The Matchup
Bradley closes out the non-conference portion of its schedule Sunday against Saint Louis. Sunday's contest will also be the third consecutive home games for the Braves during a season-long five-game homestand. Bradley is looking to end a two-game losing skid, while the Billikens have lost five consecutive games following a 59-67 loss at Eastern Michigan on Tuesday.
The Billikens are scoring 56.3 points per game and shooting just 31.7 percent from the field. Junior guard Tyler McIlwraith is SLU's top scorer at 12.3 points per game, while junior guard Rachel Diener is also in double figures at 11.7 points per game.
Saint Louis and Bradley have faced two of the same teams. Both teams have played Illinois and Western Illinois. The Billikens lost to Illinois 40-75 in Chicago, while Bradley suffered a 64-80 home loss to the Illini. Saint Louis also fell 44-57 at home to Western Illinois, while the Braves nearly ended the Westerwinds then 41-game home win streak, before suffering a 54-57 setback in Macomb, Ill.
Bradley has lost two straight and five of its last six games, which included four consecutive games away from home.
Bradley is led in scoring by sophomore Devyn Flanagan who is averaging 12.4 points per game. Junior Ashley Chelleen missed the first two games of the season due to injury but has returned to the lineup to average 8.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game over the last six contests. Junior Amy Peters is the Braves top rebounder, averaging 5.8 boards per game, and is averaging 10.6 points while shooting 51.6 percent from the field.
Rebounding has been the key in the early going for Bradley. The Braves have matched or outrebounded their opponents in six of the eight games to date and are averaging 40.1 boards per game, including 15.6 offensive rebounds per tilt and are outrebounding their foes by nearly six rebounds per game.
Series History
Bradley will be the first Missouri Valley Conference team to close out the non-conference portion of its schedule Sunday when the Braves welcome Saint Louis to Robertson Memorial Field House to continue the season-long five-game homestand. Bradley and Saint Louis will be meeting on the hardwood for just the ninth time when the two program square off Sunday. The Braves are 5-3 all time against the Billikens, which includes a 1-2 record under head coach Paula Buscher. The two teams will meet for the fourth consecutive year following a seven-year break in the series. Bradley is 2-1 at home against the Billikens.
The Coaches
Paula Buscher (Missouri State, ?86) is in her sixth year at Bradley and has a record of 66-81 (.449) at BU. Buscher led teams to improved records in each of her first five seasons as a collegiate head coach and six of her eight seasons overall. Buscher owns a 109-119 (.478) career record and is in her ninth year as a collegiate head coach. A longtime assistant coach at Nebraska-Omaha, Buscher coached Minnesota St.-Mankato during the 1997-98 season and returned to UNO as head coach for the 1998-99 and 1999-00 seasons, before coming to The Hilltop.
Shimmy Gray (Michigan ?94) is in her first season as head coach at Saint Louis and as a collegiate head coach. Inherting a team that went 4-23 in 2004-05, she has led the Billikens to a 1-6 record in her first season as a collegiate head coach. She took over the head coaching reigns at Saint Louis following a two-year stint as an assistant coach at Arizona.
Brown Poised To Move Up Assist List
Junior guard Jen Brown is poised to move up another spot on Bradley's career assists list. She enters Sunday contest 10th in school history with 276 career assists and needs just two assists to take over sole possession of ninth place. Nancy Zoros (1984-88) currently ranks ninth at Bradley with 277 assists. Brown's 139 assists last season were the most by a Bradley player since Tammy Van Oppen dished out 141 assists in 1996-97. The first BU player to crack the career top 10 for assists since Heather Best in the 1998-99 season, Brown needs 24 assists to become the eighth player in program history with 300 career assists. She is the fourth player in program history to have 100 or more assists in back-to-back seasons and could join Kathy Stokes and Judy Burns as the only players to lead the team in assists in three different seasons.
Bradley's Career Assists Leaders
Rank Name (Years)......................... Total Assists
1. Kathy Stokes (1977-81)........................... 543
2. Judy Burns (1981-84)............................. 529
3. Andrea McAllister (1988-92)..................... 360
4. Dawn Cartwright (1992-96)...................... 353
5. Val Wancket (1987-91)............................ 338
6. Heather Best (1995-99)............................ 330
7. Karen Anderson (1979-83)....................... 302
8. Shelli Braud (1984-88)............................. 290
9. Nancy Zoros (1984-88)........................... 277
10. Jen Brown (2003-present)..................... 276
Braves Wrap Up Non-Conference Play Bradley will be the first Valley team to wrap up the non-conference portion of its schedule Sunday when the Braves fact Saint Louis at 2:05 p.m. at Robertson Memorial Field House. Bradley is 30-22 (.577) in non-conference games under head coach Paula Buscher. Since the Braves began playing a round-robin conference schedule in 1983-84, Bradley has posted a 112-89 (.557) record in non-conference games. The Braves are 13-8 (.619) in non-conference home games under Buscher. Only Lisa Boyer owned a better non-conference home winning percentage at Bradley with a 22-8 (.733) record from 1986-96. The Braves are 52-28 (.650) at home against non-conference foes since the start of the 1983-84 campaign.
Flanagan Nearing Career Highs
Sophomore Devyn Flanagan heads into Sunday's game against the Billikens leading the team with a 12.4 points per game average and is third on the team in rebounding at 5.3 boards per game. Just eight games into her sophomore season she has nearly matched her season scoring and rebounding totals from her freshman season. As a freshman, Flanagan scored 122 points (4.7 ppg) and grabbed 47 rebounds (1.8 rpg). She currently has 99 points and 42 boards after Thursday's loss to St. Mary's and already has more offensive rebounds (11) in 2005-06 then she had the entire 2004-05 campaign.
Braves Continue Five-Game Homestand
Bradley continues its season-long five-game homestand this week with a pair of non-conference contests. The Braves haven't played five consecutive games at home since going 2-3 during a five-game homestand during the 1991-92 season. The Braves defeated DePaul and Louisville to open the homestand before falling to Creighton, Illinois State and Indiana State. The five-game homestand ties for the second longest home stretch in program history and is second to a seven-game homestand during the 1981-82 season. Bradley will play 12 of its final 21 games at home.
Bring In The Reserves
Sixth-year Bradley head coach Paula Buscher hasn't had any trouble turning to her bench in a pinch as the Braves reserves are averaging 29.8 points per game. Bradley's reserves have outscored their counterparts 238 to 97 on the year or by nearly 18 points per contest. Junior center Ashley Chelleen has played in six games off the bench and is averaging 8.5 points per tilt, while freshman Kelly Krumwiede is throwing in 7.1 points per game to help lead the Braves reserves.
Peters Scores Career High Against Illini
Junior center Amy Peters scored a career-high 20 points in the Braves last outing against Illinois and has had a bit resurgence in her play since returning to Central Illinois. Peters opened the season averaging 13.0 points and 11.0 rebounds while shooting 71.4 percent from the floor in the Braves first two games of the season. During Bradley's trip to Florida she averaged 4.5 points, 2.5 boards and made just three of eight shots from the field in a pair of games. Since returning to the Midwest she has averaged 12.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and is shooting 47.6 percent from the field (20-for-42) in the four contests since the trip to the Sunshine State. Peters has also been firing from long range, having made 6-of-11 three-point attempts in the last four tilts.
Braves Start Out 2-0
Bradley posted its ninth 2-0 start in program history and has now opened back-to-back seasons with 2-0 records for the first time since the 1980-81 and 1981-82 seasons. This year's 2-0 start marks the third time the Braves have opened a season with consecutive wins under head coach Paula Buscher. Bradley hadn't opened a season with back-to-back home wins since the 1987-88 campaign.
Chelleen Returns To The Lineup
Junior center Ashley Chelleen missed the first two games of the season due to a foot injury, but returned to the lineup during the Braves trip to Florida for the Miami Thanksgiving Tournament. Chelleen scored four points and added one steal in just six minutes of action in her season debut against Miami (Fla.), but has made steady improvement each outing. She led the Braves in scoring in rebounding with 15 points and seven rebounds in the victory at Loyola on Dec. 2. Chelleen is averaging 8.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while shooting 48.5 percent from the field on the season.
Krumwiede Crashing The Boards
Freshman Kelly Krumwiede is Bradley's second leading rebounder through the first eight games of the season, pulling down an average of 5.6 boards per contest. While she is averaging just 1.8 defensive rebounds per game, she has already collected 31 offensive boards and currently ranks second in the Valley with a 3.9 offensive boards per game average. Krumwiede's offensive boards have helped the Braves average 15.6 offensive rebounds and 12.4 second chance points per game. Bradley's opponents are averaging over nine second chance points per tilt.
Flanagan Earns All-Tournament Honors At Miami
Sophomore Devyn Flanagan earned all-tournament honors at the Miami Thanksgiving Tournament (Nov. 25 & 26) in Miami, Fla., averaging 15.0 points and 7.5 rebounds in a pair of games. Flanagan posted her first career double-double against the Miami Hurricanes, finishing with career and game highs of 25 points and 11 rebounds. She hit 10-of-20 shots from the field and also added one assist and two steals in the 61-73 loss.
Double Overtime Wins
Bradley's double-overtime victory against Valparaiso on Nov. 21, was the first overtime for the Braves in nearly two years. The Braves last overtime contest was a 78-79 loss on Jan. 4, 2004 and was the first overtime win for Bradley since defeating St. Mary's (Calif.), 64-57, on Nov. 28, 2003. Bradley is 16-16 in overtime games and 4-3 under head coach Paula Buscher. BU is now 3-3 in games that have gone to two overtimes or more and ended a three-game losing streak in double overtime contests. The last two overtime tilt was a 77-82 loss at Southwest Missouri State on Dec. 29, 2001. Bradley's last victory in a game that went at least two extra periods was a 90-86 triple overtime win at Eastern Illinois on Feb. 1, 1992.
Up Next
Bradley opens Missouri Valley Conference play at home for the second consecutive year when the Braves welcome Drake to Robertson Memorial Field House on December 29. Drake has won three consecutive meetings in the series and owns a 38-9 lead in the all-time series. Bradley is 1-22 against the Bulldogs since the start of 1995-96 season with the lone Braves victory coming on Feb. 20, 2004 in Peoria.
Season Openers
Bradley opened its 31st season of intercollegiate competition with a 78-73 home victory against Illinois-Chicago The Braves are now 18-13 mark in season openers and are 13-5 when opening the season at home. Bradley opened the season at home for the second consecutive year and is now 22-9 overall in home openers, including a 4-2 mark in home openers under sixth-year head coach Paula Buscher.
Krumwiede Shines In Debut
Freshman forward Kelly Krumwiede netted a game-high 22 points in the Braves season-opening comeback victory against Illinois-Chicago. Her 22 points were the most by a Bradley player in a season opener since Carrie Coffman scored 30 points at Missouri on Nov. 27, 1994 and the most by a Braves freshman since Judy Burns had 23 points against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville on Nov. 20, 1981.
Free Throw Story
Bradley missed five of its first eight free throw attempts against Illinois-Chicago, but recovered to connect on 24 of its final 27 shots from the charity stripe. The Braves converted 14 consecutive free throws to close the game. Bradley's 27 made free throws were the most for the Braves since making 27 of 37 against Illinois State on March 4, 2004. Leading the charge to the charity stripe was freshman Kelly Krumwiede, who made 12 of 15 free throw attempts on the day. Krumwiede's 12 makes at the line are the most by a Bradley player since Sara Bailey hit 12 free throws at Northern Illinois on Dec. 20, 2002 and her 15 attempts are the most since Stephanie White was a perfect 15-for-15 at Western Illinois on Dec. 4, 1998.
Peters Steps Up In The Clutch
With junior center Ashley Chelleen sidelined with an injury for the Braves season-opener against Illinois-Chicago, Bradley head coach Paula Buscher inserted junior center Amy Peters into the starting lineup. In just her third career start and first since her freshman season, Peters posted her first career double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds. Peters made 5-of-7 shots from the field, including her fourth career three-pointer and had a career best 15 boards, surpassing her previous career high of seven rebounds.
Braves Draw Over 2,000 For Season Opener
Thanks in part to over 1,500 school children in attendance for Friday's season opener against Illinois-Chicago, Bradley drew a crowd of 2,068 fans to open the season. The crowd is the seventh largest in school history and the most for a season opener in school history. Friday's attendance was the ninth crowd of over 2,000 in school history and the largest since drawing 2,189 fans for the Dec. 18, 2004 game against Jackson State at Carver Arena. It was the largest Robertson Field House crowd since drawing a school record 3,128 fans for the Jan. 6, 2002 game against I-74 rival Illinois State.
Buscher Now Second On Wins List
Sixth-year Bradley head coach Paula Buscher took over second place on Bradley's career win list with the Braves season opening victory at Illinois-Chicago. Buscher owns a 66-81 record as head coach at Bradley, passing Jan Winkler for second all-time. Lisa Boyer ranks as the Braves all-time winningest coach, owning a 124-149 record on The Hilltop.
Bradley Coaching Victories
Rank Name................................. Overall Record
1. Lisa Boyer (1986-96)........................ 124-149
2. Paula Buscher (2000-present)............ 66-81
3. Jan Winkler (1977-81).......................... 63-31
4. Angela Beck (1983-86)......................... 38-44
Braves Picked Eighth In Preseason Valley Poll
Bradley was picked to finish eighth in the Missouri Valley Conference in 2005-06 according to a vote of Valley coaches, sports information directors and media. The Braves, which have finished tied for sixth or better in each of the last three seasons, received 99 points in the poll to finish seven points ahead of ninth-place Wichita State and 91 points behind seventh-place finisher Illinois State. Indiana State received 34 of a possible 40 first-place votes to finish first in the voting.
MVC Preseason Poll
Rank Team (First-Place Votes).................. Points
1. Indiana State (34)................................... 393
2. Missouri State (3)................................... 349
3. Creighton (3)......................................... 302
4. Drake................................................... 271
5. Northern Iowa........................................ 219
6. Evansville............................................ 207
7. Illinois State........................................... 190
8. Bradley................................................. 99
9. Wichita State........................................... 92
10. Southern Illinois....................................... 78
Experience Returning
Despite losing six letterwinners from last year's squad, Bradley has quite a bit of experience returning in its nine letterwinners. The group has combined to play in 437 games or an average of 48 per individual and have 140 starts prior to the season opener. Seven of the nine returnees have started at least two games in their career with four individuals owning 17 starts or more. Juniors Jen Brown (55 starts) and Erika Nelson (43 starts) are the most experienced on the roster having both played over 1,000 minutes in their two-year careers.
Braves Post Winning Record
The Braves finished the 2004-05 season with a 15-13 record, marking the first winning season since the 2001-02 campaign. Bradley tied for sixth place in the final regular-season Valley standings for the third consecutive year and finished with a winning mark for the 13th time in the program's 30 years. The Braves 24 Valley victories over the last three years are the most by a Bradley squad since 1990-93.
Chelleen Ranks As Active Scoring Leader
Junior center Ashley Chelleen entered the 2005-06 season as the Braves active career scoring leader with 416 points and currently has 467 points during her time on The Hilltop. She missed the first two games of the year, but is averaging 8.5 points per game since returning to the floor for the Braves contest at Miami. Bradley opened the season without a 500-point scorer on the roster for the first time since the 1999-2000 season when Nyagon Duany was the team's active scoring leader with 294 points. The only other Bradley squads in the last 25 years to open a season without a 500-point scorer were the 1992-93, 1985-86 and 1984-85 squads. Chelleen averaged 9.6 points per game as a freshman and was named to the Valley's All-Freshman team in 2002-03.
Road Warriors
Part of the reason for Bradley's success last year was the Braves ability to win on the road. This season the Braves are 1-2 in true road games and 1-3 in games not played at Robertson Memorial Field House. Bradley finished with an 8-7 record in road and neutral contests, including a 7-6 mark in true road games. The Braves finished with a winning road record for the first time since the 1996-97 season, when the team finished 16-12 overall and 9-9 in conference play. Only three other conference foes finished with a better record away from home, with two of those teams advancing to postseason play (Missouri State and Creighton).
MVC Tournament Changes
The Missouri Valley Conference announced several changes to the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament schedule for March 9-12 in Springfield, Mo. The most notable change is that all 10 teams will participate in the postseason event for the first time in conference history. The other major change was shifting of the tournament schedule from a Thursday, Friday, Saturday event to Thursday through Sunday due to the format change. The bracket will mirror the Valley's men's basketball tournament with the #7 through #10 seeds playing Thursday night with the winners advancing to Friday's quarterfinals to face the #1 and #2 seeds.
Braves Welcome Four In 2005-06
Bradley picked up a pair of speedy guards and solid forwards for the 2005-06 season as the Braves welcomed 5-7 guard Skye Johnson (Olympia Fields, Ill./Marian Catholic), a 5-9 guard in Venessa Ostergaard (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview), 6-1 forward Mari Korton (Coon Rapids, Minn./Andover) and Kelly Krumwiede (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard West), a 6-0 forward.
Minnesotans Unite
With the addition of Minnesota natives Venessa Ostergaard and Mari Korton, Bradley will feature three Minnesotans on the roster in 2005-06. The duo joins sophomore guard and fellow Minnesota native Libby Magnuson. Prior to Magnuson's arrival on The Hilltop, the Braves boasted only two other Minnesota products in Bonita Fricke (1992-93) and Megan McKee (1995-96). Bradley will add two more Minnesota natives in 2006-07, having received National Letters of Intent from forward Jenny Van Kirk (Waconia, Minn./Waconia) and Renee Frericks (Wyoming, Minn./Forest Lake H.S.) during the Fall Signing Period.
