Bluejays Host Lady Bears in Key Women's Basketball Contest

Game 19 vs. Missouri State • Thursday, Jan. 27 • 7:05 p.m.
Missouri State Lady Bears at Creighton Bluejays
Ryan Athletic Center & D.J. Sokol Arena • Omaha, Neb.
Links: Audio (1180 AM) | Video | Live Stats
Series History: Missouri State leads 28-15
Last Meeting: Missouri State won 70-64, Feb. 5, 2010 in Springfield

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

• Creighton is one of only 27 teams in the NCAA (of 333) with more assists (258) than turnovers (257) this season.

• The Bluejays rank 15th in the NCAA, committing just 14.3 turnovers per game.

• Creighton ranks second in the MVC, shooting 76.1 percent at the free throw line in conference games.

• Creighton is 26-2 over the last two seasons when holding opponents under 60 points and just 6-16 when opponents score 60 or more.

• Sarah Nelson was named the MVC Newcomer of the Week on Monday after averaging 14 points and 5.5 rebounds per game last week. She scored a career-high 17 points in 14 minutes at Illinois State.

• Creighton has led wire-to-wire in each of its last two wins.

• Missouri State is the only MVC school Jim Flanery does not have a winning record against (7-11).

• CU is 11-8 at home against Missouri State, including 4-1 in the last five meetings in Omaha.

Scouting the Bluejays
Creighton is picked to finish third in the Missouri Valley Conference this year, receiving seven first place votes ... CU went 6-5 in non-conference play, once again playing the toughest non-conference schedule in the MVC ... CU's strength of schedule after non-conference play was 39, while the rest of the MVC's average was 182 ... Creighton is committing just 13.3 turnovers per MVC game, with a plus-4.1 turnover margin in conference play ... CU leads the MVC with a 1.1 assist-turnover ratio in conference play, while allowing just 34 rebounds per game in MVC play – which is tops in the league ... Senior Kelsey Woodard, leads the team with 12.5 points per game, 34 3FG and 91.2 free throw percentage ... Five-time MVC Newcomer of the Week, Carli Tritz tops the team with 51 assists and 51 steals and is the top-scoring freshman in the MVC, averaging 10.4 points per game, including 11.4 ppg in Valley play and a team-best 11.7 ppg at home ... First-team all-MVC forward, senior Sam Schuett (10.8 ppg) leads the team with 7.6 rebounds per game, 8.1 rpg in MVC play ... Senior Kellie Nelson ranks 10th in CU history in field goal percentage (.490), while younger sister Sarah Nelson led CU with 14 points per game last week.

Scouting the Lady Bears
Missouri State has won four straight games since its lone MVC loss at UNI ... The Lady Bears are the preseason MVC favorite, and enter the week with the top RPI (34) in the conference ... MSU leads the MVC and ranks third in the NCAA in field-goal percent defense (.320) and fifth in the NCAA in blocked shots per game (6.8), while it also tops the MVC with 46.3 rebounds per game ... They rank first in the MVC inside conference play in scoring (73.0) and free throw percentage (.816) ... 2010 MVC Player of the Year Casey Garrison leads the team with 16.8 points, 3.6 assists and 1.7 steals per game. She leads the MVC and ranks fifth in the NCAA in free throw percentage (.918) ... Reigning MVC Player of the Week Christiana Shorter (12.4 ppg) leads the MVC with 8.3 rebounds per game and 53.2 field-goal percentage ... Tia Mays (4.7 ppg) leads the MVC and ranks sixth in the NCAA with 3.8 blocked shots per game (72 on the season) ... Jaleshia Roberson leads the team with 32 three-pointers.

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 163-110 (.597), 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 7-11 against Missouri State in his career. Nyla Milleson (Kansas State, 1985) is in her fourth season at Missouri State and 11th year as a collegiate head coach. She is 58-54 (.518) at MSU and 243-90 (.730) as a head coach.   Milleson guided Division II Drury to five NCAA Tournament appearances in seven seasons prior to moving across town to Missouri State.

CU-MSU Series History
Missouri State leads the all-time series with the Bluejays, 28-15, while the Jays are 11-8 all-time against the Lady Bears in Omaha. Prior to last year's 82-67 loss at home to MSU, the Bluejays had won four straight home meetings with the Lady Bears. Since the 2005-06 season, the Bluejays are 6-5 against Missouri State, but were swept by MSU last year for the first time since 2004-05.

Last Year Against Missouri State
Missouri State became the first MVC team to win at D.J. Sokol Arena, posting an 82-67 win over Creighton on Jan. 9, before winning 70-64 in Springfield in February. The 82 points allowed by CU in the home loss were the most points it had allowed in a home game in four years. MSU shot 64.3 percent in the first half and rode its game-opening 20-8 run to a 15-point win. Four Lady Bears scored in double figures, led by Lacey Boshe's 18 points, while Casey Garrison had 11 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and five steals. Sam Schuett led CU with 17 points, making 4-of-9 threes. At Springfield, the game featured 18 lead changes and eight ties, before MSU's largest lead of the game came at the horn. MSU's Jaleshia Roberson hit 4-of-5 threes and led all players with 19 points in the win. Megan Neuvirth led the Jays with 18 points and eight rebounds in the road loss.

Individuals Against Missouri State
Kelsey Woodard averages 11.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game in her career against Missouri State. She is 16-of-44 (.364) from three-point range against MSU after making just 1-of-8 (.125) long range shots against them last year. Sam Schuett average 14 points per game against MSU last year and averages 10.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.9 steals per game against the Lady Bears in her career. Kellie Nelson averaged 11.5 points and 7.5 rebounds against MSU last year and now averages 5.6 poitns and 3.4 boards against the Lady Bears in her career.

Flanery On Top of The Valley
Since taking over as the Bluejay head coach for the 2002-03 season, Jim Flanery has led the Bluejays to more Missouri Valley Conference wins than any other program in that span. See the chart below for records in regular-season MVC games since 2002-03.

MVC Records Since 2002-03
Records prior to Jan. 20
School    W-L    Pct.
Creighton    98-53    .649
Indiana State    92-59    .609
Illinois State    89-62    .589
Northern Iowa    89-63    .586
Missouri State    85-66    .563
Drake    83-68    .550
Bradley    68-84    .447
Evansville    63-88    .417
Wichita State    47-104    .311
Southern Illinois    42-109    .278

Flan's the Man
Head coach Jim Flanery is just two wins shy of a milestone, as he begins the week with 98 MVC wins in his career. He is currently tied with Jim Wiedie (Indiana State) for seventh on the MVC career wins list and with two more will become just the seventh coach in Valley history with 100 league wins.

Most MVC Coaching Wins (league games)
Name, School    Wins    Years
Cheryl Burnett, MSU    201    1988-02
Cindy Scott, SIU    199    1983-98
Jill Hutchison, ILS    170    1983-99
Tony DiCecco, UNI    117    1996-07
Lisa Bluder, DU    116    1991-00
Connie Yori, CU    109    1992-02
Jim Flanery, CU    98    2002-pr.
Jim Wiedie, INS    98    2001-10

Stop at 60
Creighton is 26-2 over the last two seasons when holding opponents under 60 points and just 6-16 when opponents score 60 or more. In 16 of Creighton's first 23 games played at D.J. Sokol Arena, the Bluejays have held opponents below 60 points, with 15 of those games resulting in a win (only loss was 58-57 to UNI earlier this month). The Jays' have not allowed 60 points in any of their last 11 MVC wins.

Two Rookie Starters
Creighton started two freshmen – Carli Tritz and Sarah Nelson – in its win at Indiana State last Saturday. It marked the first time since the 2006-07 season that the Bluejays had started two freshmen in a game, as Megan Neuvirth and Sam Schuett were both starters in the 2007 MVC Tournament championship game at Drake, but served as the first time under Jim Flanery that two true freshmen were in the starting lineup (Neuvirth was a redshirt in 2006-07). The last time two true freshmen had started a game at Creighton was Feb. 11, 2001 when Dayna Finch and Christy Neneman started in a 77-52 home win over Illinois State. That duo started four games together that season.

Nelson Named Newcomer of the Week
Sarah Nelson was named the MVC Newcomer of the Week on Monday after averaging 14 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game last week. The freshman had a career-high 17 points in just 14 minutes at Illinois State and earned her second start of the season at Indiana State, scoring 11 points, including nine in the first half.

Nelson, Tritz Make History
Not only did the freshman duo of Sarah Nelson and Carli Tritz start together at Indiana State on Saturday, but with Nelson bringing home MVC Newcomer of the Week honors on Monday, the pair are the first set of Bluejays to earn the award in the same season (Tritz has won the honor five times this year). Prior to this season, only Megan Neuvirth (2006-07) and Kelsey Woodard (2007-08) had won the award for the Bluejays – which started during the 2003-04 season.

Schuett Approaching Milestone
Sam Schuett enters the week with 789 career rebounds, just 11 shy of becoming the fourth player in school history with 800 career boards. She will join CU Hall of Famers Shannon Struby (824) and Pam Gradoville (924) and former teammate and record-holder Megan Neuvirth (929). She will become just the 22nd player in MVC history with 800 rebounds.

Where We Rank
• Creighton ranks 15th in the NCAA in fewest turnovers per game, with just 14.3 on the season. CU's 13.3 turnovers per game in MVC play are the fewest in the league.
• Creighton ranks 27th in the NCAA in assist-turnover ratio, one of only 27 teams in the nation (of 333) with more assists than turnovers on the season. CU leads the Valley in league games with a 1.1 assist-turnover ratio (102 asst. - 93 TO).

Longest MVC Home Stand Since 1999
Creighton is opening its longest MVC home stand since 1999 this week. The Jays have not played four straight Valley games at home since Jan. 21-31, 1999. Earlier this season, CU logged a four-game home stand which served as its longest since that 1999 stint. Creighton went 3-1 in its previous four-game home stand this year, winning all three of its games at D.J. Sokol Arena. Its lone loss came in just its second home game ever played at Qwest Center Omaha.

Leading vs. Losing
Creighton's win over Bradley (Jan. 15) marked the fifth time at D.J. Sokol Arena that the Bluejays never trailed in a game – the second time this season, vs. Wyoming (Nov. 20). The Jays have now lost as many games at their new home, as they have had games in which they have never trailed (5).

Home is Where the Wins Are
Creighton is 18-5 (.783) all-time at D.J. Sokol Arena, with a 6-2 home record this year after posting a 12-3 home record last year. The Bluejays are now 90-30 (.750) at home under Jim Flanery (since 2002-03), including 58-17 (.773) in MVC play at home under Flanery. Creighton has won 29 of its last 36 home games, with two of those seven losses coming at Qwest Center Omaha.

Defense at D.J.
With a 6-2 mark in their home arena this year, the Bluejays are 18-5 all-time at D.J. Sokol Arena. In those 23 games, the Bluejays have allowed less than 60 points points 16 times – including six of eight games this year. Bluejay opponents are averaging just 56.6 points per game in the 23 games played inside D.J. Sokol Arena, while the Jays are averaging 65.9 points per game in their new home venue.

No Bad Losses
Through 23 games at its new facility, Creighton has lost just five times. The combined record of the five teams which won at D.J. Sokol Arena entering the game in which they topped Creighton is 41-20 (.672). Missouri State is looking to become the first opponent to capture two wins here.

Cold Weather Means Hot Basketball
Creighton is 50-20 (.714) in January games under head coach Jim Flanery, by far his most successful month. The Jays are 30 games over .500 in January games under Flanery, while they are a combined 23 games over .500 in the other four months on the basketball calendar.

At the Half
The Bluejays are 8-0 when leading at halftime this year and have now won 12 straight games when leading at the half. Creighton has trailed at halftime in half of its first 18 games this year, but has come-from-behind to win three of those games – already equalling the number of wins it had when trailing at halftime last year (3-8).

Strange Shooting Stats
Creighton is shooting better on the road than it is at home this season. The Bluejays are shooting 42.0 percent from the field and 33.1 percent from three-point range in true road games, compared to 39.9 percent from the floor and 30.3 percent from long range at home.

CU #14, MSU #8 in Mid-Major Top-25
Creighton is ranked No. 14 in the most recent CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll (Jan. 25), while Missouri State is ranked eighth this week. The Lady Bears are the fourth team this season the Jays have faced that are also in the Mid-Major Top 25, following a loss at No. 17 Illinois State last week. Two of CU's first three games were against Mid-Major top-10 teams, as the Jays knocked off eighth-ranked Liberty and lost at fifth-ranked Bowling Green. Bowling Green, now ranked second in the poll, was also receiving votes in the AP Top 25 and the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 to start the season. Creighton peaked with a No. 10 ranking in week nine.

Creighton Values Its Possessions
Despite losing its starting point guard, Creighton remains among the NCAA elite in fewest turnovers per game. The Bluejays rank 15th in the NCAA this week, averaging just 14.3 turnovers per game. In each of the previous two seasons, the Jays have also finished in the top-25 nationally in fewest turnovers per game, ranking 22nd last year and eighth during the 2008-09 season. The Jays committed a season-low six turnovers at South Dakota (Dec. 2), tied for the fewest committed under head coach Jim Flanery.

Tritz the Starter
Since moving into the starting lineup on Dec. 20, freshman Carli Tritz is averaging 11.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game. She is shooting 50.7 percent from the field and 47.1 percent from three-point range (8-17) as a starter. In her nine games as a reserve, the guard averaged 9.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game, making 45.9 percent of her field goals and 38.5 percent (5-13) of her three-pointers.

Tritz is Tops
Carli Tritz is the leading scorer in the MVC among all freshmen and newcomers, averaging 10.4 points per game to rank 20th overall. Her 11.4 points per game in MVC games ranks 15th. She ranks second in the MVC with 51 steals on the season and is second in MVC games, shooting 43.8 percent from three-point range. Against Bradley (Jan. 15) she was tops on the team with 17 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals one game after establishing career-highs with 10 rebounds and seven assists against UNI (Jan. 13).

Schuett Doubles Up the MVC
Sam Schuett recorded notched her second double-double of the year against UNI (Jan. 13), with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Both double-doubles have come during MVC play. She now has 15 career double-doubles, 13 of which have come against MVC teams – 11 in the MVC regular-season and two in the MVC Tournament. Her only two non-conference double-doubles came at UC Davis (Nov. 27, 2009) and Nebraska (Nov. 30, 2007).

Woodard Climbing the Charts
Senior Kelsey Woodard has moved from 21st to 12th on the Creighton scoring charts this year, as she now has 1,306 career points. She recenty moved past Holly Sivesind (1,250), Megan Neuvirth (1,257), Dayna Finch (1,260) and Angela Timmons (1,263) on the Jays' scoring list and is now 50 points shy of the top-10. She also recently moved past MVC and NCAA legend Jackie Stiles in career three-pointers, as her 227 career triples are more than the 221 Stiles made in her record-setting career. Woodard now ranks 13th in MVC history with her 227 career threes.

Tritz Honored by MVC for Fifth Time
For the third straight week and the fifth time in the first nine weeks of her career, Carli Tritz was named the MVC Newcomer of the Week on Jan. 10. The freshman guard has now won the honor on Nov. 29, Dec. 13, Dec. 27, Jan. 3 and Jan. 10. During her most recent win, she averaged 11 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game in CU's two road victories, while making 66.7 percent (10-15) of her shots. The week prior, she had 15 points, six rebounds and five steals against Drake (Dec. 31) in her MVC debut. She filled up the stat sheet in games against North Dakota (Dec. 20) and Kansas (Dec. 22) – averaging 9.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Creighton's Kelsey Woodard owns the MVC record with six Newcomer of the Week honors during the 2007-08 season.

The Kamphaus Dozen
Freshman Alyssa Kamphaus scored a career-high 12 points, making all five of her field goal attempts, while playing just seven minutes in her MVC debut at Evansville (Jan. 6). Included in the five makes for the rookie center, was what she claims to be the first three-pointer she has ever made in a game in her life.

Garrison Makes Debut
Freshman guard Jordan Garrison did not play in Creighton's first 12 games, after not dressing for the first 11 because of a stress fracture in her left leg. She dressed, but did not play, against Drake (Dec. 31), before finally making her collegiate debut at Evansville (Jan. 6). The rookie misfired on her first three-point attempt but knocked down her second try for her first career points.

Tritz MVC Debut, Second to One
Carli Tritz scored 15 points in her MVC debut against Drake on Dec. 31. The 15 points in her MVC debut mark the second highest scoring game by a Bluejay in her first Valley game in school history. The only other Bluejay rookie to score more in an MVC debut was Missy Miller with 23 points on Jan. 7, 1993 in Creighton's first ever MVC game. Freshman Becky Flynn also scored 14 points in that same game in 1993, while Laura Spanheimer scored 14 points against Southern Illinois on Dec. 30, 2001 in her first Valley game. Tritz also grabbed six rebounds and five steals against Drake.

Strength of Schedule is Tops in MVC
As it annually does, Creighton again played the strongest non-conference schedule in the MVC. Through non-conference games played on Dec. 28, the Bluejays' strength of schedule (SOS) was 39. Only one other school in the MVC had an SOS of better than 131 – Missouri State's 88. In fact, the other nine teams in the MVC had an average SOS of 182 – 143 spots lower than Creighton's.

Tracking Six Three-Pointers Made
Through 18 games, Creighton ranks third in the MVC making 6.4 three-pointers per game. The Bluejays have made at least six three pointers in half of their games, far off of their pace over the previous two seasons. The Bluejays are 5-4 this year when failing to make six three-pointers in a game, but are just 35-55 (.389) under Jim Flanery when not making six treys. Compare that mark to the 128-55 (.699) record CU has compiled in games it has drained at least three trifectas since the 2002-03 season. The Jays made at least six threes in 23 games last year, compared to just nine games with less than six. In 2008-09, the Jays had 24 games with at least six triples, and only 10 games without. In only one of Flanery's first eight seasons at the helm have the Bluejays not had more games with at least six three-pointers – the 2006-07 season featured 16 games with at least six threes and 16 games with less than six threes.

Under Flanery With & Without Six 3FG
    W/6 3FG    W/O 6 3FG
Season    W-L    W-L
2010-11    6-3    5-4
2009-10    18-5    3-6
2008-09    18-6    4-6
2007-08    14-5    7-7
2006-07    10-6    3-13
2005-06    7-13    1-8
2004-05    14-3    5-7
2003-04    19-8    5-1
2002-03    22-6    2-3
Totals    128-55    35-55

Tritz Takes
Carli Tritz ranks second in the MVC with 51 steals this year and swiped at least one steal in each of her first 16 career games. She has grabbed at least two steals in all but two games this year, leading the team in steals in 13 of her first 18 games. Tritz swiped a career-high six steals at Indiana State (Jan. 22). She topped the team with five steals against Marquette (Nov. 28) and Drake (Dec. 31), becoming 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.

Woodard Named MVC Player of the Week
Kelsey Woodard was named the MVC Player of the Week on Dec. 27 after her performances against North Dakota and Kansas. Woodard averaged 20 points and 3.0 assists per game, making 50 percent of her field goals (14-28) and three-pointers (5-10) in the two contests. It was her second career Player of the Week honor, and first since Feb. 4, 2008.

Bluejays Establish Highs
Creighton enjoyed its highest scoring game in more than seven years on Dec. 20, 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.

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 has played 60 games against BCS programs since 2002-03, the next closest MVC school is Drake, which has played 38 games in the same span.

MVC vs. BCS since 2002-03
School    Games    Wins
Creighton    60    18
Drake    38    9
Illinois State    26    8
Missouri State    29    7
Indiana State    18    6
Northern Iowa    34    4
Wichita State    18    4
Evansville    18    3
Bradley    16    2
Southern Illinois    21    0

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.

If the Schuett Fits
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 Nebraska.

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 28 of their last 34 home games dating back to 2008-09.

Bench Impressed
Creighton's bench out-scored the opponent's bench in 10 of its first 11 non-conference games and before its game at No. 18 Notre Dame (Dec. 11), the 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).

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. 6, 2008 against Missouri 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 (.853), trailing only her sister Kristi (.862) in that category. She is ranked fourth in school history and 13th in league history with 227 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.

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.

Creighton's Sister Act
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 in 1978-79.

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.

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 hosted 2010 Sweet 16 participant Nebraska on Dec. 8 and then played 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.

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 Host Lady Bears in Key Women's Basketball Contest

Players Mentioned

Jasmin Corbin

McKenzie Fujan

Jordan Garrison

Alyssa Kamphaus

DaNae Moore

Kellie Nelson

Sarah Nelson

Megan Neuvirth

Riley Norman

Sam Schuett

Carli Tritz

Kelsey Woodard

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