Women's Basketball Battles First-Place UNI Thursday in Televised Contest

Game 23 at Northern Iowa • Thursday, Feb. 10 • 7:05 p.m.
Creighton Bluejays at UNI Panthers
McLeod Center • Cedar Falls, Iowa
Links: Audio (1180 AM) | Live Stats
TV: Fox Sports Midwest
Series History: Creighton leads 30-15
Last Meeting: UNI won 58-57, Jan. 13, 2011 in Omaha

• This game is the first of two televised Creighton games on the MVC TV package this season. The contest will air live on Fox Sports Midwest, Fox Sports Indiana, Fox Sports Kansas City, Fox College Sports and Comcast SportsNet Chicago, with Scott Warmann and Laura Leonard on the call.

• The game can be heard on KOIL AM 1180 in Omaha and online at www.koilam1180.com. Brad Burwell and Rob Simms will call the action.

• Live stats for this game and select road games can be found on the CU athletics website at www.gocreighton.com.

• Sarah Nelson was named the MVC Newcomer of the Week on Monday – her second honor of the season. She and teammate Carli Tritz account for eight of the 13 MVC Newcomer of the Week winners this year.

• Kelsey Woodard is now 10th in school history with 1,372 career points, while she is 10th in MVC history with 238 career three-pointers.

• Creighton's bench, led by DaNae Moore (8) and Ally Jensen (7), accounted for 16 of CU's 22 steals in its two games last week.

• The current CU roster is shooting a combined 23.3 percent (14-60) from 3-point range against UNI in their careers.

• Creighton is 30-2 over the last two seasons when holding opponents under 60 points – both losses have come to Northern Iowa.

• CU has lost three straight meetings with UNI – they have never lost four straight to UNI.

Scouting the Bluejays
Creighton, which has finished second or higher in the MVC in five of Jim Flanery's first eight seasons, is once again position to play for a title down the stretch ... 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 five straight, allowing just 50 points per game during the streak ... CU is coming off of its longest MVC home stand since 1999, and is playing its first road game in nearly three weeks ... CU leads the MVC with 14.6 assists per game ... Senior Kelsey Woodard, leads the team with 13.2 points per game, 45 3FG and 90.2 free throw percentage ... Six-time MVC Newcomer of the Week, Carli Tritz tops the team with 70 assists and 54 steals and is the top-scoring freshman in the MVC, averaging 10.6 points per game, including 11.5 ppg in Valley play ... First-team all-MVC forward, senior Sam Schuett (10.4 ppg) leads the team with 7.5 rebounds per game and her 819 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 twice earned MVC Newcomer of the Week honors.

Scouting the Panthers
Northern Iowa is on a school-record nine-game winning streak, with its last loss coming at Illinois State on Jan. 1 ... UNI ranks fourth in the NCAA with just 13.4 turnovers per game ... The Panthers lead the MVC in defense (57.1 ppg), scoring margin (+12.4), free throw percentage (.746), three-pointers per game (7.4), turnover margin (+5.1) and assist-turnover ratio (312-295) ... Jacqui Kalin leads the team with 15.4 points and 3.0 assists per game, while her league-leading 2.4 assist-turnover ratio ranks eighth in the NCAA ... Lizzie Boeck leads the team with 7.9 rebounds per game, along with 14.1 points ... Katelin Oney (10 ppg) leads UNI with 44 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 167-110 (.603), 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 11-8 against UNI in his career.   UNI is coached by Creighton athletics Hall of Famer Tanya Warren (Creighton, 1988). Warren, one of two CU players with her number retired, is 58-58 (.500) in her fourth season as a collegiate head coach. Prior to UNI, Warren spent three seasons at Creighton as the associate head coach and was an assistant at UNI from 1995-2001. Warren is 3-5 against Creighton.

Creighton-UNI Series History
Creighton owns the all-time series lead with UNI, 30-15, including 11-10 in Cedar Falls. UNI has won the last three meetings after Creighton had a five-game winning streak in the series stopped last year. UNI has never won four straight in the series. CU has won two of its last three trips to Cedar Falls. Creighton lost 73-57 here last year, but it has not dropped consecutive trips to Cedar Falls since the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons. Three of CU's last five games at UNI have gone into overtime.

Last Time Against UNI
In a game that featured two ties and four lead changes in the final four minutes alone, it was UNI that emerged with a 58-57 win over the Jays last month in Omaha. CU trailed by nine with 6:30 left, but used a 10-0 run over the next three minutes to go ahead 55-54 with 3:28 to play. Jacqui Kalin scored the winning basket with 1:05 left, as the Jays missed one shot and committed two turnovers in the final minute of play. Sam Schuett led the Jays with 14 points and 12 rebounds, tying Kellie Nelson for team-high scoring honors. Carli Tritz grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds, to go along with 7 assists and three steals. Kalin led all scorers with 19 points. CU out-rebounded UNI 46-32, but made just 3-of-19 (.158) three-pointers.

Individuals Against the Panthers
Four of Sam Schuett's 16 career double-doubles have come against UNI, as she averages 11.0 points and 9.1 rebounds per game against the Panthers in her career. She shoots 46.3 percent from the field against UNI, but only 29.4 percent (5-17) from three-point range. Kelsey Woodard has scored more than 10 points in a game just once in her first eight career meetings with UNI, that was a 12-point performance in her first game against the Panthers as a freshman. She averaged just 3.7 points per game against UNI last year and is scoring only 6.1 points per game against the Panthers in her career, while shooting just 20.6 percent from the field (14-68) and 17.9 percent from three-point range (5-28). Kellie Nelson averages 6.0 points per game against UNI, making 55.3 percent of her shots. The entire Bluejay roster combined is shooting 23.3 percent (14-60) from three-point range against the Panthers over their careers.

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. 10
School    W-L    Pct.
Creighton    102-53    .658
Indiana State    94-60    .610
Illinois State    92-62    .597
Northern Iowa    92-63    .594
Missouri State    86-69    .555
Drake    85-70    .548
Bradley    69-86    .445
Evansville    63-92    .406
Wichita State    49-106    .316
Southern Illinois    42-113    .271

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    102    2002-pr.

Sorry Dessert Lovers, No Turnovers Today
Creighton and Northern Iowa are not only the top two teams in the MVC at taking care of the ball, they rank among the NCAA elite in fewest turnovers per game. UNI leads the MVC and ranks fourth in the NCAA with just 13.4 turnovers per game, while CU commits just 14.3 turnovers per game to rank second in the MVC and 17th in the NCAA.

More CU-UNI Similarities
Creighton and Northern Iowa are two of only 27 teams in the NCAA that have logged more assists than turnovers this season. UNI ranks 20th and CU ranks 26th in the nation in assist-turnover ratio. The Bluejays lead the MVC with 14.6 assists per game, while the Panthers are right behind at 14.2 assists per game.

UNI is the Only One
Creighton is 30-2 over the last two seasons when holding opponents under 60 points and just 6-16 when opponents score 60 or more. UNI is the only team to defeat the Bluejays when scoring less than 60 points over the last two years, winning 58-57 in Omaha last month and 54-53 in the MVC Tournament championship game last March. In 20 of Creighton's first 27 games played at D.J. Sokol Arena, the Bluejays have held opponents below 60 points, with 19 of those games resulting in a win. The Jays' have not allowed 60 points in any of their last 15 MVC wins.

RPI, SOS, FYI
With two wins last weekend over the ninth and 10th place teams in the conference, Creighton's RPI dropped from 55 with a strength of schedule (SOS) of 56, all the way to an RPI of 66 and SOS of 83. UNI's RPI jumped to 55 with wins over Missouri State (RPI 44) and Wichita State. UNI's strength of schedule sits at 110 entering this week. Creighton owns the best win in the MVC this year, knocking off now nationally-ranked Marquette, 63-61 on Nov. 28. Marquette began the week with an RPI of 13. (Stats according to CollegeRPI.com on Feb. 7).

Creighton's Five-Game Winning Streak
The Bluejays enter the week on a five-game winning streak. The key statistic during CU's run is turnover margin. Creighton has forced 96 turnovers in those five games, while losing just 68 turnovers for a plus 5.6 turnover margin per game. The Jays are shooting a worse percentage from the field (.359) and from three-point range (.284) during their streak, than they are on the season (FG – .397, 3FG – .309). The Jays are allowing only 50 points per game during the streak, while scoring 60.4 per game.

Nelson Newcomer of the Week (x2)
Sarah Nelson was named MVC Newcomer of the Week for the second time this season on Monday after averaging 9.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game last week. She had 14 points and a career-high three blocked shots in playing a career-best 35 minutes against Evansville (Feb. 5). She 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).

Our Freshmen Are Good
Sarah Nelson (2) and Carli Tritz (6) have both earned multiple MVC Newcomer of the Week honors this year, with Tritz tying the league mark of six set by Kelsey Woodard (2007-08). The freshman duo has now won eight of the 13 MVC Newcomer of the Week awards this year.

Iowa Natives
Creighton carries three Iowa natives on its roster, with two as major contributors this year. Sophomore Ally Jensen is from Ames and MVC Freshman of the Year frontrunner Carli Tritz is from Sioux City (same home town as UNI's Jacqui Kalin). Freshman Riley Norman (Des Moines) is redshirting this season due to a preseason knee injury. Head coach Jim Flanery (Guthrie Center) is also an Iowa native.

Schuett Reaches 800, Closing in on 3rd
With 819 career rebounds, Sam Schuett has become just the fourth player in school history and the 22nd player in MVC history to reach 800 career boards. She begins the week just five rebounds shy of third place on the CU career charts – trailing Creighton Hall of Famer Shannon Struby's 824.

Woodard Cracks Two Top Ten Lists
Kelsey Woodard has moved into the Creighton career top-10 in scoring and the MVC career top-10 for three-point field goals. Woodard's 1,372 points stand alone in 10th, moving past Creighton Hall of Famer Becky Flynn (1,356). Her 238 career three-pointers (which rank fourth in CU history) rank 10th in MVC history.

X-X First-Half Leads to X-X Finish
Creighton 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    9-2    ??
    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

Ahead at Half
The Bluejays are 11-0 when leading at halftime this year and have now won 15 straight games when leading at the half. Creighton has trailed at halftime in nine of its first 22 games this year, but has come-from-behind to win three of those games – equalling the number of wins it had when trailing at halftime last year (3-8).

Balanced Attack
Creighton posted a season-high 15 steals against Southern Illinois (Feb. 3), its most steals since in a game since March 5, 2009. DaNae Moore had a career-high five steals and Ally Jensen swiped a career-best four steals in the win, while seven Bluejays had at least one steal in the win. All 11 active Bluejays played at least 10 minutes in the blowout win.

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.

Lights, Camera ...
The Missouri Valley Conference announced that it will televise Creighton's game at Missouri State (Feb. 27) on Fox Sports Net. To accommodate the TV window, the tip time at JQH Arena has been moved to 12:05 pm. The Jays and Lady Bears were also televised last year in Springfield, a 70-64 Creighton loss.

Tritz Newcomer of the Week (x6)
Freshman Carli Tritz was named the MVC Newcomer of the Week for a record-tying sixth time on Jan. 31, 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. 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).

Home is Where the Wins Are
Creighton is 22-5 (.815) all-time at D.J. Sokol Arena, with a 10-2 home record this year after posting a 12-3 home record last year. The Bluejays are now 94-30 (.758) at home under Jim Flanery (since 2002-03), including 62-17 (.785) in MVC play at home under Flanery. Creighton has won 33 of its last 40 home games, with two of those seven losses coming at Qwest Center Omaha.

Defense at D.J.
With a 10-2 mark in their home arena this year, the Bluejays are 22-5 all-time at D.J. Sokol Arena. In those 27 games, the Bluejays have allowed less than 60 points points 20 times – including 10 of 12 games this year. Bluejay opponents are averaging just 55.5 points per game in the 27 games played inside D.J. Sokol Arena, while the Jays are averaging 65 points per game in their new home venue.

Leading vs. Losing
Creighton never trailed in its win over Southern Illinois on Feb. 3, the fourth time this season the Jays have not trailed in a home game. Of Creighton's 22 wins at D.J. Sokol Arena, seven of them have come with the Bluejays never playing from behind. The Jays have won more games (7) where they have never trailed at their new home, than they have lost at D.J. Sokol Arena (5).

Longest MVC Home Stand Since 1999
Creighton went a perfect 4-0 during its longest conference home stand since 1999, between Jan. 27 and Feb. 5. Prior to this year, the Jays last played four straight Valley games at home Jan. 21-31, 1999. Earlier this season, CU logged a four-game home stand which served as its longest since that 1999 stint.

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 – her 54 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 70 assists this season, but 39 of those assists have come in CU's last eight games. She is averaging 4.9 assists per game in her last eight, 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 (Jan. 27). 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 five 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.

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.

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 25 games over .500 in the other four months on the basketball calendar.

CU No. 12, UNI No. 16 in Mid-Major Top-25
Creighton is ranked No. 12 in the most recent CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll (Feb. 8). Northern Iowa is ranked 16th in the most recent poll, becoming the fifth team ranked in the Mid-Major Top 25 the Jays have faced this year. CU topped No. 8 Missouri State on Jan. 27, 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 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 17th 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 is Tops
Carli Tritz is the leading scorer in the MVC among all freshmen and newcomers, averaging 10.6 points per game to rank 17th overall. Her 11.5 points per game in MVC games ranks 14th. The rookie ranks second in the MVC with 54 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 notched her third double-double of the year against Southern Illinois (Feb. 3), with 10 points and 10 rebounds. All three double-doubles have come during MVC play. She now has 16 career double-doubles, 14 of which have come against MVC teams – 12 in the MVC regular-season and two in the MVC Tournament. Four of her 16 career double-doubles have come against Northern Iowa – one each year. Her only two non-conference double-doubles came at UC Davis (Nov. 27, 2009) and Nebraska (Nov. 30, 2007).

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.

Non-Con Strength of Schedule is Tops
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 22 games, Creighton ranks third in the MVC making 6.3 three-pointers per game. The Bluejays have made at least six three pointers in 11 of their first 22 games, far off of their pace over the previous two seasons. The Bluejays are 7-4 this year when failing to make six three-pointers in a game, but are just 37-55 (.402) under Jim Flanery when not making six treys. Compare that mark to the 130-55 (.703) 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    8-3    7-4
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    130-55    37-55

Carli Doesn't Play for You
Carli Tritz ranks second in the MVC with 54 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 four games this year, leading the team in steals in 13 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), 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.

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.

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 10th in league history with 238 career three-pointers.

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

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.

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 Battles First-Place UNI Thursday in Televised Contest

Players Mentioned

Jasmin Corbin

McKenzie Fujan

Jordan Garrison

Ally Jensen

Alyssa Kamphaus

DaNae Moore

Kellie Nelson

Sarah Nelson

Megan Neuvirth

Riley Norman

Sam Schuett

Carli Tritz

Kelsey Woodard

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