Women's Basketball Battles Mavericks & Panthers

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Omaha, Neb. - Out to claim bragging rights to the city, the Creighton women's basketball team heads to Baxter Arena on Dec. 20th to face the Omaha Mavericks. Two days later the Bluejays return home to tangle with the Northern Iowa Panthers.

12/20: - 8:00 pm: Creighton (4-6) at Omaha (7-3)
Radio - 1290 AM: Rachel Houseman (Play-by-Play) and Glen Sisk (Color Analyst)

Stats (Free): http://creighton.statbroadcast.com

Video ($): http://www.omavs.com/liveEvents/liveEvents.dbml?SPID=135129&db_oem_id=31400

Series History: Omaha leads 15-10
Creighton won last meeting, 67-50 on Dec. 20, 2014 at Creighton

12/22: - 6:05 pm: Northern Iowa at Creighton
Radio - 1290 AM: Rachel Houseman (Play-by-Play) and Lance Rinker (Color Analyst)

Stats (Free): http://creighton.statbroadcast.com

Video (Free): http://gocreighton.com/watch

Series History: Creighton leads 36-16
Creighton won last meeting, 58-56 on Dec. 8, 2014 at Northern Iowa

Bird Seeds

In the midst of a four-game losing streak, Creighton has lost five or more in a row just four times in Jim Flanery's 14 seasons.
The Bluejays have claimed the last nine meetings with the Omaha Mavericks, dating back to 1982.
Northern Iowa head coach Tanya Warren returns to D.J. Sokol Arena for the first time since 2013. This will be her first opportunity to view the new banner that bears her name. Warren and Connie Yori are the only two players in Creighton WBB history to have their numbers retired. The banner displaying those numbers was revamped last season.

Series with Omaha:
Omaha leads the overall series with Creighton 15-10, but the Bluejays have won the last nine meetings. The last time the Mavericks claimed a battle between the two squads came in 1982. Creighton's victory in 1983, starting the current stretch, broke a 14-game win streak by Omaha.

The Bluejays are 4-9 on the Maverick's home floor.

Scouting Omaha (7-3)
The Mavericks have a nice record, but that record may be a bit misleading. Omaha has faced two teams outside of division I, Waldorf and Midland.

Omaha is coming off a tough loss to SIUE that saw the Mavericks surrender a 17-point halftime lead, falling 90-86 in overtime.

Mikaela Shaw is the driving force for the Mavericks, 18.7 ppg & 7.5 rpg. The next leading scorer is Remy Davenport with 9.2 ppg.

The Mavericks have yet to suffer a loss at their new home, Baxter Arena, opening the season with five straight wins at home.

Keys to the Game w/Omaha

Slow down Shaw: Creighton limited Shaw to eight points and eight rebounds in its victory last season. Omaha runs much of its offense through her.
Consistent scoring: The Bluejays tightened up their defensive effort against South Dakota State, but still had long stretches of difficulty getting the ball in the hoop.
Get Lamberty & Faber going: Sophomore Sydney Lamberty has struggled recently as did freshman Audrey Faber against the Jackrabbits. With Janning and Rollerson sidelined with injuries these two young Bluejays must fly.

Series with Northern Iowa:
Creighton holds a 36-16 edge on Northern Iowa. The Bluejays have won the last six meetings and hold a 21-3 edge in Omaha. Last season the Bluejays rallied from a 17-point second deficit to claim the win in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Creighton scored the final 10 points of the game, holding UNI scoreless for the final 4:10.

Scouting Northern Iowa (4-5)
After opening the season with three victories in its first four game, Northern Iowa suffered a four-game losing streak. The most difficult loss of that run may have come on Dec. 9 as the Panthers deopped a double-overtime contest at South Dakota State.

Northern Iowa forced overtime with the final seven points of regulation, then led the Jackrabbits 77-73 with 13 seconds remaining in the first overtime. Poor free throw shooting, 2-of-4, in the final 20 seconds opened the door for South Dakota State to force a second overtime session.

Madison Weekly and Amber Sorenson have formed an impressive one-two punch on offense this season, averaging 31.1 ppg as a duo. Weekly leads the way with 15.7 ppg.

Keys to the Game w/Northern Iowa

Rebounding: The Bluejays won the game in Cedar Falls last season by winning the battle on the boards and in the paint. Creighton outscored Northern Iowa 32-22 in the paint, claiming 16 offensive rebounds.
Force Lamar to Shoot: Point guard Sharnae Lamar has taken just 41 shots in nine games and has made only 13. She however has 46 assists, the Bluejays must make Lamar keep the ball a bit more.
Take away Weekly or Sorenson: While simple to say, Creighton must limit at least one of the Panthers top scoring threats.

The Battle for HO HO Homaha
The Mavericks call the city of Omaha their campus, while the Bluejays have owned the basketball town. Sunday's contest carries no trophy, but the victory goes the holiday cheer.

Owens Owns the Night
Sophomore Jade Owens exploded for a career-high 14 points, all in the first half, against South Dakota State on Dec. 12. It was the second time that Owens has reached double figures in her career.

Three-Way Coaching Trade
While Creighton, Northern Iowa and Drake are no longer in the same conference the three teams have turned one of the best players in another's team history into a member of the coaching staff.

Creighton assistant coach Linda Sayavongchanh was once a star at Drake. Drake's coordinator of basketball operations was an MVC Player of the Year for Northern Iowa. While the Panther's head coach Tanya Warren is one of just two Bluejays to have her number retired.

Panthers and Bluejays Share Near Miss Against South Dakota State
The Bluejays and Panthers won't be in a sharing mood come Tuesday, but the two teams have a common enemy as both squads suffered difficult losses to South Dakota State recently. Northern Iowa fell at South Dakota State in double overtime, 89-86, on Dec. 9. Three days later the Bluejays dropped a 53-51 decision to the Jackrabbits at home.

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Players Mentioned

Audrey Faber

Sydney Lamberty

Jade Owens