defense (.330), rebounding defense (33.6) and defensive rebounding (29.2) ... Kelsey Luna leads the team with 17.5 points and 3.3 assists per game ... Shannon Thomas leads the team and MVC, shooting 61.3 percent from the field, while she adds 10.7 points and a team-best 7.5 rebounds per game.

The Coaches
Jim Flanery (Creighton, 1987) is in his eighth season as head coach, where he has led his team to five WNIT postseason appearances and four 20-win seasons. He owns a career record of 136-96 (.586). In 2003 he became the winningest rookie coach in school and MVC history and led the Jays to the 2004 WNIT Championship. Prior to serving as CU's head coach, Flanery served as CU's top assistant for a decade. He is 8-8 all-time against Indiana State. Jim Wiedie (Kent State, 1988), two-time MVC Coach of the Year, is in his 10th season at Indiana State where he is 164-110 (.599) as a collegiate head coach.

Creighton-Indiana State Series History
Creighton leads the all-time series with Indiana State, 27-12, including a 9-8 mark in Terre Haute. CU has won four of the last five meetings after losing six straight in the series. The teams each won on their home court last year.

Last Year Against Indiana State
Creighton won 54-35 in Omaha last March after losing a heartbreaker in Terre Haute, 56-54, last January. ISU closed its win on an 11-2 run to complete the come-from-behind win. Shannon Thomas made the game-winning layup with 5.4 seconds left to provide the winning margin. Kelsey Woodard scored half of CU's points with a season-high 27, while making a career-high 7-of-12 from three-point range – including 6-of-9 in the first half. Kara Schilli led ISU with 17 points, while Kelsey Luna attempted just five field goals and had eight points in 37 minutes. In Creighton's win, the Jays held ISU to the lowest point total by an opponent in 30 years, as the Sycamores made just 11 field goals and shot 24.4 percent from the field in the 54-35 Bluejay win. ISU had just two field goals in the second half with 68 seconds left in the game. Megan Neuvirth tied a career-high with seven steals to help the Jays record a season-high 15 swipes. Woodard again led CU with 15 points.

Bluejay Individuals vs. Sycamores
Kelsey Woodard has excelled in four career games against Indiana State, averaging 18.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 three-pointers per game. Woodard shoots 52 percent (26-50) from the field and 57.6 percent (19-33) from three-point range against the Sycamores. She averages 23.5 points and is 12-of-19 (.632) from three-point range in two career games at Hulman Center. Sam Schuett averages 11.4 points and 4.2 rebounds against ISU, while shooting 9-of-15 (.600) from three-point range. Megan Neuvirth averages 7.6 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.4 steals per game against ISU. Chevelle Herring was 0-for-13 from three-point range against ISU last year and is 2-for-28 (.071) from long range in her career against the Sycamores. Herring, who is 13-for-14 (.929) at the free-throw line against ISU, averages 5.9 points per game in eight career meetings with the Sycamores.

Pulling Rank
The Bluejays played three straight ranked teams from Dec. 9-20, losing to No. 24 Nebraska, No. 23 Kansas and No. 15 Oklahoma. The Jays are 1-12 against the top-25 under Jim Flanery.

MVC Openers
Since joining the Missouri Valley Conference in 1993, the Bluejays have gone 11-6 in Valley openers. The Jays are 5-2 in their first MVC game of the year under Jim Flanery, with both losses coming at Illinois State (2006-07 and 2008-09 seasons). The Bluejays are 11-6 all-time in their first MVC road game of the year including three straight losses in their MVC road opening contest.

Bluejays & Bison Can't Beat Blizzard
The Christmas Blizzard that hit much of the midwest cost Creighton its final non-conference game of the season, as its game with North Dakota State on Dec. 28 was postponed. The contest was called off when NDSU notified Creighton it was unable to get its players back to Fargo from Christmas break in time to make the trip down I-29 to Omaha. At press time of these notes, the schools were attempting to find a date to play still this season, but if they are not able to do so, the Bison will be put on the Creighton home schedule in 2010-11.

Countdown to 1,000
Megan Neuvirth enters the game just 23 points shy of becoming the 20th player in Creighton history to score 1,000 career points. She'll be the first to join the club since Ally Thrall did so in the 2007-08 season. Chevelle Herring has 903 points and Kelsey Woodard has 892 points as the three Jays look to become the first trio to hit the 1,000 point plateau in the same season. Woodard, a junior, is aiming to become the first junior to reach 1,000 career points at CU since Angie Janis did so in 2004-05.

Toughest Schedule in MVC
Creighton has once again managed to put together the most difficult non-conference schedule in the Missouri Valley Conference – and it's not even close. CU is one of only two MVC teams with a strength of schedule (SOS) better than 100 through games on Dec. 28. The Jays' SOS is a league-best 19, while Northern Iowa is second at 52. The average SOS of the nine MVC teams outside of Creighton is a gaudy 179 – including four teams with an SOS of worse than 200. Indiana State has put together the best non-conference record (9-2) against the worst non-conference schedule (301 SOS). CU also has the best RPI in the MVC at 61, while Illinois State is second at 96. (All figures according to CollegeRPI.com through games on Dec. 28).

Not a Bad Losing Streak?
Creighton has lost three straight games, but each of the three opponents were ranked in the top 25 and each of the teams' RPI are currently in the top 20. Nebraska (6), Kansas (19), and Oklahoma (4) have an average RPI of 9.7. If you factor in Marquette's RPI, the average RPI of teams the Jays have lost to is 18.3.

Closing the Year with a Win
Creighton's game at Indiana State is its final contest in 2009. The Bluejays have won their final game of the calendar year in each of the last two seasons and have won their last game of the year seven of the last eight seasons. The only loss in that span also came on Dec. 31 at Indiana State (89-62 in 2006).

Free-Throw Facts
Creighton made and attempted season-highs by going 19-of-27 at the free-throw line against Oklahoma (Dec. 20). Leading the way were career days from Sam Schuett and Megan Neuvirth. Schuett was a perfect 8-for-8 at the stripe – both career highs. Neuvirth tied her career-best by making eight of her career-high 13 attempts at the line.

Season Highs and Lows
During Creighton's three-game losing streak, the Bluejays have averaged 21.3 turnovers per game – establishing a season-high for turnovers in each game. Against Nebraska and Kansas the Jays had 21 turnovers, before turning the ball over 22 times against Oklahoma. The Bluejays also posted a season-low 56 points in both losses at NU and KU. The Jays notched season-lows in assists (five), three-pointers made (2), attempted (12) and percentage (.167) at Kansas (Dec. 13) and shot a season-low 32.7 percent from the field against OU.

Live and Die by the Three
Creighton ranks ninth in the NCAA with 8.4 three-pointers per game, but the Jays have done considerably better from long range in wins than losses. CU is shooting 42 percent (60-143) from three-point range, an average of 12.0 threes per game, in wins. In losses, the Jays have made only 16-of-61 for 26.2 percent at an average of 4.0 per game.

Career Milestone Updates
• Megan Neuvirth started the season ranked sixth in school history with 211 career steals, but now ranks fifth with 238 swipes.
• Neuvirth opened the year ranked seventh at CU with 714 career rebounds, but has since moved to into third with 780 boards.
• Kelsey Woodard became the eighth player in school history to reach 150 career three-point field goals earlier this season, and has moved from eighth to sixth in CU history with 165 treys.
• Chevelle Herring scored her 900th career point against Oklahoma (Dec. 20).
• Sam Schuett recorded her 500th career rebound against Saint Louis (Dec. 4).

Jensen Ties School Record
Freshman Ally Jensen tied a school record by making a three-point field goal in each of her first seven career games. The guard equalled the school mark established by Laura Spanheimer in 2001-02, before going 0-for-2 from long range at Kansas (Dec. 13).

Last Home Game of the 00's
Creighton's loss to No. 15 Oklahoma on Dec. 20 proved to be its final home game of the decade. The Jays enjoyed their most successful decade at home in school history, winning 101 of their 135 home games for a .748 winning percentage from 2000 to 2009.

Creighton Home Records by Decade
    W    L    Pct.
1970s    30    12    .714
1980s    91    37    .711
1990s    93    35    .727
2000s    101    34    .748

Decade Breakdown
Creighton's 184 wins this decade are the most of any decade in school history, topping the 1990s 177 wins. The Jays have posted a .595 winning percentage since Jan. 1, 2000, compared to a .621 winning percentage in the 90s. See the chart below:

Bluejays by Decade
    W    L    Pct.
2000s    184    125    .595
1990s    177    108    .621
1980s    151    132    .534
1970s    60    52    .536

Decade of Success
Since Jan. 1, 2000, the Bluejays have won 59.5 percent of their games, going 184-125 this decade. The only MVC team to have won more this decade is Drake, with 191 wins and a .620 winning percentage.

Overall Records Since Jan. 1, 2000
    W    L    Pct.
Drake    191    117    .620
Creighton    184    125    .595
Missouri State    184    128    .590
Indiana State    170    129    .569
Northern Iowa    157    144    .522
Evansville    155    143    .520
Illinois State    145    153    .487
Bradley    123    162    .432
Wichita State    120    168    .417
Southern Illinois    81    200    .288

Kellie, Kellie, Kellie
Junior center Kellie Nelson poured in a career-best seven field goals on a career-high 15 attempts at No. 23 Kansas (Dec. 13). She finished with season-highs of 14 points and eight rebounds in the game.

Getting Chevy in Gear
Senior Chevelle Herring played in her 100th career game at Kansas on Dec. 13. She was held scoreless for just the third time in her last 75 games and held without a field goal for the second straight game. In Creighton's four losses this year, Chevy has 20 points and 18 turnovers, while she is just 7-for-38 (.184) from the field and 0-for-8 from three-point range. In wins she is 19-for-57 (.333) from the floor and 11-for-24 (.458) from beyond the arc, averaging 10.4 points.

Points Off Turnovers
Through Creighton's first six games, the Bluejays out-scored every opponent in points off turnovers for an average of plus-6.0 points per game off of turnovers (118-82). In CU's losses at Nebraska and Kansas, the Jays were out-scored in points off turnovers, 50-19 combined. CU allowed a season-high 26 points off turnovers at NU and scored a season-low five points off turnovers at KU.

Hot Starts
Creighton got off to one of its best starts under eighth-year head coach Jim Flanery this year. CU's 5-1 start was its best start through six games since the 2000-01 team opened 5-1. At 5-2, the Jays matched the 2002-03 team, which went on to open the year 9-2. Of the previous seven teams to open the season with at least four wins in their first five games, six have gone on to win at least 20 games.

Neuvirth's Double-Double
Megan Neuvirth grabbed her 14th career double-double, first of the season, at Nebraska (Dec. 9), finishing one point shy of a career-high with 25 points and 12 rebounds. Her 11 field goals and 21 field goal attempts were both career-highs, as she single-handedly kept the Bluejays in the game. It was her second straight 20-point game.

Home is Where the Wins Are
The Bluejays have won 15 of their last 17 home games and are now 76-25 (.752) at home under Jim Flanery. The Jays are now 70-21 (.769) all-time on-campus (4-1 at D.J Sokol Arena, 26-12 at Kiewit Fitness Center and 40-8 at Vinardi Athletic Center). The Bluejays played 301 of their first 428 recorded home games at the Omaha Civic Auditorium where they posted a 213-88 (.708) record. Despite all of the moving, Creighton has managed to post a 315-118 (.727) recorded home record all-time at 12 different “home” sites.

Record Setting Day From Long Range
Creighton tied and set school records and tied an MVC record in its 63-61 overtime win at UC Davis on Nov. 27. The Bluejays unloaded a school-record 41 three-point attempts (surpassing the former mark by four), which also tied the MVC record set by Illinois State against Air Force on Nov. 26, 2003. CU tied the school record by making 16 three-pointers, originally done against Oral Roberts on Dec. 16, 1989. The 16 treys tie for the fourth-most ever by an MVC team.

More Three Info
In Creighton's record-tying effort against UC Davis, the Bluejays made 10-of-20 three-point shots in the first half alone. But it was after halftime they truly relied on the three-ball, as the Jays did not make any “two-point” field goals in the second half, all of their 15 points came from behind the arc and their only non-three-point field goal after halftime was Kelsey Woodard's game-winning, left-handed layup at the buzzer in overtime. Woodard finished 6-for-12 from three-point range, while Sam Schuett made four, Ally Jensen added three, Chevelle Herring had two and Megan Neuvirth had one triple to contribute to tying the school record.

Not Done With 3FG Notes Just Yet
Creighton's 55 three-pointers through its first five games were the most ever in a five-game span in school history. In addition to the school-record tying 16 triples at UC Davis (Nov. 27), the Bluejays also set a school record for three-pointers in a two-game span, draining 28 over its first two games this year – 13 against Arkansas State (Nov. 13) and 15 against Davidson (Nov. 15).

November Reign
Creighton went 4-1 this November, securing just its fourth four-win November in school history. The 2007-08 team set a school record by playing seven games in November, posting a 4-3 mark in the month. The 1985-86 team went 4-1 in November and the 1984-85 squad posted a perfect 5-0 mark in the month. The Bluejays are now 16-19 in November under Jim Flanery – the only month on the calendar the Bluejays are under .500 with Flan at the helm.

Lets Be Frank
Senior forward Katie Frank earned her first career start at UC Davis on Nov. 27, after coming off the bench in her first 73 career games. She's been helpful this season, with 12 assists in nine games, including a career-best three helpers in each of the first two contests this year, she has already eclipsed her single-season high of eight helpers, which she needed 31 games to reach last year. She had 13 career assists in 69 games, before her 11 helpers through eight games this year.

The State of Basketball in Nebraska
Creighton's starting lineup in each of its first six games has featured all Nebraska natives – the first time in recorded school history the Bluejays have started five home state players. In fact, seven of CU's 10 players on this year's roster are from Nebraska – Bellevue natives Chevelle Herring (East) and Kelsey Woodard (West), Omaha products Jasmin Corbin (Millard West) Kellie Nelson (Westside) and Sam Schuett (Millard West), along with Katie Frank (South Sioux City) and Megan Neuvirth (West Point Central Catholic).

It's Raining Threes
Creighton made 28 three-pointers in its first two games of the season – setting a school record for three-pointers in a two-game span. The previous mark also came in the first two contests of a season, when the 2004-05 team drained 27 threes (14,13) in its first two games. The Jays have now made at least 10 three-pointers in a game 38 times under Jim Flanery (since 2002-03). CU had not made at least 10 treys in consecutive games since making 12 on Jan. 4 and 11 on Jan. 6, 2008.

Sam She Is
Junior Sam Schuett has returned to her rebounding form after missing all of last year while taking a medical redshirt because of an ankle injury. The Omaha native is averaging 10 points and is second on the team with 7.2 rebounds per game. She has a pair of games with at least 10 rebounds and her seventh career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds at UC Davis (Nov. 27). Schuett scored a season-high 16 points against No. 15 Oklahoma (Dec. 20).

Cleaning the Glass
Creighton owned a 53-36 rebounding edge over Arkansas State (Nov. 13) in its season-opener, including an impressive 36-16 advantage in the first half. CU's 53 boards were its most in a regulation contest since nabbing 53 rebounds against Louisiana-Monroe on Dec. 10, 2005.

The 20-20-20 Precedent
Creighton has won at least 20 games in each of its previous two seasons. Taking a look at CU history, every time the Jays have won 20 games in a season, it has come in groups of at least three – winning at least 20 in three straight years (1985-87), four straight years (1991-94), three straight years (2002-04) and now two straight (2008-09) – setting a standard for this year's team to live up to.

Welcome to a Home!
Creighton's season-opener marked its first regular-season home game on campus since March 7, 1992 – an 81-69 win over Wyoming in the Vinardi Athletic Center (Old Gym). The 1991-92 team played four of its 14 home games at the Old Gym.

About the New Facility
Creighton will play all of its home games at the Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic Center and D.J. Sokol Arena this year, a 75,600 square-foot facility which seats approximately 2,950 fans. In addition to the arena, the facility also includes a locker room, weight room and training room for the student-athletes and houses coaches' offices, meeting rooms, athletic staff offices, a media work room and much more. More information can be found on the facility in the first four pages of the 2009-10 Women's Basketball Media Guide.

Preseason Picks
The Bluejays have been picked as the preseason favorites in the MVC preseason poll as voted on by league coaches, media and sports information directors. CU received 34 of a possible 40 first-place votes and 393 of 400 points in the poll. This marks just the third time in 18 seasons as MVC members that the Jays are preseason favorites. CU was picked to win the title in 2002-03 and would go on to share the regular-season crown that year. The 1994-95 team was also picked first, but would finish fourth.

They're Back
The Bluejays return seven letterwinners and four starters, while losing just one major contributor from last season's team. Senior Chevelle Herring, senior Megan Neuvirth and junior Kelsey Woodard started all 34 games for the Bluejays last year, while senior Kelsey Crites (11) and sophomore DaNae Moore (18) split starting duties at guard, with Crites closing the year in the starting line up. Kristina Voss started 31 of the 34 games and is the only major loss from last year's team.

Schuett Returns From Medical Redshirt
The Jays also return starting forward Sam Schuett who missed all of last season after suffering an ankle injury in practice on Oct. 31. The redshirt junior led the Jays and ranked fourth in the MVC in rebounding with 6.8 boards per game as a sophomore in 2007-08. Schuett, a member of the MVC All-Freshman team in 2006-07 averages 8.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game in her career.

Playing the Percentages
The Bluejays return 83.9 percent of their scoring from last year, including three of the MVC's top-nine scorers from 2008-09. They return 84.0 percent of their rebounding from last year – and will also welcome 2007-08 leading rebounder Sam Schuett back to the line up after a medical redshirt season. They also bring back 88.2 percent of their assists from last year.

Welcome to Creighton
The Bluejays welcome two freshmen to the team this season. Jasmin Corbin is a Omaha Millard West product, where the 5-foot-6 guard played for one season alongside redshirt junior Sam Schuett. Corbin had 10 points, making 3-of-6 three-pointers in CU's exhibition. Ally Jensen, from Ames, Iowa, attended Ballard High School, where the 5-foot-7 guard owns school records for career three-pointers (220) and steals (261).

More on Megan
Senior Megan Neuvirth, the MVC Preseason Player of the Year, was named the 2008-09 MVC Defensive Player of the Year, All-MVC First Team, MVC All-Defensive Team and MVC All-Tournament Team after leading the MVC in both steals (83) and rebounds (325).
• Her 325 boards established a school record (by 65) and ranked eighth in single-season history in the MVC.
• She was one of five players in the NCAA to rank in the top-50 in steals and rebounds per game last year.
• In addition to leading the team in steals and rebounds, Neuvirth also topped the team in assists (96), blocked shots (34) and double-doubles (9) – the most double-dimes by a Bluejay since the 1990-91 season.
• Her 238 career steals 780 career rebounds are both tops among active MVC players.

Exhibition Summary
Creighton played just one exhibition game for the third time in the last four years, but also played a closed door scrimmage at Iowa on Nov. 1. The Bluejays defeated Nebraska-Omaha, 80-57, on Nov. 5 at D.J. Sokol Arena. Kelsey Woodard's 17 points led five Bluejays in double figures, as all 10 CU players played at least 12 minutes in the game. Megan Neuvirth led the team with seven rebounds and six steals, while Kelsey Crites came off the bench to lead the Jays with five assists.

Women's Basketball Opens MVC Season at Indiana State

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Jasmin Corbin

Kelsey Crites

Katie Frank

Chevelle Herring

Ally Jensen

DaNae Moore

Kellie Nelson

Megan Neuvirth

Sam Schuett

Kristina Voss

Kelsey Woodard

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