Bluejays and Huskers Meet in Women's Basketball

Game 7 at Nebraska • Wednesday, Dec. 9 • 7:05 p.m.
Creighton Bluejays at Nebraska Cornhuskers
Bob Devaney Sports Center • Lincoln, Neb.
Radio: 1180 AM, www.koilam1180.com • Video: www.gocreighton.com
Series History: Nebraska leads 24-10
Last Meeting: Nebraska won 72-67, Nov. 17, 2008 in Omaha

• UPDATE - game is still scheduled to tip at regular-scheduled time and date despite inclement weather in eastern Nebraska.

• 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.

• At 5-1, Creighton is off to its best start under head coach Jim Flanery. CU is 5-1 for the first time since the 2000-01 team started 6-1.

• The Bluejays tied a school record with 16 three-point field goals at UC Davis (Nov. 27), while their 41 3FG attempts set a CU mark and tied the MVC record.

• The Jays lead the MVC and rank second in the NCAA averaging 10.5 three-point field goals per game.

• Ally Jensen ranks 10th in the NCAA in 3FG percentage (.545) and Kelsey Woodard ranks 15th in the nation with 3.3 3FG per game.

• Sam Schuett scored a career-high 30 points, on 11-of-14 FG, 4-of-5 3FG and 4-of-4 FT, along with 10 rebounds in her last game against Nebraska – Nov. 30, 2007.

• CU is 8-19 against the Big 12 under Jim Flanery, including a win over Kansas State last month in Omaha.

• The Jays are 10-24 all-time against NU, including 1-17 in Lincoln. CU's only win at NU came on Dec. 10, 1993.

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 ... Neuvirth, the reigning MVC Defensive Player of the Year, set a school record with 325 rebounds last year and leads all active MVC players with 751 career rebounds and 228 career steals ... Senior point guard Chevelle Herring, a second-team all-MVC honoree last year, leads the team with 3.8 assists per game, along with her 10.7 points per game ... Junior guard Kelsey Woodard is 20-for-48 (.417) from three-point range this year and leads the team with 13.5 ppg ... Junior forward Sam Schuett has returned after a medical redshirt season in 2008-09, and is leading the team with 8.0 rebounds per game.

Scouting the Huskers
Nebraska is off to its second-best start in school history, winning its first eight games by an average of 27.3 points ... NU is picked to finish sixth in the Big 12 this year ... The Huskers are averaging 81.6 points and holding opponents to just 54.4, out-rebounding opponents by more than 10 per game ... Naismith Trophy candidate, senior forward Kelsey Griffin leads the team with 15.9 points and 9.1 rebounds per game ... Cory Montgomery (13.0), Yvonne Turner (12.0) and Dominique Kelly (11.3) all score in double figures ... Rookie Lindsey Moore leads NU with 4.5 assists 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 136-93 (.594). 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 2-5 all-time against Nebraska and 8-19 against the Big 12. Connie Yori (Creighton, 1986) is in her eighth season at Nebraska, where she is 129-97 (.571). The Creighton graduate is 324-237 (.578) in her 20th year as a head coach, 10 of which she spent at Creighton.

Creighton-Nebraska Series History
Nebraska owns the all-time series advantage over Creighton, 24-10. The Huskers have won the last four meetings in the series and five of the last six. Creighton has lost in its last seven trips to Lincoln, logging its only win on NU's home court on Dec. 10, 1993. The Bluejays are 1-17 all-time in Lincoln. CU's last win over the Huskers was a 58-57 decision on Dec. 18, 2004 in Omaha.

Last Year against Nebraska
Chevelle Herring's then career-high 19 points were not enough to help the Bluejays in a 72-67 loss on Nov. 17, 2008 in Omaha. The Jays trailed by five at the half, but came back to lead by six in the second half and owned a four-point lead with less than five minutes to play before the Huskers rattled off eight straight points to claim a lead they would not surrender. Yvonne Turner, Herring's high school teammate at Bellevue East scored 13 points in 17 minutes to spearhead the Husker comeback. Dominique Kelley led the Huskers with 16 points, while Cory Montgomery added 11 points and 9 rebounds for NU. Kristina Voss had 12 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots, while Megan Neuvirth added 11 points, eight boards and three blocks.

Individuals vs. Nebraska
Sam Schuett poured in a career-high 30 points, making her first 10 field goal attempts before finishing 11-for-14 from the field, 4-for-5 from three-point range and 4-for-4 at the free-throw line in her last game against the Huskers on Nov. 30, 2007. She added 10 rebounds for a double-double and averages 18 points and 9.5 rebounds while shooting 70 percent (14-20) from the field in two career games against NU. Chevelle Herring had 19 points against NU last year and averages 12 points against the Huskers in three career games. Megan Neuvirth averages 5.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game against NU. Kelsey Woodard is just 2-for-13 (.154) from the field in her career against NU, but a perfect 8-for-8 at the free-throw line, averaging 6.5 points in two games.

Friends or Foes?
Creighton's head coach Jim Flanery and Nebraska's head coach Connie Yori worked together for more than 12 years, including 10 seasons when Yori was head coach at Creighton from 1992 through 2002. Yori is in the Creighton Athletics Hall of Fame and is one of the greatest players in CU history, as she is one of just two players in school history to have her number retired. CU assistant coaches Jenny Vickers and Dayna Finch played under both Flanery and Yori at Creighton. Finch also worked as a GA on NU's staff under Yori for two seasons. NU basketball staffer Angela (Timmons) Kiffin is also a Creighton graduate and former CU assistant coach. Creighton's athletic trainer, Julie Tuttle, attended both Creighton and Nebraska, earning a degree from UNL in 2003.

Beating the Big 12
Including this game, Creighton's next three contests are against Big 12 opponents. Last year the Bluejays went 0-6 against the Big 12, but defeated Kansas State 63-54 last month to snap the six-game losing streak. The Jays haven't won consecutive meetings against Big 12 foes since going 3-0 against the conference in 2004-05 (wins over Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas). CU is 8-19 against the Big 12 under Jim Flanery – Colorado 2-0; Iowa State 0-2; Kansas 2-5; Kansas State 2-4; Missouri 0-1; Nebraska 2-5; Oklahoma 0-1; Texas Tech 0-1.

Herring Named All-Big 12
OK, not really, but junior Chevelle Herring could have made a case to earn all-conference honors from the Big 12 last year after her play against the league. In five regular-season games against the Big 12 last year, she averaged 22.6 points. In each of the five games, she was the game's high-scorer, establishing a career-high in three games. She averaged 40.2 minutes per game, while shooting 44.4 percent (12-27) from three-point range and 77.8 percent (21-27) at the free-throw line. Herring scored a career-high 31 points against Kansas, in addition to 24 points against Iowa State and 23 against Kansas State.

Points Off Turnovers
In each of Creighton's first six games this year, the Bluejays have had an advantage in points off turnovers. CU has forced 107 turnovers (17.8 pg), resulting in 118 points (19.7 pg), while committing just 89 turnovers (14.8 pg) and allowing 82 points (13.7 pg) off of those giveaways. CU averages plus-six points per game in points off turnovers.

Hot Starts
Creighton is off to its best start in eight seasons under head coach Jim Flanery. The Jays have not started 5-1 since the 2000-01 squad opened the season 6-1. 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.

Where We Rank
The Bluejays have made 63 three-pointers through six games this season, averaging 10.5 per game to rank second in the NCAA in that category. Ally Jensen ranks 10th in the NCAA – tops among every freshman in the nation – shooting 54.5 percent from three-point range. Kelsey Woodard leads the team and MVC with her 3.3 three-pointers per game, which ranks the junior guard 15th in the NCAA this week. The Bluejays rank 19th in the nation with a 39.4 three-point field goal percentage.

The Ally Way
Freshman Ally Jensen has made at least one three-pointer in each of her first six collegiate games and she is leading the team and ranked third in the MVC shooting 54.5 percent from long range, 12-of-22. See the charts below comparing the start of her career to the top-six three-point shooters in school history and the top starts by freshmen under Jim Flanery.

Most Points to Start Career Under Flanery
Player    Points in First 6 Games
Kelsey Woodard    46
Kristi Woodard    46
Ally Jensen    39
Angie Janis    39

Career 3FG Leaders – First 6 Career Games
Player    3FG-A (Pct.)    Career 3FG
Kathy Halligan    10-31 (.323)    309
Dayna Finch    9-19 (.474)    294
Laura Spanheimer    10-25 (.400)    250
Missy Miller    14-34 (.412)    187
Holly Sivesind    8-14 (.571)    174
Kelsey Woodard    5-20 (.250)    160
Ally Jensen    12-22 (.545)    12

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).

Decade of Success
Since Jan. 1, 2000, the Bluejays have won 60.1 percent of their games, going 184-122 this decade. The only MVC team to have won more this decade is Drake, with 189 wins and a .620 winning percentage.

Overall Records Since Jan. 1, 2000
    W    L    Pct.
Drake    189    116    .620
Creighton    184    122    .601
Missouri State    180    128    .584
Indiana State    168    127    .569
Northern Iowa    155    142    .522
Evansville    153    141    .520
Illinois State    142    151    .485
Bradley    122    160    .433
Wichita State    117    167    .412
Southern Illinois    80    197    .289

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 .601 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    122    .601
1990s    177    108    .621
1980s    151    132    .534
1970s    60    52    .536

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.

Home is Where the Wins Are
The Bluejays have won 15 of their last 16 home games and are now 76-24 (.760) at home under Jim Flanery. The Jays are now 70-20 (.778) all-time on-campus (4-0 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 315-117 (.729) recorded home record all-time at 12 different “home” sites.

California Dreaming
Creighton's win at UC Davis (Nov. 27) marked its seventh straight win over a California-based team, dating back to a loss to USC in 1999. Since that defeat, CU has twice defeated UCD and San Diego State, and topped USC, UC Irvine and UC Riverside. The win at UCD also marked CU's fifth straight win in the Pacific Time Zone, also winning at Oregon State, Washington, SDSU and UCI.

The Race to 1,000
There is a three-way race on the Bluejays this year to see which player can become the 20th member of the 1,000-point club. Megan Neuvirth is currently leading the charge with 925 career points, followed by Chevelle Herring's 895 and Kelsey Woodard's 861 points. No Bluejay trio has ever surpassed 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.

Career Milestone Updates
• Megan Neuvirth started the season ranked sixth in school history with 211 career steals, but now ranks fifth with 228 swipes. She also opened the year ranked seventh at CU with 714 career rebounds, but has since moved to into fourth with 751 boards. She also eclipsed 900 career points at UC Davis (Nov. 27).
• 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 160 treys.
• Kelsey Crites has played in 100 career games.
• Chevelle Herring is just five points shy of 900 for her career.
• Sam Schuett recorded her 500th career rebound against Saint Louis (Dec. 4).

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 10 assists in her first six 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 10 helpers in six 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 leads the team with 8.0 rebounds per game, including 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).

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.

Statistically Speaking
Creighton led the MVC and ranked eighth in the NCAA with just 13.5 turnovers per game last year. CU's 56 points allowed per game were fewest in the MVC, ranked 31st in the NCAA and marked the Jays' best team defense since the 1977-78 team. The Jays also led the MVC with 226 three-pointers and a plus-1.6 turnover margin last year.

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 228 career steals 751 career rebounds are both tops among active MVC players.

Another Tough Schedule
Creighton again plays one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the MVC, facing four Big 12 teams, a Big East squad and an Atlantic-10 foe. The Jays play host to 2009 Final Four participant Oklahoma on Dec. 20 – the third Bluejay opponent to come to Omaha this decade following a Final Four run the previous season (2001 Final Four - Missouri State, 2004 Final Four - Minnesota).

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.

Players Mentioned

Jasmin Corbin

Kelsey Crites

Katie Frank

Chevelle Herring

Angie Janis

Ally Jensen

DaNae Moore

Kellie Nelson

Megan Neuvirth

Sam Schuett

Holly Sivesind

Laura Spanheimer

Kristina Voss

Kelsey Woodard

Kristi Woodard

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