Women's Basketball Hosts Wyoming in Home Opener Saturday

Game 4 vs. Wyoming • Saturday, Nov. 20 • 2:05 p.m.
Wyoming Cowgirls at Creighton Bluejays
Ryan Athletic Center & D.J. Sokol Arena • Omaha, Neb.
Radio: 1180 AM, www.koilam1180.com • Video: www.gocreighton.com
Series History: Creighton leads 10-8
Last Meeting: Creighton won 74-62, Dec. 4, 1999 in Omaha

• 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.

• Including Wyoming, last year's average win total of Creighton's first four opponents this season was 23.8.

• Creighton is 24-12 all-time in its first home game of the year, including 8-2 in its last nine home openers.

• CU went 12-3 at home in its first season at D.J. Sokol Arena last year, winning its final seven home games.

• The Bluejays missed their first 18 shots in their home opener last year, but used a 19-0 run to own a 37-14 halftime lead en route to a 77-54 win over Arkansas State.

• Creighton is 5-0 against the Mountain West Conference under Jim Flanery.

• With seven three-point field goals this year, Kelsey Woodard has become the fourth player in school history and the 22nd in MVC history to reach 200 career three-pointers.

• Woodard (1,115) has also surpassed her older sister, Kristi (1,110) for 18th in school history on the career scoring charts.

Scouting the Bluejays (1-2)
Creighton is picked to finish third in the Missouri Valley Conference this year, receiving seven first place votes ... Creighton returns six letterwinners and three starters from last year's team which finished 21-11 and 13-5 (2nd) in the MVC, advancing to the second round of the WNIT for the third straight season and playing in the event for the sixth time in eight years ... Creighton is 1-2 on the year, struggling to find its shooting touch, making 37.7 percent from the floor, 29.5 percent from three-point range and 52.2 percent at the free throw line ... CU is averaging 22 turnovers per game ... Senior Kelsey Woodard tops the team with 11.3 points per game ... Two of CU's top three scorers and rebounders are freshmen – Carli Tritz (8.7 p, 5.0 r) and Sarah Nelson (8.0 p, 7.0 r) ... First-team all-MVC forward Sam Schuett is averaging 6.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, tied with Tritz for the team-lead with six steals ... Six of CU's 12 roster spots are freshmen, the largest rookie scholarship class at Creighton in 13 years.

Scouting the Cowgirls (2-0)
Wyoming is 2-0 on the season, with home wins over Denver and NAIA program Dickinson (N.D.) State ... The Cowgirls were 21-12 last year, advancing to the third round of the WNIT ... Wyoming returns four starters from last year's team, which finished fifth in the MWC ... Hillary Carlson (21.5 p, 9.5 r) and Aubrey Vandiver (15.5 p, 8.0 r) were named second-team all-MWC last year ... The Cowgirls are averaging 72 points and 45.5 rebounds per game, shooting 42.2 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from 3-point range and 68.8 percent at the free throw line.

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 153-105 (.593). 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 1-0 against MAC teams. Joe Legerski (Wyoming, 1979) is in his eighth season at his alma mater, posting a 138-81 (.630) with the Cowgirls. He has led his team to one NCAA Tournament (2008) and three WNIT appearances, including the 2007 WNIT Championship.

CU-UW Series History
Creighton is 10-8 all-time against Wyoming, but the teams have not met since a 74-62 Bluejay victory in Omaha on Dec. 4, 1999. Creighton has won seven of the last eight meetings with Wyoming and is 6-2 all-time against the Cowgirls in Omaha.

On Top of the Mountain West
Creighton is 5-0 against teams currently in the Mountain West under head coach Jim Flanery. The Bluejays are 3-0 against Colorado State, as CU's 67-56 home win over CSU on Dec. 21, 2008 was its last meeting with the conference. The Bluejays knocked off UNLV 73-52 in the 2004 WNIT Championship game and also won at San Diego State in 2002.

Home Openers
Creighton is 24-12 all-time in their season debut at home, including wins in eight of their last 10 home openers. Creighton is 6-2 in home openers under Jim Flanery, with wins over UMKC, Michigan, Northwestern, Houston, Arkansas-Little Rock and Arkansas State. The losses came to Nebraska and Kansas. The Jays won their home opener last year 77-54 over Arkansas State.

Last Year's Home Opener
The Bluejays debuted at D.J. Sokol Arena with a convincing 77-54 win over Arkansas State on Nov. 13, 2009. After missing their first 18 shots of the game, the Jays rattled off a 19-0 run and would shoot 27-of-50 (.540) for the remainder of the game. Kelsey Woodard made 6-of-11 three-pointers to lead all players with 18 points and Kellie Nelson chipped in 13 points. The Bluejays drained 13-of-31 (.419) three-pointers in the win.

Kelsey's Climb
Kelsey Woodard has hit seven three-pointers in her first three games this year to become the fourth player in school history and the 22nd in Missouri Valley Conference history to reach 200 career three-pointers. With 34 points through three games this year she now has 1,115 points in her career, surpassing her sister Kristi (1,110) on the Creighton career scoring list, as Kelsey now ranks 18th in school history. The Woodard's have combined for 2,225 points, as they aim to catch the combined point total of the Spanheimer sisters – Laura and Krissie combined for 2,601 in their CU careers.

Youth Movement
Creighton has six freshmen on the roster this season, with four making their collegiate playing debut last week. McKenzie Fujan scored the first five points of the season for Creighton and Carli Tritz led the Jays with seven first-half points in CU's opener. Sarah Nelson has logged CU's only double-double of the season with a team-high 14 points and 10 rebounds at North Carolina State last Saturday, and she leads the team with 7.0 rebounds per game through three games. Alyssa Kamphaus scored eight points in eight minutes at Bowling Green on Monday, making all three of her field goal attempts in the game. Tritz (8.7) and Nelson (8.0) rank second and third on the team, respectively, in scoring.

Home is Where the Wins Are
Creighton went 12-3 at home last year in its first season at D.J. Sokol Arena, winning its final seven home games to conclude the year. The Bluejays are 84-27 (.757) at home under Jim Flanery, including 56-16 (.778) in MVC play at home under Flanery.

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

Slow Start Against Strong Teams
Creighton is 1-2 on the season, having faced three teams which advanced to the NCAA Tournament last year and averaged 24.7 wins a year ago. CU opened with a win over Liberty – a team which won 27 games last year and has been to 10 NCAA Tournaments in the last 11 years. The Jays then lost at North Carolina State (20 wins) and at Bowling Green (27 wins). BGSU, six-time reigning MAC champions, has now won 31 straight regular-season home games and is 70-6 at home over the past six seasons.

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

Sarah's Solid Start
Freshman Sarah Nelson led the Bluejays with 14 points and 10 rebounds against North Carolina State (Nov. 13). The double-double was the first by a Bluejay freshman since Kelsey Woodard logged her only career double-dime on Jan. 4, 2008 against Wichita State. The rookie leads the team with 7.0 rebounds per game and is third on the team with 8.0 points per game, playing an average of just 22.7 minutes. Her 56.3 field goal percentage leads the team, as do her two blocked shots.

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

Three Hit the Century Mark
Creighton's three seniors have each reached 100 career games played. Kelsey Woodard has now played in 102 career games, while Kellie Nelson and Sam Schuett played in their 100th career game at Bowling Green on Monday.

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

Free Throw Follies
Creighton went just 8-for-17 (.471) from the free throw line in its season opener, but bounced back to go 9-for-9 at the line in its second game. CU then made a woeful 7-of-20 (.350) shots at the charity stripe at Bowling Green on Monday – as Kellie Nelson (0-1), McKenzie Fujan (0-2), Jasmin Corbin (0-3) and Carli Tritz (0-5) combined to go 0-for-11 at the line. On the season, the Jays are now shooting 52.2 percent (24-46) at the line as a team.

Start in Neutral
Creighton's season-opening tournament marked the first time it opened the season with a neutral site game since a 73-62 win over TCU on Nov. 23, 1990 at the Jimco Cowgirl Classic in Stillwater, Okla. Prior to last weekend, that tournament also marked the last time the Bluejays opened the year at a tournament.

They're Back
The Bluejays return six letterwinners and three starters as Creighton's trio of seniors – center Kellie Nelson, forward Sam Schuett, guard Kelsey Woodard – are all back in the starting lineup. Junior DaNae Moore and sophomore Jasmin Corbin and Ally Jensen are also back after seeing significant playing time last year.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Where Schuett Ranks
• Is third in school history with 81.5 career free throw percentage (198-243).
• Ranked sixth in school history in three-point accuracy, making 39.1 percent of threes (131-335) in her career.
• Ranked 13th in school history with 131 career three-pointers.
• Ranked eighth in school history with 79 career blocked shots.
• Ranked ninth in school history with 673 career rebounds.

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

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.

1,000 Point Club
Senior Kelsey Woodard entered the 1,000 point club as a junior, as she is now ranked 18th in school history with 1,115 points. Senior Sam Schuett should become the 23rd member of Creighton's 1,000 point club soon as she now has 959 career points.

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

Nelson's Accuracy is Record-Setting
Kellie Nelson earned MVC All-Tournament honors last year due in large part to her shot-making abilities. Nelson went 15-for-19 from the field to shoot 78.9 percent in CU's three games. The percentage set a school record for a single MVC Tournament. The Bluejay center averaged 11.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. On the season Nelson led the team and ranked third in the MVC, shooting 50.7 percent from the field.

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

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

20-20-20 Vision
Creighton has won at least 20 games in each of its previous three seasons. In school history, every time the Jays have won 20 games in a season, it has come in groups of at least three – winning at least 20 in three straight years (1985-87), four straight years (1991-94), three straight years (2002-04) and now again in three straight (2008-10). The Bluejays have now won 20 games in five of Jim Flanery's eight seasons as head coach. Flanery's predecessor Connie Yori won 20 games three times in her 10 years as CU's head coach, while Bruce Rasmussen captured 20 wins in five of his 12 years leading the Bluejays.

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

Kelsey Can Shoot
Kelsey Woodard returns as one of 22 players in school history with 1,000 career points. Woodard is the second-most accurate free-throw shooter in school history (.845), trailing only her sister Kristi (.862) in that category. She is ranked fourth in school history and 22nd in league history with 200 career three-pointers.

Cheers to Sam and Woody at the Line
Kelsey Woodard (.845) and Sam Schuett (.815) are ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in school history in career free throw percentage, respectively. Both Woodard and Schuett have two of the top-10 free throw percent shooting seasons in school history, including Schuett's 83 percent at the stripe last year. Schuett also set a school record last year by making 40 consecutive free throws, the third-longest streak in MVC history.

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

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

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

Rebounding Record in Reach for Schuett
Creighton lost its all-time leading rebounder to graduation after last season, as Megan Neuvirth's record 929 career rebounds are gone. Neuvirth also set a single-season record with 325 rebounds as a junior. Sam Schuett started her senior season ranked 10th in school history with 653 career rebounds, and is now ranked ninth in with her 673 boards despite having played along side Neuvirth in each of her first three seasons. With Neuvirth gone, perhaps Schuett can nab the 256 more boards needed to topple Neuvirth's mark.

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

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 assist coach Carrie Moore's blog “Tuesdays With Moore” each Tuesday on www.gocreighton.com.

Women's Basketball Hosts Wyoming in Home Opener Saturday

Players Mentioned

Jasmin Corbin

McKenzie Fujan

Jordan Garrison

Chevelle Herring

Ally Jensen

Alyssa Kamphaus

DaNae Moore

Kellie Nelson

Sarah Nelson

Megan Neuvirth

Riley Norman

Sam Schuett

Carli Tritz

Kelsey Woodard

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