Women's Basketball Opens Season With Pair of Games in North Dakota
11/8/2011 12:12:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Bluejays Open Season With Northern Roadtrip
Game #1 • at North Dakota • Friday, Nov. 11 • 7 pm
Game #2 • at North Dakota State • Sunday, Nov. 13 • 2 pm
Game #1 • at North Dakota • Friday, Nov. 11 • 7 pm
Game #2 • at North Dakota State • Sunday, Nov. 13 • 2 pm
Creighton Bluejays at North Dakota Fighting Sioux
Location: Grand Forks, N.D. Arena: Betty Englestad Sioux Center (3,140)
Twitter: @GoCreighton, @CreightonWBB
Series History: Creighton leads 4-1
Audio | Video | Live Stats
Creighton Bluejays at North Dakota State Bison
Location: Fargo, N.D. Arena: Bison Sports Arena (5,830)
Twitter: @GoCreighton, @CreightonWBB
Series History: Creighton leads 6-1
Audio | Video | Live Stats
• Creighton is 4-5 in season-openers under Jim Flanery, including 0-5 when opening with a true road game. The Bluejays won their season opener last year against Liberty, 40-35, as part of the Wolfpack Invitational in Raleigh, N.C.
• Creighton lost three starters – Kellie Nelson, Sam Schuett, Kelsey Woodard – from last year's team who combined for 3,530 points, 1,906 rebounds, 430 three-pointers, 252 blocked shots, 296 steals and 383 games (272 starts) in their careers. Woodard's 1,480 career points are more than all nine of CU's 2011-12 returners combined (1,314).
• Jim Flanery's first win this season will move him alone into second place in school history with 171 career victories.
• Creighton returns two full-time starters and four players who started at least nine games last year, led by 2010-11 MVC Freshman of the Year Carli Tritz. Ally Jensen, DaNae Moore and Sarah Nelson all started at least nine game last year.
• Creighton won its only exhibition game of the season, beating Division II Rockhurst 83-26. Four Bluejays scored in double figures, led by Ally Jensen's 14 points. CU swiped 18 steals, four each from Alyssa Kamphaus and Alexis Akin-Otiko. CU shot 46.9 percent from the field and 43.5 percent (10-23) from three-point range.
• Creighton won its only previous game in the state of North Dakota, 50-41 at NDSU, Dec. 29, 2008.
Scouting the Bluejays
The Bluejays are picked to finish fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference this year ... Creighton returns eight letterwinners and four players with starting experience from last year's team which finished 18-13 and 12-6 (T-2nd) in the MVC ... CU lost three senior starters from last year's team ... The Jays advanced to the WNIT for the fourth straight season last year, tying a school record for consecutive postseason appearances ... Nine of CU's 12 roster spots are filled by underclassmen ... Carli Tritz, the 2011 MVC Freshman of the Year, led the team in assists (98), steals (67) and field goal percentage (.478) last year and is already CU's active career leader in leader in points (353), free-throws (69), free-throw attempts (104), steals (67) and assists (98) ... Tritz (22) and junior Ally Jensen (19) started the most games last year of any returners, but CU's lone senior DaNae Moore (15) and sophomore Sarah Nelson (9) also spent time in the starting lineup last year ... Nelson, who led the team in blocked shots last year, joined Tritz on the MVC All-Freshman team ... CU's 2010-11 roster includes three freshmen, including local product Alexis Akin-Otiko (Bellevue West) and Ally Jensen's younger sister, Sammy Jensen.
Scouting the Fighting Sioux
North Dakota was 15-16 last year, including a 9-5 record at home and 8-4 mark in the Great West Conference ... UND returns three starters and eight letterwinners from last year's team which average 66.4 points and 36.4 rebounds per game, shooting 41.4 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from three-point range, averaging 6.0 3FG made per game ... Sophomore center Allyssa Wall averaged 11.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game last year, tops among returners ... Charnay Mothershed led UND with 94 assists last year ... UND won its only exhibition game, 62-56 over Minnesota-Crookston, as freshman Emily Evers led the team with 22 points in 21 minutes.
Scouting the Bison
North Dakota State finished 13-16 last year, including 8-4 at home and 9-9 in the Summit League ... The Bison return four starters and seven letterwinners from last year's team which averaged 65.9 points and 37.2 rebounds per game, shooting 42.1 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from long range ... NDSU averaged 6.2 threes per game last year, with three returners making at least 40 threes last year ... First-team all-conference forward Abby Plucker is back after leading the team with 16 ppg, 10.1 rpg and 49 three-pointers last year ... Point guard Katie Birkel (13.2 ppg), who led the team with 99 assists last year, is out for the year with an injury ... Janae Burich (12.9 ppg) led NDSU with 73 blocks and Danielle DeGagne (10.6 ppg) led the team with 40 steals.
The Coaches
Jim Flanery (Creighton, 1987) is in his 10th season as head coach at his alma mater, where he has led his team to seven WNIT postseason appearances and five 20-win seasons. He owns a career record of 170-116 (.594). One of seven coaches in MVC history with 100 league wins, he led the Bluejays 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 4-5 in season openers.
• Gene Roebuck (Mayville State, 1969) is in his 25th season at North Dakota, where he is 607-134 (.819). He is the winningest NCAA Division II women's basketball coach in history, guiding the Sioux to three Division II national titles (1997, 1998, 1999) while posting an .857 winning percentage as a DII member. He is 694-148 (.824) in his 28th season as a collegiate head coach.
• Carolyn DeHoff (Arizona State, 1991), is in her fourth season at North Dakota State, where she is 45-42 (.517) as a collegiate head coach. Prior to NDSU, she served as an assistant coach at Utah and Weber State.
Creighton-North Dakota Series History
Creighton leads the all-time series with North Dakota 4-1, with each of the first five meetings coming in Omaha. Creighton's 96-57 win over UND last year was the first meeting between the teams in 24 seasons. The only UND win in the series came on Jan. 28, 1984, a 72-63 final.
Last Year vs. North Dakota
Five Bluejays scored in double figures as Creighton topped UND 96-57 – CU's highest scoring game since 2003. The Bluejays finished with season highs in field-goal percentage (.611), three-pointers (12), assists (24) and field goals (33), while they also had 12 steals and nine blocks in the 39-point win. Kelsey Woodard led the Jays with 19 points. Ally Jensen scored a season-high 14 points, making 4-of-7 threes and Sarah Nelson added 12 points off the bench. Carli Tritz made her first career start and made all four of her field goal attempts and finished with nine points. Allyssa Wall was the only UND player to reach double figures, scoring a game-high 22 points.
Creighton-NDSU Series History
Creighton leads the all-time series with North Dakota State 6-1, including a 5-0 mark in Omaha. Creighton won the only previous meeting in Fargo, 51-40, on Dec. 29, 2008, when CU closed the game on a 27-6 run. CU's lone loss in the series came in Albuquerque on Dec. 9, 2005. The Bluejays topped the Bison 54-44 in Omaha last December.
Last Year vs. North Dakota State
Creighton used an 11-0 first-half run to pull away from NDSU in a 54-44 win last year in Omaha. Nine Bluejays scored between four and 11 points, topped by Sam Schuett's 11. CU led 30-16 at the half, as NDSU made only 6-of-25 first-half shots. CU led by 19 with 1:59 to play, but the Bison scored the game's final nine points. The CU bench outscored NDSU's bench 20-3. Sarah Nelson led the Jays with seven rebounds in her first career start. NDSU's Janae Burich and Danielle DeGagne tied for game-high honors with 12 points each.
Season Opening Information
• Creighton is 16-21 all-time in season openers, including 4-5 under head coach Jim Flanery.
• The Bluejays are 0-5 in season-openers on the road under Flanery and have not won a true road game to open the season since a 75-46 win at Wyoming on Nov. 13, 1998.
• Creighton has not won its first road game of the year since 1999, a 60-46 win at Tulsa (after CU opened the year at home).
• Prior to last year's 40-35 neutral site win over Liberty, Creighton had lost its last 10 openers away from home.
• Creighton is 8-29 all-time in its first road contest of the season, 0-9 under Jim Flanery.
Exhibition Recap
Creighton cruised to an 83-26 win over Rockhurst in its only exhibition of the season on Nov. 2. The Bluejays forced 34 turnovers and had 18 steals in the game, with four steals each from sophomore Alyssa Kamphaus and freshman Alexis Akin-Otiko. Four Bluejays scored in double figures, led by Ally Jensen's 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting from long range. McKenzie Fujan, Jordan Garrison and Kamphaus each added 10 points. Akin-Otiko also led the team with six rebounds, as CU outrebounded RU 45-32. The Bluejays shot 46.9 percent from the field and 43.5 percent (10-23) from three-point range, but just 50 percent (13-26) at the free-throw line. Sarah Nelson blocked six shots and added nine points in the win. Fujan, Nelson and freshman Taylor Johnson tied for team-high honors with four assists.
Preseason Picks
The Bluejays have been picked to finish fourth in the MVC preseason poll as voted on by league coaches, media and sports information directors. Sophomore Carli Tritz was named to the five-member preseason all-MVC team after her outstanding freshman campaign. Missouri State captured 36 first-place votes and are the preseason favorites, while UNI received the remaining four votes and is picked to finish second. Wichita State is the only other team picked above Creighton this year.
On Top of the Valley
Creighton has won more MVC games in the last nine years than any other program in the league. With 105 victories since the 2002-03 season, the Bluejays are the only Valley team to eclipse 100 conference wins in that span. All 105 wins have come since Jim Flanery took over, making him just the seventh coach in league history to win 100 MVC games.
Back in Blue
The Bluejays return eight letterwinners and two starters from last year's team. Sophomore guard Carli Tritz started 22 of her 31 games as a freshman last year, and junior guard Ally Jensen started 19 games last year. Two other returners also appeared in the starting lineup at times last year, with DaNae Moore making 15 starts and Sarah Nelson starting nine games.
We're Still Young
One season after half of the roster was made up of freshmen, the 2011-12 roster consists of 12 players, nine of which are underclassmen. The Bluejays have one senior (DaNae Moore), two juniors, five sophomores, three true freshmen and one redshirt freshman on the roster.
Creighton's Sister Act Continues
One of the three freshmen on this year's team is Sammy Jensen, the younger sister of junior Ally Jensen, continuing the recent trend of sisters playing for the Bluejays. Last year, Kellie and Sarah Nelson played alongside each other. Before the Nelson's played together, the last recorded sister duo to play on the same Bluejay basketball squad was Peggy and Patty Bierle during the 1978-79 season. Kelsey Woodard (2007-11) followed older sister Kristi (2002-06) and Laura Spanheimer (2001-05) followed in the steps of her older sister Krissie (1997-01) to solidify this basketball program as true family environment.
Tritz is Talented
Carli Tritz was named the MVC Freshman of the Year in 2010-11, after she led the team in assists (98), steals (67) and field-goal percentage (.478). Tritz, who was also named honorable-mention all-MVC, set an MVC record by earning MVC Newcomer of the Week honors nine times (in 17 weeks) last year. The guard led all MVC freshmen and newcomers in scoring (11.4 ppg), assist-turnover ratio (1.0) and field-goal percentage, while she led all league freshmen in steals.
Tritz Leads the Way
After only one season on campus, Carli Tritz enters her sophomore campaign as Creighton's active leader in points scored (353), free-throws (69), free-throw attempts (104), steals (67) and assists (98).
Super Sophs
Sarah Nelson joined Carli Tritz on the MVC All-Freshman Team in 2010-11. Nelson led the team with 29 blocked shots and ranked second with 137 rebounds. The forward was named the MVC Newcomer of the Week twice last year to give Creighton 11 of the 17 Newcomer of the Week honors last year.
It's Lonely at the Top
Forward DaNae Moore is the lone senior on this year's team. The senior has started 34 of the 96 games she has played in during her first three years, averaging 13 minutes per game. The forward from Apple Valley, Minn., has more rebounds (241) than points scored (168) – averaging less than two points per game – in her career. Her 11-point performance at Northwestern in the final game of the 2010-11 season was the first double-figure scoring game of her career.
Jensen Takes Aim at 100
Junior Ally Jensen enters the season with 79 career three-pointers made. She is on pace to become just the 16th player in school history to reach 100 career threes.
Garrison is 3-Point Champ
Sophomore Jordan Garrison helped her teammate Grant Gibbs capture the title of the second annual three-point shooting contest at Bluejay Madness on Oct. 14. The duo made 16 shots in the first round, 19 in the second round and topped Ross Ferrarini and Sammy Jensen 16-10 in the finals. Garrison hopes to continue that shooting barrage this season after she was limited to just 64 minutes played last year because of an early-season injury which forced her to miss CU's first 12 games.
Home is Where the Wins Are
Creighton went 12-2 at D.J. Sokol Arena last year, improving to 24-5 (.828) in its first two seasons at its new home. The Bluejays are 96-30 (.762) at home under Jim Flanery, including 64-17 (.790) in MVC play at home under Flanery.
Nebraska Natives
Five of Creighton's 12 players on this year's roster are from Nebraska – Omaha products Jasmin Corbin (Millard West) and Sarah Nelson (Westside), Seward High graduate Alyssa Kamphaus, Wahoo Bishop Neumann product McKenzie Fujan and Alexis Akin-Otiko out of Bellevue West.
Another Tough Schedule
As always, Creighton plays one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the MVC, one that features the 2011 NCAA National Runner-Up coming to Omaha. Creighton hosts North Carolina State on Nov. 27, the first ACC team to play against the Jays in Omaha. On Dec. 4, the Bluejays host Notre Dame for the first time in program history. The Fighting Irish, who lost to Texas A&M in the 2011 NCAA Title game, will be the fourth team in a decade to come to Omaha the year after it played in the Final Four – Missouri State (2002), Minnesota (2004), Oklahoma (2009). Seven-time reigning Mid-American Conference champion Bowling Green also plays at D.J. Sokol Arena on Dec. 18.
Playing the Percentages
Creighton lost three of its top five scorers from last year's team and returns 52.4 percent of its scoring from a year ago. The Jays return 58.3 percent of their rebounds and 56.4 percent of their assists from last year. Perhaps the most noticable statistical loss might be that the three 2011 seniors – Kellie Nelson, Sam Schuett, Kelsey Woodard – accounted for 2,669 of Creighton's 6,225 minutes played last year. So between the three graduated seniors, they played 42.9 percent of CU's minutes last year.
Flan Captures 100th MVC Win
Head coach Jim Flanery won his 100th career MVC game against Wichita State on Jan. 29, 2011, 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 105 2002-pr.
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
School W-L Pct.
Creighton 105-57 .648
Northern Iowa 99-63 .611
Indiana State 97-65 .599
Illinois State 97-65 .599
Missouri State 91-71 .562
Drake 89-73 .549
Bradley 72-90 .444
Evansville 64-98 .395
Wichita State 54-108 .333
Southern Illinois 42-120 .259
Another Winning Note for Flan
Jim Flanery captured his 170th career win against Illinois State on Feb. 19, 2011, tying his predecessor Connie Yori's Creighton total. Yori tallied 170 wins in 10 seasons at Creighton, Flanery won 170 games in nine seasons. Current CU athletics director Bruce Rasmussen owns the school record with 196 career wins.
Creighton Coaching Wins
Name Wins Seasons
Bruce Rasmussen 196 12
Jim Flanery 170 9
Connie Yori 170 10
Gaye Kinnett 33 3
Eddye McClure 26 3
Howard Faber 11 1
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballCreighton Baseball Highlights at Xavier - 5-16-26
Saturday, May 16
Creighton BIG EAST Outdoor Track Championship Highlights - May 14-16, 2026
Saturday, May 16
Creighton Baseball Highlights at Xavier - 5-15-26
Friday, May 15
Creighton Baseball Highlights & Postgame at Xavier-5-14-26
Friday, May 15
