Women’s Basketball Announces 2017-18 Non-Conference Slate

William Connor

Women's Basketball 8/21/2017 11:30:00 AM

PEORIA, Ill. -- Second-year Bradley Women's Basketball head coach Andrea Gorski and her team will open a season with back-to-back home games for the first time since 2011-12 with Monday's announcement of the 2017-18 non-conference schedule.

The Braves had improved overall and MVC win totals in the same season for the first time since 2008-09 during Gorski's first year on The Hilltop, capping the 2016-17 season with a 12-19 overall record and 7-11 league mark.

The last time Bradley opened a season at home was 2013-14, with the Nov. 10 season opener against Nebraska-Omaha kicking off a season-opening two-game stand. The Braves have never faced Nebraska-Omaha in a regular-season contest, but the squads have previously played exhibition games prior to UNO's transition to NCAA Division I status in 2011-12.

A matchup with NCAA Division II foe Lincoln University (Mo.) on Nov. 15 wraps up Bradley's first two-game home stand to open a season since 2011-12.

The Braves will look for a third consecutive victory in the series with Illinois, with Bradley making the short trip to Champaign, Ill., Saturday, Nov. 18 for a contest against the Illini. The teams have split the last eight games in the series (4-4) and the Braves are 2-1 in their last three outings at the State Farm Center.

A trip to Cape Girardeau, Mo., for the Southeast Missouri State Thanksgiving Classic falls on Nov. 24 & 25, where Bradley will take on Nicholls State and tournament-host SEMO. Nicholls State (Nov. 24) is a first-time opponent for the Braves, while SEMO (Nov. 25) and Bradley will play for the third time in five seasons after splitting the two previous meetings. The SEMO Thanksgiving Classic marks the first time the Braves will play regular-season games on consecutive days since playing at the Northern Arizona Thanksgiving Classic in 2012-13.

The lone game on the slate against a Mid-American Conference member has Bradley traveling to DeKalb, Ill., to take on Northern Illinois Nov. 29. The longest running active non-conference series for the Braves, Bradley will face the Huskies, which reached the MAC Championship game and advanced to the WNIT last year, for the 12th consecutive season and 14th time in the last 16 years.

After a four-game road swing, Bradley opens the month of December at home against Illinois-Chicago (Dec. 2). The Braves own a 15-7 lead in the all-time series with the Flames, which includes a 9-1 home record.

Bradley's last game before the finals break features a Dec. 5 contest at Eastern Illinois. The teams will be meeting for the first time since 2013-14 as the Braves look to improve on their 4-1 record in the squad's last five trips to Charleston, Ill.

While Bradley and perennial Horizon League power Green Bay have played four times previously, the Braves will play their first road game in the series Dec. 16 after a week-and-a-half layoff for finals. Green Bay claimed its 19th consecutive Horizon League regular-season title last year and finished off a 27-6 campaign with a first-round NCAA Tournament loss.

The 2017-18 season will mark the first time in over a decade (2005-06) Bradley opens and closes the non-conference schedule with consecutive home games. Cleveland State will travel to Peoria, Ill., for a Dec. 19 contest which will serve as the team's annual Field Trip game. The Vikings won the only previous matchup at the 2007 Great Alaska Shootout.

The Braves return from the holiday break to finish off the non-conference slate against Western Illinois (Dec. 28). The Braves own a 25-14 overall record in the series and are 14-3 at home all-time against the Leathernecks, which claimed the Summit League regular-season title en route to a 26-7 overall mark and NCAA Tournament appearance last year.

Bradley will play its lone exhibition game Saturday, Nov. 4 against Upper Iowa at Renaissance Coliseum.

For season ticket information contact the Bradley Athletics Ticket office at (309) 677-2625 or email BradleyTicketOffice@bradley.edu

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