Bluejays Travel to South Dakota for Women's Basketball Meeting With Coyotes

Game 6 at South Dakota • Thursday, Dec. 2 • 7:00 p.m.
Creighton Bluejays at South Dakota Coyotes
DakotaDome • Vermillion, S.D.
Radio: 1180 AM, www.koilam1180.com
Video: www.gocreighton.com
Series History: Creighton leads 9-7
Last Meeting: Creighton won 74-68, Feb. 18, 1988 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.

• Carli Tritz was named the MVC Newcomer of the Week on Monday after her 10-point, 5-rebound, 5-steal, 3-assist performance against Marquette on Sunday, which included the game-winning free-throws with 14.3 seconds left.

• Creighton's bench has out-scored the opposition's bench in each of its first five games this season, including a 22-0 advantage over Marquette on Sunday.

• Five Bluejays scored in double figures in CU's win over Marquette on Sunday, the second time in five games this season five Jays have scored 10 or more points.

• Sam Schuett enters the week with 980 career points, 20 shy of becoming the 23rd member of Creighton's 1,000-point club.

• Schuett also begins the week with 133 career three-pointers, just one shy of cracking the CU career top-10.

• Creighton and South Dakota have not played in the regular-season since 1988 and CU has not played in Vermillion since 1983. The Jays are just 1-5 all time at USD.

Scouting the Bluejays
Creighton is picked to finish third in the Missouri Valley Conference this year, receiving seven first place votes ... Creighton returns six letterwinners and three starters from last year's team which finished 21-11 and 13-5 (2nd) in the MVC, advancing to the second round of the WNIT for the third straight season and playing in the event for the sixth time in eight years ... Creighton has yet to find its shooting touch this season, shooting 30.1 percent from three-point range and 57.7 percent at the free throw line, while averaging 57.4 points per game ... Senior Kelsey Woodard tops the team with 12.2 points per game ... Freshman Carli Tritz leads the MVC with 14 steals and is second on the team with 9.2 ppg ... First-team all-MVC forward Sam Schuett is averaging 7.8 points and team-best 6.4 rebounds per game ... Kellie and Sarah Nelson are both averaging 7.8 points per game as well ... Six of CU's 12 roster spots are freshmen, the largest rookie scholarship class at Creighton in 13 years.

Scouting the Coyotes
South Dakota is 3-0 at home this, with its win over Santa Clara on Tuesday its only home win over a Division I opponent ... Opponents are averaging 48.5 points per game at the DakotaDome ... USD is averaging 61.1 points per game and shooting 38.4 percent from the field, 34.5 percent from 3-point range and 63.6 percent at the free throw line ... Amber Hegge leads the team with 16.7 points per game, with 6.3 points per game coming at the line ... Jodie Boss leads the team with 7.4 rebounds and 4.1 blocks per game ... USD has been out-rebounded 45.4 – 36.9 (-8.6) on the year.

The Coaches
Jim Flanery (Creighton, 1987) is in his ninth season as head coach at his alma mater, where he has led his team to six WNIT postseason appearances and five 20-win seasons. He owns a career record of 155-105 (.596). 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. Ryun Williams (South Dakota, 1992) is in his third season at South Dakota and his 16th as a head coach. He is 37-30 (.552) at USD and 273-174 (.611) all-time arriving at USD after becoming the winningest women's basketball coach in Wayne State (Neb.) history.

Creighton-South Dakota Series History
Creighton is 9-7 all-time against South Dakota in the regular-season, but the teams have not met since a Feb. 18, 1988 Bluejay win in Omaha. The Jays have won the last five meetings in the series, all of which were played in Omaha. Creighton is just 1-5 all-time in Vermillion, with the lone win coming on Jan. 28, 1983. CU last played at USD on Nov. 18, 1983, a 76-71 USD victory. This will be Creighton's first contest against a team from the Great West Conference.

Creighton-South Dakota Exhibition Results
While the Bluejays and Coyotes haven't met in the regular-season since 1988, they do have recent exhibition history. The Jays are 4-0 against USD in exhibition games under head coach Jim Flanery. CU scored at least 80 points in three of the four games, while holding USD to 54 or fewer points in three of the four exhibition meetings – all played in Omaha.

Recent Exhibition Meetings With USD
11-01-03    Creighton 64, South Dakota 54
11-01-04    Creighton 80, South Dakota 54
11-12-05    Creighton 81, South Dakota 48
11-05-06    Creighton 83, South Dakota 74

Back in the Mount Rushmore State
Creighton has not played a regular-season game in the state of South Dakota since Nov. 19, 1983 when they beat Morningside 67-60 as part of the USD Invitational in Vermillion (CU lost to USD on Nov. 18, 1983). The Bluejays did play in South Dakota in the 2008 postseason WNIT, when they ended South Dakota State's 22-game home court winning streak with a 76-69 victory in Brookings. Kelsey Woodard hopes playing on South Dakota soil will help her replicate her career-high 29 points scored at SDSU on March 20, 2008.

Tritz Honored by MVC
Freshman Carli Tritz was named the MVC Newcomer of the Week on Monday after her clutch performance against Marquette on Sunday. Tritz drained a pair of game-winning free throws with 14.3 seconds left to lead CU past previously unbeaten Marquette, 63-61. She scored eight of her 10 points after halftime to help CU overcome a nine-point second-half deficit. The Sioux City, Iowa, native finished with 10 points, game-high 5 steals, 5 rebounds and three assists.

Bench Blasting
Creighton's bench out-scored Marquette's bench 22-0 in Sunday's win. The Jays have out-scored the opponent's bench in each of their first five games to own a 118-62 advantage (+56) in bench points this season. The Bluejay bench is averaging 23.6 points per game, while the opposition's bench is averaging 12.4 points per contest.

Schuett's 8 Assists Assist in Win
Sam Schuett dished a career-high eight assists in Creighton's 63-61 win over Marquette (Nov. 28). Her former mark of six assists was set against Denver nearly three years ago. The eight assists were the most by a Bluejay since Ally Thrall's nine on March 20, 2008. The eight helpers also established a D.J. Sokol Arena record.

Sam's Stat Watch
Sam Schuett enters the week looking to climb several Bluejay career charts. The fifth-year senior has 980 career points, just 20 shy of becoming the 23rd player in school history with 1,000 career points.
• With 133 career three-pointers, she needs one more to crack the Creighton career top-10.
• With 685 career rebounds, she is tied with two-time MVC Player of the Year Christy Neneman for eighth on the CU career list.
• With 80 blocked shots, she is just two shy of seventh in school history.

Tritz is a Thief
Carli Tritz began the week tied for the MVC lead with 14 steals on the season. Five of those steals came against Marquette (Nov. 28), as she became the first Bluejay freshman to record five steals in a game since Megan Neuvirth had five in the 2007 MVC Tournament championship game against Drake.

Free Throw Redemption
While Creighton is shooting just 57.7 percent at the free throw line this year, the Bluejays won their game over Marquette (Nov. 28) at the line. CU did not make a field goal in the final 5:33 of the game, scoring their final seven points at the line. The Jays made 7-of-10 shots at the line in the final stretch of their 63-61 win over Marquette, including Carli Tritz making both of her shots with the game tied and only 14.3 seconds to play.

Winning Novembers
Creighton went 3-2 in November to post a winning record in November for the third time in the last four seasons. The Bluejays are now 13-9 in November in the last four years, after going 6-12 in the first five Novembers under head coach Jim Flanery. The Jays finished with 21 wins in each of the two seasons (2009-10 & 2007-08) in which they posted a winning November under Flan.

Basketball BCS
While the BCS doesn't apply to the basketball world, it does lay out six major conferences to gauge records against. For the first time in school history, Creighton faced an ACC team this season, falling 84-71 at North Carolina State (Nov. 15). The Jays have four more games against teams from BCS conferences this season – two from the Big East and two from the Big 12. In Jim Flanery's nine seasons at Creighton, the Bluejays are 18-39 (.316) against BCS conference schools – ACC (0-1), Big East (1-3), Big Ten (5-10), Big 12 (8-23), Pac-10 (4-0) and SEC (0-2). Since the 2005-06 season the Jays now have five wins in 33 games against BCS schools (Marquette, Colorado, Oregon State and two vs. Kansas State).

Flan vs. BCS
With Creighton's win over Marquette on Nov. 28, head coach Jim Flanery now has twice as many wins against BCS schools than the next closest MVC school since his first campaign in 2002-03. Flanery's 18 wins against BCS schools in that span are twice as many as Drake (9). In fact, Flan has more wins against BCS schools in that span than Bradley has games played against BCS schools. His 18 wins also equal the number of games played by Evansville, Indiana State and Wichita State against BCS schools in that same span.

MVC Records vs. BCS since 2002-03 (through Nov. 30)
School    G    W-L    Pct.
Creighton    57    18-39    .316
Drake    36    9-27    .250
Illinois State    26    8-18    .308
Missouri State    28    7-21    .250
Indiana State    18    6-12    .333
Northern Iowa    33    4-29    .121
Wichita State    18    4-14    .222
Evansville    18    3-15    .167
Bradley    16    2-14    .125
Southern Illinois    19    0-19    .000

Defense of D.J.
With two wins this season, Creighton has won nine straight games at home. The Bluejays are now 14-3 all-time at D.J. Sokol Arena. In those 17 games, the Bluejays have allowed 55 of fewer points seven times. Bluejay opponents are averaging just 57.1 points per game in the 17 games played inside D.J. Sokol Arena, while the Jays are averaging 66.1 points per game in their new home venue.

Five for Five
Creighton's first five opponents this season each appeared in the postseason a year ago. Marquette played in the WNIT last year, as did CU's first home opponent Wyoming. Each of CU's first three opponents – Liberty, NC State and Bowling Green – appeared in the NCAA Tournament last year. The average win total of CU's first four opponents during the 2009-10 season was 23.8. Marquette was the first team CU faced this season that did not eclipse 20 wins last year.

Leading vs. Losing
Creighton's win over Wyoming (Nov. 20) marked the fourth time at D.J. Sokol Arena that the Bluejays never trailed in a game. The Jays have now had more games where they have led wire to wire (4), than they have lost (3) at their new home.

Woodard's Numbers
Kelsey Woodard hit seven three-pointers in her first three games this year to become the fourth player in school history and the 22nd in Missouri Valley Conference history to reach 200 career three-pointers. With 61 points through five games this year she now has 1,142 points in her career, moving past her sister Kristi (1,110, 19th) on the Creighton career scoring list. The younger Woodard now ranks 17th in CU history in scoring, having moved past former teammate Ally Thrall (1,137, 18th).

Kamp's Points Per Minute
Alyssa Kamphaus scored four points in six minutes against Wyoming (Nov. 20), making 2-of-4 shots in that quick span. The freshman scored eight points in eight minutes at Bowling Green (Nov. 15) and has now played 15 minutes in her three appearances. In those 15 minutes, she has scored 12 points – or what equates to 32 points per 40 minutes played.

Youth Movement
Creighton has six freshmen on the roster this season, with four making their collegiate playing debut during CU's opening week. McKenzie Fujan scored the first five points of the season for Creighton and Carli Tritz led the Jays with seven first-half points in CU's opener. Sarah Nelson has logged CU's only double-double of the season with a team-high 14 points and 10 rebounds at North Carolina State (Nov. 13). Alyssa Kamphaus scored eight points in eight minutes at Bowling Green (Nov. 15), making all three of her field goal attempts in the game.

Home is Where the Wins Are
Creighton went 12-3 at home last year in its first season at D.J. Sokol Arena, winning its final seven home games to conclude the year. The Bluejays are now 86-27 (.761) at home under Jim Flanery, including 56-16 (.778) in MVC play at home under Flanery.

Low Scoring Win
Creighton defeated Liberty 40-35 to open the season at the Sheraton Raleigh Wolfpack Invitational on Nov. 12. The 40 points were the fewest scored by the Bluejays in a win since a 40-23 victory over Doane College (Neb.) on Feb. 21, 1977 and the fewest scored overall by the Jays since a 50-35 loss to Eastern Michigan on Dec. 21, 2000. The 35 points for Liberty where the fewest it had scored in a game since Dec. 29, 1993.

Mid-Major Battles
Creighton is ranked No. 16 in this weeks CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll, after being ranked 18th in the first two weeks of the regular-season. The Jays were ranked No. 20 in the preseason poll. Two of CU's first three games were against Mid-Major top-10 teams, topping eighth-ranked Liberty and falling at fifth-ranked Bowling Green. BGSU was also receiving votes in the AP Top 25 and the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 to start the season.

Sarah's Solid Start
Freshman Sarah Nelson led the Bluejays with 14 points and 10 rebounds against North Carolina State (Nov. 13). The double-double was the first by a Bluejay freshman since Kelsey Woodard logged her only career double-dime on Jan. 4, 2008 against Wichita State. The rookie has led the team in rebounding in three of CU's five games. She leads the team with a 51.6 field goal percentage and three blocked shots.

Woodard Named All-Tournament Team
Kelsey Woodard led the Bluejays with 10 points per game at the Sheraton Raleigh Wolfpack Invitational, earning her all-tournament recognition at the event. Against Liberty, she drained three three-pointers in the second half to account for all nine of her points and to help CU come from behind and win. She added two more threes and 11 points in the championship game against North Carolina State.

Kelsey Can Shoot
Kelsey Woodard is one of 22 players in school history with 1,000 career points. Woodard is the second-most accurate free-throw shooter in school history (.846), trailing only her sister Kristi (.862) in that category. She is ranked fourth in school history and 17th in league history with 205 career three-pointers.

Foul Play
Senior Sam Schuett fouled out of two of Creighton's first three games, an unusual experience for the forward. Schuett had fouled out of just three games in her first three seasons and 97 games, before being whistled for five fouls in each at NC State and Bowling Green.

Schuett Lowe's Senior CLASS Candidate
Sam Schuett has been named one of 30 candidates nationally for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award which honors seniors for their efforts on and off the court. CLASS stands for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School and to be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in community, classroom, character and competition. Schuett graduated magna cum laude with a degree in accounting in May, has served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, ranked 12th among CU's 232 student-athletes in community service hours last year and is a first-team all-conference player on the court. Ten finalists for the award will be named in January. Creighton is one of five school's nationally (Wisconsin, Ohio State, Lehigh, Duke) to have a male and female as Lowe's Senior CLASS candidates, as CU's Kenny Lawson Jr., is up for the award as well.

Flock of Freshmen
Half of the Creighton roster is made up of freshmen this season. The six-member freshman class equals the largest rookie class in the nine-year tenure of head coach Jim Flanery, as the 2005-06 team also had six freshmen. All six Bluejay rookies this season are on scholarship, marking the first time since the 1997-98 season that Creighton has at least six freshman on scholarship. Only four freshmen have played through three games, as Riley Norman suffered a season-ending knee injury in the preseason and Jordan Garrison is sidelined with a leg injury.

Norman to Redshirt
Freshman forward Riley Norman will take a medical redshirt this season after suffering a torn right ACL during preseason work outs. The rookie had surgery on Oct. 18 to repair the knee, which she also injured at the end of her senior year of high school.

Playing the Percentages
Even with three of their top four scorers back, the Bluejays return just 59.9 percent of their scoring from last season. The Jays return 54.4 percent of their rebounding and only 43.4 percent of their assists from last year, as they lost their top two ball distributors Chevelle Herring (81) and Megan Neuvirth (73).

If the Schuett Fits
Senior forward Sam Schuett returns after earning first-team all-MVC notice last year and starts her senior season as a contender for MVC Player of the Year. Schuett led the team in points (414), three-pointers (65), three-point percentage (.422), rebounds (7.5 per game), blocks (38) and double-doubles (7) and ranked among MVC leaders in three-point field goal percentage (1st), rebounding (5th), blocked shots (5th), three-pointers made (6th), field goal percentage (9th), free-throw percentage (9th) and scoring (12th). She ranked 18th in the NCAA with her 42.2 three-point field goal percentage.

Creighton's Sisterhood
One of Creighton's six freshmen is Sarah Nelson, younger sister of Bluejay senior Kellie Nelson, continuing a recent trend of sisters playing for the Jays. Current senior Kelsey Woodard followed in the footsteps of older sister Kristi (2002-06), while Laura (2001-05) and Krissie (1997-01) Spanheimer also had a family tradition at Creighton. The Nelsons however, are just the second recorded sister duo to play alongside each other at Creighton, joining Peggy and Patty Bierle during the 1978-79 season.

I'll Take 3-Pointers for 200 Alex
Creighton led the MVC and ranked 21st in the NCAA making 233 three-pointers last year, the third straight season CU eclipsed 200 threes. The Jays have made at least 200 triples in five of Jim Flanery's eight seasons at the helm. Prior to Flanery's tenure, the Jays had made 200 three-pointers in a season just twice in 15 seasons with the three-point line.

The Ally Way
Ally Jensen led all MVC freshman last year in three-point accuracy, shooting 36.8 percent from long range. Of her 54 made field goals last year, 43 (79.6 percent) were from beyond the arc and of her 140 field goal attempts, 117 (83.6 percent) were from long range.

Nebraska Natives
For the fourth consecutive season, at least half of Creighton's roster is from Nebraska. Last year the Bluejays started five Nebraskans in 29 of their 32 games, marking the first time in recorded history the Jays had an all-Nebraska lineup in one game - let alone 29. Seven of Creighton's 12 players on this year's roster are from Nebraska – Omaha products Jasmin Corbin (Millard West), Kellie Nelson (Westside), Sarah Nelson (Westside) and Sam Schuett (Millard West), Bellevue native Kelsey Woodard (Bellevue West), Seward High graduate Alyssa Kamphaus and Weston native by way of Wahoo Bishop Neumann, McKenzie Fujan.

20-20-20 Vision
Creighton has won at least 20 games in each of its previous three seasons. In school 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 again in three straight (2008-10). The Bluejays have now won 20 games in five of Jim Flanery's eight seasons as head coach. 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.

Another Tough Schedule
Creighton again plays the toughest non-conference schedule in the MVC, as eight of the Bluejays' 11 non-conference games will be against teams which appeared in the postseason last year, including a pair of NCAA Sweet 16 teams. CU hosts 2010 Sweet 16 participant Nebraska on Dec. 8 and follows at Sweet 16 team Notre Dame on Dec. 11. Liberty, Bowling Green and North Carolina State all played in the NCAA Tournament last year. Wyoming, Marquette and Kansas played in the WNIT last year.

Cheers to Sam and Woody at the Line
Kelsey Woodard (.846) and Sam Schuett (.816) are ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in school history in career free throw percentage, respectively. Both Woodard and Schuett have two of the top-10 free throw percent shooting seasons in school history, including Schuett's 83 percent at the stripe last year. Schuett also set a school record last year by making 40 consecutive free throws, the third-longest streak in MVC history.

Creighton Single-Season Free Throw%
    1.    .892    Kristi Woodard (66-74)    2003-04
    2.    .862    Kristi Woodard (56-65)    2004-05
    3.    .849    Ally Thrall (73-86)    2006-07
    4.    .847    Tanya Warren (83-98)    1985-86
    5.    .846    Kelsey Woodard (66-78)    2008-09
    6.    .841    Kelsey Woodard (74-88)    2007-08
    7.    .833    Sam Schuett (65-78)    2007-08
    8.    .832    Krissie Spanheimer (89-107)    1998-99
    9.    .830    Sam Schuett (83-100)    2009-10
    10.    .826    Holly Sivesind (95-115)    1995-96

Rebounding Record in Reach for Schuett
Creighton lost its all-time leading rebounder to graduation after last season, as Megan Neuvirth's record 929 career rebounds are gone. Neuvirth also set a single-season record with 325 rebounds as a junior. Sam Schuett started her senior season ranked 10th in school history with 653 career rebounds, and is now ranked eighth in with her 685 boards despite having played along side Neuvirth in each of her first three seasons. With Neuvirth gone, perhaps Schuett can nab the 256 more boards needed to topple Neuvirth's mark.

Four-Game Home Stands
Creighton has two four-game home stands this season after not playing one four-game stand over the past 11 seasons. CU's first four-game home stand is Dec. 18-31, marking the first time the Jays have played four straight at home since Jan. 21-31, 1999. The Jays then play a four-game conference home stand between Jan. 27 and Feb. 5, the longest MVC home stand since that same 1999 stretch.

Women Return to Qwest Center Omaha
The Bluejays will return to Qwest Center Omaha for just the second time in the history of the venue, hosting Kansas on Dec. 22 (prior to a men's game against Samford). The Jays hope for a better outcome than the 51-44 loss suffered to Drake on Feb. 27, 2009 in the only other women's game played at Qwest Center. The Bluejays shot a lowly 21.9 percent in that televised loss.

Welcome Coach Carrie Moore
The Bluejays have a new member of the coaching staff this season, assistant coach Carrie Moore. The Western Michigan graduate (2007) led the NCAA in scoring with 25.4 points per game and was the MAC Co-Player of the Year as a senior. She is Western Michigan's all-time leading scorer with 2,224 career points, starting all 120 games in her career for the Broncos. Moore spent the previous two seasons as the Director of Basketball Operations at Princeton.

Exhibition Recap
Creighton defeated Division II Northwest Missouri State 96-61 in its lone exhibition game on Nov. 3. The Bluejays jumped out to a 19-0 lead and never looked back, leading by as many as 41 in the contest. Creighton's five freshmen scored half (48) of the Bluejays' points in the win, led by Sarah Nelson's team-best 16 points. Fellow freshman Carli Tritz added 11 points and team-best seven assists and four steals, and rookie Jordan Garrison chipped in 10 points. CU's three returning senior starters each had 10+ points, with Kellie Nelson (14), Kelsey Woodard (13) and Sam Schuett (12) each contributing in the blowout. The Jays out-rebounded the Bearcats 52-38 and outscored NWMSU 58-12 in the paint. CU shot 54.1 percent from the field and 41.2 (7-17) percent from three-point range in the win.

Preseason Picks
The Bluejays have been picked to finish third in the MVC preseason poll as voted on by league coaches, media and SIDs. CU received seven first place votes, second only to preseason favorite Missouri State's 27. The Jays earned 328 points in the poll, just one behind second-place Northern Iowa. The Jays have finished even or higher than their predicted finish in six of Jim Flanery's first eight years at the helm.

Updated & Extended Coverage
Fans will notice Creighton home games not only have a new live stats platform, but will also benefit from Creighton's change to BCS Stats. The new live stats provider allows fans to follow the live action on their mobile device at www.gocreightonstats.com. Fans can also find more info on Bluejay athletics on Facebook at the “Official Creighton Athletics Page” and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/gocreighton. The women's basketball team also has its own Facebook page, with inside glimpses into the program. Fans can also read assistant coach Carrie Moore's blog “Tuesdays With Moore” each Tuesday on www.gocreighton.com.

Bluejays Travel to South Dakota for Women's Basketball Meeting With Coyotes

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Players Mentioned

Jasmin Corbin

McKenzie Fujan

Jordan Garrison

Chevelle Herring

Ally Jensen

Alyssa Kamphaus

Kellie Nelson

Sarah Nelson

Megan Neuvirth

Riley Norman

Sam Schuett

Carli Tritz

Kelsey Woodard

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