Bluejay Women Host Kansas at Qwest Center Omaha Wednesday

Game 11 vs. Kansas • Wednesday, Dec. 22 • 5:30 p.m.
Kansas Jayhawks at Creighton Bluejays
Qwest Center Omaha • Omaha, Neb.
Links: Audio (1180 AM) | Video | Live Stats
Series History: Kansas leads 21-12
Last Meeting: Kansas won 71-68, March 21, 2010 in Lawrence

• The game can be heard on KOIL AM 1180 in Omaha and online at www.koilam1180.com. Nick Handley and former Bluejay Sara Cizek Going will call the action.

• Live stats and live video for this game and all home games can be found on the CU athletics website at www.gocreighton.com.

• This is just the second regular-season women's game played at Qwest Center Omaha. CU lost to Drake, 51-44, on Feb. 27, 2009 in the first women's game at the venue.

• Creighton is 4-1 at home this year and has won 27 of its last 32 home games. One of those five losses came at Qwest Center Omaha.

• Creighton is coming off of its highest scoring game since March 22, 2003, torching North Dakota for 96 points on Monday night.

• The Bluejays had season highs in points (96), field goals (33), three-pointers (12), field goal percentage (.611), assists (24), steals (12) and blocked shots (9) against North Dakota on Monday.

• Ally Jensen is 12-for-21 (.571) from three-point range in her last five games after going 5-for-21 (.238) from long range in her first five games.

• Creighton is 12-21 all-time against Kansas, including 7-8 in Omaha. CU has lost seven straight in the series, including the last two meetings in Omaha. CU and KU have met in the WNIT in each of the last two seasons.

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 ... The Bluejays rank 31st in the NCAA in fewest turnovers, averaging 15.0 turnovers per game, including just 9.8 per game in their last five ... Senior Kelsey Woodard leads the team with 12.2 points per game, 20 3FG and ranks second in the MVC shooting 90.9 percent at the free throw line ... Freshman Carli Tritz (9.7 ppg) tops the team with in FG percentage (.487) and leads CU with 26 steals to rank second in the MVC ... First-team all-MVC forward Sam Schuett (10.5 ppg) leads the team with 7.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game ... Freshman Sarah Nelson ranks second on the team with 4.9 rebounds per game.

Scouting the Jayhawks
Kansas is 2-1 on the road this year ... The Jayhawks ranks third in the NCAA in FG percentage (.507), ninth in scoring margin (+23.5), 10th in rebounding margin (+11.4), 11th in offense (83.5) and 20th in assists (17.5) ... Carolyn Davis leads KU with 18.5 points per game, as she ranks second in the NCAA in FG percentage (.660) ... Monica Engelman (14.7) and Aishah Sutherland (12.0) also score in double figures. Engelman leads the team with 15 threes and Sutherland tops KU with 9.7 rebounds per game ... Freshman Keena Mays (9.6 ppg) leads the team and ranks 7th in the NCAA with 6.2 assists per game.

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 158-107 (.596), the highest winning percentage by a coach in CU history. 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. Flan is 2-7 against Kansas and 8-24 all-time against Big 12 teams. Bonnie Henrickson (St. Cloud State, 1986) is in her seventh season at Kansas, where she is 106-96 (.525). Prior to KU, Henrickson was head coach at Virginia Tech for seven seasons. She is 264-158 (.626) in her 14th season as a head coach.

Creighton-Kansas Series History
Kansas ranks behind Nebraska as the second-most played non-conference opponent in Creighton history, as the Jays and Jayhawks meet for the 34th time on Wednesday. CU trails the all-time series with KU 12-21. The Bluejays are 7-8 against Kansas in Omaha, with their last win in the series coming at home on Dec. 21, 2004. KU has won the last seven meetings overall, including two games in Omaha in that span and two games in the postseason WNIT. Prior to their current seven-game skid against Kansas, the Jays had won five straight in the series.

Individuals against Kansas
Sam Schuett is averaging 12.3 points and 4.0 rebounds in her career against KU, making 7-of-16 (.438) three-pointers and 14-of-29 (.483) shots from the field against the Jayhawks. Schuett made a career-high 5-of-7 three-pointers at KU in the WNIT last year. Kellie Nelson is averaging 7.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in her career against Kansas, shooting 51.6 percent (16-31) from the floor in five games against KU. She had 14 points and eight rebounds in CU's first meeting with KU last year.   Kelsey Woodard chips in 7.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game against KU, while eight of the 11 field goals she has made against KU have been three-pointers. She is shooting just 23.9 percent (11-46) from the floor, but 40 percent (8-20) from three-point range against the Jayhawks. CU's other three returners – Ally Jensen (6), DaNae Moore (4), Jasmin Corbin (3) – have combined for 13 points in eight career games vs. KU.

Last Year Against Kansas
Creighton lost twice at Kansas last year, falling 77-56 to then 23rd-ranked KU on Dec. 13 and 71-68 in the second round of the WNIT on March 21 to end the season. KU opened the regular-season meeting on a 25-8 run and never looked back. Angel Goodrich had a game-high 20 points and eight assists for KU, while Kellie Nelson led CU with 14 points and eight rebounds. CU made a season-low two three-pointers in the first meeting. In the WNIT, Creighton used a furious 15-4 run to have a game-winning shot attempt late in the game, but fell just short in the three-point loss. Carolyn Davis led all players with 25 points and 12 rebounds for KU. Sam Schuett led the Jays with 18 points, while making 5-of-7 three-pointers.

Battling the Big 12
Creighton went 1-4 against the Big 12 last year, topping Kansas State at home, along with a home loss to Oklahoma and road losses at NU and Kansas (twice). After a loss to Nebraska earlier this month, CU is now 8-24 against the Big 12 under Jim Flanery – Colorado 2-0; Iowa State 0-2; Kansas 2-7; Kansas State 2-4; Missouri 0-1; Nebraska 2-7; Oklahoma 0-2; Texas Tech 0-1.

Season Highs Against Big 12 Teams
Based on a recent trend for Creighton, look for a Bluejay to score at least 25 points against KU. In each of the previous three seasons, Creighton's highest scoring game by an individual has come against a Big 12 opponent. Last year Megan Neuvirth's 25 points scored at Nebraska (Dec. 9) marked the highest-scoring game by a Bluejay in 2009-10. In 2008-09, Chevelle Herring poured in a season-best 31 points against Kansas on Dec. 13. Sam Schuett's 30 points against Nebraska on Nov. 30, 2007 was the highest scoring game by a Bluejay during the 2007-08 season. CU's current season-high game is 24, done by Kelsey Woodard at South Dakota (Dec. 2)

Ladies Night at Qwest Center Omaha
The Bluejays are back inside Qwest Center Omaha for just their second regular-season home game since the building opened in 2003. The Jays are hoping for a better outcome than their first game in the venue, when they suffered a 51-44 loss to Drake on Feb. 27, 2009. The Bluejays shot a lowly 21.9 percent from the field and 10.5 percent (2-19) from three-point range in that televised loss. The Jays do own a pair of exhibition game victories at Qwest Center, beating Central Missouri 82-74 in 2005 and UCM again in 2007, 88-48. In those two games combined, CU went 42-of-46 (.913) at the free throw line and 12-of-32 (.375) from three-point range.

Previously at Qwest Center
Seniors Kelsey Woodard and Kellie Nelson along with junior DaNae Moore are the only three Bluejays with regular-season experience at Qwest Center. All three scored two points in CU's loss to Drake in 2009, with Woodard going 1-for-8 from the field, Nelson 1-for-5 and Moore not attempting a field goal, but going 2-for-2 at the line. Sam Schuett was in her medical redshirt season when CU last played here.

Rare Basketball Doubleheader
Creighton has not played a true doubleheader with both men's and women's basketball (same site, back-to-back) since the 2002-03 season, when it happened four times. The last of those doubleheaders was on January 26, 2003. On that day, Creighton's men beat TCU 89-79 and the Bluejay women followed that by defeating Drake, 63-51. Those games were held at the Omaha Civic Auditorium.

Home is Where the Wins Are
Creighton is 16-4 (.800) all-time at D.J. Sokol Arena, posting a 12-3 home record last year. The Bluejays are now 88-28 (.759) at home under Jim Flanery (since 2002-03). The Jays are 2-2 under Flan when playing home games at venues other than CU's normal home – 2-0 at Bellevue West High School, 0-1 at Qwest Center Omaha and 0-1 at UNO's Sapp Fieldhouse.

Bluejays Establish Highs
Creighton enjoyed its highest scoring game in more than seven years on Monday night, cruising to a 96-57 win over North Dakota. The 96 points were the most scored by the Jays since winning 96-86 at Siena on March 22, 2003. In addition to the season-high point total, the Jays also put up season-highs in field goals (33), field-goal percentage (.611), three-pointers (12), assists (24), steals (12), blocked shots (9) and points in the paint (40). CU's 96 points, 33 field goals and 55 points in a half (2nd) all established D.J. Sokol Arena records as well.

Individual Highs
In addition to the multiple team season-best numbers against North Dakota (Dec. 20), several individuals also set career highs in the win. McKenzie Fujan scored a career-best nine points, making 4-of-6 shots. Jasmin Corbin led the team with a career-high five assists. DaNae Moore led the Jays with a career-best three steals.

Scoring in the 90s
Creighton's 96 points in its win over North Dakota (Dec. 20) were the most points scored by the Bluejays in a game since a 96-86 win at Siena on March 22, 2003 in the WNIT. It was the first time the Jays had scored 90 points since a 92-63 win over Missouri State on Jan. 8, 2009. The Jays improved to 8-0 when scoring at least 90 points under Jim Flanery.

Longest Home Stand Since 1999
Creighton is in the midst of its longest home stand since 1999 – the first of two four-game home stands for CU this season, after not playing one four-game stand over the past 11 seasons. This current home stand marks the first time the Jays have played four straight at home since Jan. 21-31, 1999. The Jays play a four-game conference home stand between Jan. 27 and Feb. 5, the longest MVC home stand since that same 1999 stretch.

Jensen Still on Fire
Ally Jensen is 12-for-21 (.571) from three-point range in Creighton's last five games, including a stretch of four consecutive makes over a two-game span. She was a perfect 3-for-3 from long range against South Dakota (Dec. 2) and made her only three-point attempt against Nebraska (Dec. 8). Through her first five games, Jensen was just 5-for-21 (.238) from long range. She has scored in double figures in three of CU's last five games. Her career three-point percentage has moved to 37.7 percent (60-159) to tie for 10th in school history.

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). In Jim Flanery's nine seasons at Creighton, the Bluejays are 18-41 (.310) against BCS conference schools – ACC (0-1), Big East (1-4), Big Ten (5-10), Big 12 (8-24), Pac-10 (4-0) and SEC (0-2). Since the 2005-06 season the Jays have five wins (Marquette, Colorado, Oregon State and two vs. Kansas State) in 34 games against BCS schools.

Flan Schedules the Big Boys (or Girls)
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 (16) 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. Creighton's game at Notre Dame was its 59th against a BCS program since 2002-03, the next closest MVC school is Drake, which has played 38 games against BCS schools in the same span.

MVC Records vs. BCS since 2002-03
through Dec. 21
School    G    W-L    Pct.
Creighton    59    18-41    .305
Drake    38    9-29    .237
Illinois State    26    8-18    .308
Missouri State    29    7-22    .241
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    21    0-21    .000

Kellie Steps Up Her Game
Senior Kellie Nelson has played better against better opponents this year. Three of her four double-figure scoring games this year have come against BCS opponents (12 vs. NC State, 10 vs. Marquette, 12 vs. Nebraska). She is averaging 10.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game against BCS opponents and 6.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game against non-BCS foes. She is shooting 51.7 percent from the field and 75 percent from the line against BCS teams and 41.0 percent from the floor and 43.8 percent at the line against non-BCS schools.

Home Court Advantage?
Prior to Creighton's dominating win over North Dakota (Dec. 20), which featured CU's highest scoring game since 2003 and the second-best shooting percentage by a Jim Flanery coached team, the Bluejays were shooting a lower percentage from the field and three-point range at home than they were on the road. The Bluejays scored 96 points and shot 61.1 percent from the field and 54.5 percent from three-point range against UND, after shooting 37.4 percent from the field and just 30.1 percent from three-point range at home in its first four home games.

Tritz Takes
Carli Tritz leads the team and ranks second in the MVC with 26 steals. She has grabbed at least two steals in all but one game this year, leading the team in steals in seven of her first 10 games. She topped the team with five steals 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.

Defense of D.J.
With a 4-1 mark at home this year, the Bluejays are 16-4 all-time at D.J. Sokol Arena. In those 20 games, the Bluejays have allowed 55 of fewer points eight times – including twice this year. Bluejay opponents are averaging just 56.7 points per game in the 20 games played inside D.J. Sokol Arena, while the Jays are averaging 66.4 points per game in their new home venue.

Youth Movement
Creighton has six freshmen on the roster this season, with four making their collegiate playing debut during CU's opening week. Sarah Nelson, who has the only double-double by a Bluejay this year, became the first rookie to start a game this season, when she earned the nod against North Dakota State (Dec. 18). Carli Tritz, who scored a game-high 21 points against Nebraska (Dec. 8), started her first game on Dec. 20 against North Dakota. McKenzie Fujan scored the first five points of the season for CU, and had a career-high nine points against UND (Dec. 20). Alyssa Kamphaus scored eight points in eight minutes at Bowling Green (Nov. 15), making all three of her field goal attempts in the game.

Turnovers Trending Down
After opening the season with 28 turnovers against Liberty (the most by CU since it had 29 in the final game of the 2007-08 season), the Bluejays have learned how to take care of the ball. The Jays are now averaging 15 turnovers per game, including just 9.8 per game in their last five games. The Jays committed a season-low six turnovers at South Dakota (Dec. 2), tied for the fewest committed by the Jays under head coach Jim Flanery.

Tritz Honored by MVC – Twice
Freshman Carli Tritz was named MVC Newcomer of the Week for the second time this season on Dec. 13 after averaging 12.5 points per game against Nebraska and Notre Dame, including a game-high 21 points and made 4-of-6 three-pointers against the Huskers. She also earned the honor on Nov. 29 after her clutch performance against Marquette on Nov. 28. 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. She joins Kelsey Woodard and Megan Neuvirth as the only Bluejays to earn MVC Newcomer of the Week honors.

Schuett's Milestones
Sam Schuett joined some elite groups of players during Creighton's game with Nebraska (Dec. 8), becoming the 23rd player in school history to surpass 1,000 career points and the seventh player to reach 700 career rebounds. She is the sixth CU player to have both 1,000 points and 700 rebounds in a career.

Tritz or Treat
Freshman Carli Tritz scored a game-high 21 points against Nebraska (Dec. 8) to become the first Bluejay rookie with a 20-point game since Kelsey Woodard scored 29 against South Dakota State on March 20, 2008. Tritz scored at least 10 points in four straight games (Nov. 20 - Dec. 8), the longest streak by a CU freshman since Sam Schuett scored 10+ points in five straight in 2007. The guard made 4-of-6 three-pointers against NU after entering the game 1-of-5 from long range through her first six contests.

Strong Competition
On Dec. 11, Notre Dame was Creighton's second straight opponent which appeared in last year's NCAA Sweet 16, as the Jays lost to Nebraska on Dec. 8. The Fighting Irish were the fifth opponent the Jays have played this year which advanced to the NCAA Tournament last year. Creighton's first five opponents this season and seven of its first eight foes advanced to the postseason a year ago . Marquette played in the WNIT last year, as did Wyoming and Kansas. Each of CU's first three opponents – Liberty, NC State and Bowling Green – appeared in the NCAA Tournament last year.

Jays Ranked No. 15 in Mid-Major Top-25
Creighton is ranked No. 15 in the most recent CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll. The Jays were ranked No. 20 in the preseason, climbed to 18th during the first two weeks of the regular-season, 16th in the third week and 14th in the fourth week. 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. Bowling Green was also receiving votes in the AP Top 25 and the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 to start the season.

Home Winning Streak Snapped
Creighton's loss to Nebraska (Dec. 8) snapped its nine-game home winning streak – the Bluejays' longest since winning 23 straight at home between the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons. The Bluejays have still won 27 of their last 32 home games dating back to 2008-09.

Bench Impressed
Before a loss at No. 18 Notre Dame, Creighton's bench had out-scored the opponent's bench in each of its first seven games.   The Irish reserves out-scored CU's bench 34-11. Before that game, the CU bench had out-scored opponents 170-84, highlighted by a 22-0 edge against Marquette (Nov. 28). The Bluejay bench is averaging 22.7 points per game, while the opposition's bench is averaging 14.2 points per contest.

Woodard's Shooting in South Dakota
Kelsey Woodard scored 24 points at South Dakota on Dec. 2, her highest scoring game since putting up 27 against Indiana State on Jan. 3, 2009. It was the ninth time in her career she has scored 20 points in a game and was the fourth-highest scoring game of her career. Her career-high of 29 points also came in the state of South Dakota, when she led the Jays to a WNIT win at South Dakota State as a freshman. She is 18-for-24 (.750) from the field and 6-of-8 (.750) from three-point range in two games played in South Dakota.

Schuett's Assists are Up
Sam Schuett leads the team with 30 assists this year. Her 3.1 assists per game rank seventh in the MVC. She dished a career-high eight assists in a 63-61 win over Marquette (Nov. 28) and followed with six assists at South Dakota (Dec. 2). 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.

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.

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 as many games where they have led wire to wire (4) as they have lost (4) 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 122 points through seven games this year she now has 1,203 points in her career, moving past her sister Kristi (1,110, 19th) on the Creighton career scoring list. The younger Woodard now ranks 16th in CU history in scoring.

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.

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 led the team in rebounding in three of CU's five games and earned her first career start against North Dakota State on Dec. 18.

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 23 players in school history with 1,000 career points. Woodard is the second-most accurate free-throw shooter in school history (.850), trailing only her sister Kristi (.862) in that category. She is ranked fourth in school history and 16th in league history with 213 career three-pointers.

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.

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 are 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 NC 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 (.850) and Sam Schuett (.804) are ranked No. 2 and No. 4 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

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.

Bluejay Women Host Kansas at Qwest Center Omaha Wednesday

Players Mentioned

Jasmin Corbin

McKenzie Fujan

Jordan Garrison

Chevelle Herring

Ally Jensen

Alyssa Kamphaus

Kenny Lawson Jr.

DaNae Moore

Kellie Nelson

Sarah Nelson

Megan Neuvirth

Riley Norman

Sam Schuett

Carli Tritz

Kelsey Woodard

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