Women's Basketball Continues Home Stand With SIU Thursday

Game 21 vs. Southern Illinois • Thursday, Feb. 3 • 7:05 p.m.
Southern Illinois Salukis at Creighton Bluejays
Ryan Athletic Center & D.J. Sokol Arena • Omaha, Neb.
Links: Audio (1180 AM) | Video | Live Stats
Series History: Creighton leads 29-15
Last Meeting: Creighton won 68-51, Jan. 8, 2011 in Carbondale

• 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.

• Jim Flanery became the seventh coach in league history to capture 100 career MVC wins last week. He is now 100-53 (.654) all-time in MVC play.

• The largest crowd in D.J. Sokol Arena history (2,121) witness the first overtime game in the venue's history in Creighton's 50-48 win over Wichita State last Saturday.

• With 801 career rebounds, Sam Schuett has become the fourth player in school history and the 22nd player in MVC history to reach 800 career boards.

• Carli Tritz was named MVC Newcomer of the Week for the sixth time this season on Monday, tying the MVC record held by teammate Kelsey Woodard (2007-08).

• Tritz has 32 assists in her last six games (5.3 per) after dishing 31 assists in her first 14 games (2.2 per) of the season.

• Creighton's 100 MVC wins since 2002-03 are the most in the league in that span, while SIU's 42 wins in that span are the fewest.

• Creighton has won six straight meetings with SIU and is 14-7 all-time against SIU 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 ... The Bluejays have won three straight games for the third time this season, but looking for their first four-game winning streak of the year ...Creighton ranks 19th in the NCAA, committing just 14.6 turnovers per game ... Senior Kelsey Woodard, leads the team with 13.1 points per game, 40 3FG and 90.9 free throw percentage ... Six-time MVC Newcomer of the Week, Carli Tritz tops the team with 63 assists and 52 steals and is the top-scoring freshman in the MVC, averaging 11 points per game, including 12.6 ppg in Valley play ... First-team all-MVC forward, senior Sam Schuett (10.2 ppg) leads the team with 7.4 rebounds per game and her 801 career rebounds are tops among active MVC players ... Senior Kellie Nelson ranks 10th in CU history in field goal percentage (.490), while her sister Sarah Nelson has joined her in the starting line up in CU's last three games.

Scouting the Salukis
Southern Illinois is looking for its first MVC win of the season and its first win since beating Murray State on Dec. 18 ... SIU's average margin of defeat in MVC play is 26.6 ... SIU ranks last in the MVC in scoring (49.8 ppg), defense (68.6 ppg), scoring margin (-18.7), field goal percentage (.346), three-point percentage (.286), assists (10.6), steals (5.1) and turnover margin (-9.4) ... SIU ranks last in the NCAA in turnover margin, while it also ranks in the bottom 10 (of 333) in scoring (329th), scoring margin (328th), turnovers per game (331st – 23.5) and steals per game (328th) ... Teri Oliver ranks second in the MVC with 2.4 three-pointers per game and leads the Salukis with 10.9 points per game, including a 12.5 ppg in MVC play ... Brooke LeMar leads the team and ranks third in the MVC with 91 assists, but also has 117 turnovers ... CiCi Shannon tops the team, ranks second in the MVC and 10th in the NCAA with 63 blocked shots.

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 165-110 (.600), for 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 12-6 against SIU in his career.   Missy Tiber (West Liberty State, 1994) is in her second season at Southern Illinois and as a Division I head coach, where she is 7-42 (.143) after putting together a 167-70 (.705) mark at Division II Tusculum College and Belmont Abbey College, where she led her teams to three NCAA Tournaments in eight years.

Creighton-SIU Series History
The Bluejays lead the all-time series with Southern Illinois 29-15, including a 14-7 advantage in Carbondale. The Jays have won the last six meetings with SIU after losing five of six. CU has won its last three games against SIU in Omaha, with SIU's last win here coming on Feb. 18, 2007. Jim Flanery is 12-6 against SIU in his career.

Last Time Against Southern Illinois
Creighton led 28-25 at halftime, but out-scored the Salukis 40-26 after the half for a 68-51 win in Carbondale on Jan. 8. The Jays opened the second half on an 11-3 run to take control of the game. The Bluejays scored 29 points off of SIU's 20 turnovers. Kelsey Woodard led all players with 18 points, making 4-of-7 three-pointers (while the rest of the team was 0-for-11 from long range). Carli Tritz had 12 points, Kellie Nelson 10 and Sam Schuett logged eight points, eight rebounds and four steals.

Individuals Against the Salukis
Kelsey Woodard averages 15.6 points per game in her career against SIU, making 15-of-33 (.455) three-pointers and 20-of-21 (.952) free throws. Kellie Nelson averaged 20 points per game against SIU last year, making 14-of-20 (.700) shots from the field and 12-of-16 (.750) free throws. In her career against SIU she averages 9.4 points per game and shoots 60 percent (27-45) from the floor. Sam Schuett averaged 14.5 points per game against SIU last year to raise her career scoring average against the Salukis to 7.7 to go along with 6.9 rebounds per game. DaNae Moore tied a season-high with six points at SIU in January, she averages 3.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game in her career vs. the Salukis.

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 Feb. 2
School    W-L    Pct.
Creighton    100-53    .654
Indiana State    94-59    .614
Illinois State    91-62    .595
Northern Iowa    90-63    .588
Missouri State    86-67    .562
Drake    83-70    .542
Bradley    68-85    .444
Evansville    63-90    .412
Wichita State    48-105    .314
Southern Illinois    42-111    .275

Flan Captures 100th MVC Win
Head coach Jim Flanery won his 100th career MVC game against Wichita State (Jan. 29), becoming the seventh coach in league history to reach that milestone.

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    100    2002-pr.

Schuett Reaches 800 Rebounds
Sam Schuett has 801 career rebounds, joining CU Hall of Famers Shannon Struby (824) and Pam Gradoville (924) and former teammate and record-holder Megan Neuvirth (929) as the only Bluejays with 800 career rebounds. She is the active MVC leader in rebounds and just the 22nd player in MVC history with 800 boards.

Woodard Closing in on Top 10
Kelsey Woodard begins the week just 13 points shy of cracking the Creighton career top-10 scoring list. The senior has scored 1,343 career points, tied with Kris Kugel for 11th in school history and just 13 points shy of Hall of Famer Becky Flynn's 1,356 points.

Working Overtime
Creighton played its first overtime game of the year and the first overtime game in D.J. Sokol Arena history in a 50-48 win over Wichita State on Jan. 29. The win moved Creighton to 12-7 in overtime games under Jim Flanery. The Jays have won their last four overtime games and won their last four overtime games in conference play.

X-X First-Half Leads to X-X Finish
Creighton has started MVC play with a 7-2 record for the third straight season. The previous five times CU has had at least seven wins in the first half of conference play, it finished first or second in the league. This marks the 16th time in 19 seasons as a member of the MVC that the Jays have posted a winning record through the first half of the league schedule. CU had an identical first and second-half MVC record in 2007-08 and 2008-09, but has not had a better second half record than first half since 2002-03 – its last regular-season championship.

        MVC    MVC    MVC
    Season    1st Half    Overall    Finish
    2010-11    7-2    ??    ??
    2009-10    7-2    13-5    2nd
    2008-09    7-2    14-4    2nd
    2007-08    6-3    12-6    4th
    2006-07    5-4    8-10    6th
    2005-06    4-5    5-13    T-9th
    2004-05    8-1    13-5    T-2nd
    2003-04    8-1    15-3    2nd
    2002-03    6-3    13-5    T-1st
    2001-02    8-1    16-2    1st
    2000-01    5-4    11-7    4th
    1999-00    4-5    7-11    6th
    1998-99    5-4    9-9    7th
    1997-98    7-2    11-7    3rd
    1996-97    4-5    7-11    8th
    1995-96    6-3    10-8    T-4th
    1994-95    6-3    12-6    4th
    1993-94    8-0    14-2    2nd
    1992-93    7-1    12-4    T-2nd

Tritz Six-Time MVC Newcomer of the Week
Freshman Carli Tritz was named the MVC Newcomer of the Week for a record-tying sixth time on Monday, tying the league mark held by teammate Kelsey Woodard (2007-08). Tritz averaged 16.5 points and 6.0 assists per game in wins over Missouri State and Wichita State, hitting the game-winning free throws in overtime against WSU. The freshman guard has been honored on Nov. 29, Dec. 13, Dec. 27, Jan. 3, Jan. 10 and Jan. 31. On Jan. 10, she won after averaging 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.

Carli's Clutch
In two games this season, a pair of Carli Tritz free throws late in the game have provided the winning margin for the Bluejays. Tritz not only made the game-winning free throws with 4.2 seconds left in overtime to give the Jays a 50-48 win over Wichita State (Jan. 29), but she also made the game-tying free throws with 11.5 seconds on the clock in regulation against the Shockers. In the second home game of her career, Tritz's free throws with 14.3 seconds left lifted the Jays to a 63-61 win over Marquette (Nov. 28).

Stop at 60
Creighton is 28-2 over the last two seasons when holding opponents under 60 points and just 6-16 when opponents score 60 or more. In 18 of Creighton's first 25 games played at D.J. Sokol Arena, the Bluejays have held opponents below 60 points, with 17 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 13 MVC wins.

Home is Where the Wins Are
Creighton is 20-5 (.800) all-time at D.J. Sokol Arena, with an 8-2 home record this year after posting a 12-3 home record last year. The Bluejays are now 92-30 (.754) at home under Jim Flanery (since 2002-03), including 60-17 (.779) in MVC play at home under Flanery. Creighton has won 31 of its last 38 home games, with two of those seven losses coming at Qwest Center Omaha.

Defense at D.J.
With an 8-2 mark in their home arena this year, the Bluejays are 20-5 all-time at D.J. Sokol Arena. In those 25 games, the Bluejays have allowed less than 60 points points 18 times – including eight of 10 games this year. Bluejay opponents are averaging just 56.2 points per game in the 25 games played inside D.J. Sokol Arena, while the Jays are averaging 65.4 points per game in their new home venue.

Leading vs. Losing
Creighton never trailed in recent home wins over Bradley (Jan. 15) and Missouri State (Jan. 27), giving the Bluejays six games at D.J. Sokol Arena in which they never trailed during the game (three this season, three last season). The Jays have now won more games (6) where they have never trailed at their new home than they have lost at D.J. Sokol Arena (5).

Give and Take
Taking hasn't been a problem for freshman Carli Tritz this season, as she quickly established herself as one of the top defenders in the MVC, as her 52 steals on the year lead the team and rank second in the league. But her giving has recently been on the rise, as evidenced by her career-high eight assists against Missouri State (Jan. 27). Tritz leads the team with 63 assists this season, but 32 of those assists have come in CU's last six games. She is averaging 5.3 assists per game in her last five, after dishing 31 assists through her first 14 games – 2.2 per contest.
Fast Start Leads to Nice Finish
Creighton scored a season-high 44 points in the first half of its 68-56 win over Missouri State on Thursday. The Jays led 44-23 at the break for their largest halftime lead of the season.

Woodard Wows
Kelsey Woodard poured in a season-high 25 points against Missouri State (Jan. 27), equalling the highest scoring game by a Bluejay over the past two seasons. Her 25 points also established a D.J. Sokol Arena high for a Bluejay. The senior drained 5-of-10 three-pointers in the win, the ninth time in her career she has made at least five threes in a game. It was her third 20-point game of the year and the 11th of her career.

Two Rookie Starters
Creighton has started two freshmen – Carli Tritz and Sarah Nelson – in its last three games, marking 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 it served as the first time under Jim Flanery that two true freshmen were in the starting lineup (Neuvirth was a redshirt in 2006-07). Prior to this season, 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 Jan. 24 after averaging 14 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game. The freshman had a career-high 17 points in just 14 minutes at Illinois State (Jan. 20) and earned her second start of the season at Indiana State (Jan. 22), 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 six 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.

Longest MVC Home Stand Since 1999
Creighton is in the midst its longest MVC home stand since 1999. 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.

No Bad Losses
Through 25 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 went 6-2 in January to move its record to is 52-20 (.722) in January games under head coach Jim Flanery, by far his most successful month. The Jays are 32 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 9-0 when leading at halftime this year and have now won 13 straight games when leading at the half. Creighton has trailed at halftime in nine of its first 20 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).

Jays Ranked No. 14 in Mid-Major Top-25
Creighton is ranked No. 14 in the most recent CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll (Jan. 25). The Jays topped No. 8 Missouri State (Jan. 27), as the Lady Bears were the fourth team this season the Jays have faced that was also ranked in the Mid-Major Top 25, following a loss at No. 17 Illinois State (Jan. 20). 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 19th in the NCAA this week, averaging just 14.4 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 12 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. She is shooting 49 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from three-point range (9-23) as a starter. In her nine games as a reserve, the guard averaged 9.8 points and 3.4 rebounds 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 11 points per game to rank 15th overall. Her 12.6 points per game in MVC games ranks 10th. The rookie ranks second in the MVC with 52 steals on the season. 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 against UNI (Jan. 13). She dished a career-high eight assists against Missouri State (Jan. 27).

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 11th on the Creighton scoring charts this year, as she now has 1,343 career points. She recently 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 13 points shy of the top-10. She also recently moved past MVC and NCAA legend Jackie Stiles in career three-pointers, as her 233 career triples are more than the 221 Stiles made in her record-setting career. Woodard now ranks 12th in MVC history with her 233 career threes.

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 SIU 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 20 games, Creighton ranks second in the MVC making 6.3 three-pointers per game. The Bluejays have made at least six three pointers in 10 of their first 19 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 36-55 (.396) under Jim Flanery when not making six treys. Compare that mark to the 129-55 (.701) 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    7-3    6-4
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    129-55    36-55

Carli Doesn't Play for You
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 three games this year, leading the team in steals in 13 of her first 19 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 fourth CU player to have both 1,000 points and 800 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 31 of their last 38 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 (.855), trailing only her sister Kristi (.862) in that category. She is ranked fourth in school history and 12th in league history with 233 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.

Women's Basketball Continues Home Stand With SIU Thursday

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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