The Matchup
Big 10 Conference foe Illinois will be making its first trip to Peoria, Ill., and Robertson Memorial Field House since the 1989-90 season looking to avenge last season's 70-67 loss to Bradley at Assembly Hall.
The Illini bring a 4-2 record into Monday's matchup following a 75-40 victory against Saint Louis Saturday morning at the United Center in Chicago. Freshman Lori Bjork leads Illinois in scoring, averaging 11.7 points per game, while senior Janelle Hughes is also averaging in double figures at 10.0 per tilt. Senior Maggie Acuna is the Illini's top rebounder at 5.8 boards per contest, helping Illinois outrebound its opponents by nearly seven carroms per game. Illinois started three freshman last time out against Saint Louis in Erin McCarthy, Megan Nyquist and Bjork. The Illini returned seven of 10 letterwinners, including three starters from last year's squad that finished 17-13 overall and seventh in the Big 10 with a 7-9 league mark. Illinois lost to Missouri Valley Conference member Indiana State in the first round of the WNIT last year.
Bradley ended a three-game losing streak Friday and picked up its first win away from home with a 61-50 victory over Loyola in Chicago. Monday's game against Illinois brings to an end a season-long four-game road swing and kicks off a season-long five-game homestand for the Braves.
Bradley is led in scoring by sophomore Devyn Flanagan who is averaging 12.2 points per game. Junior Ashley Chelleen missed the first two games of the season due to injury but has returned to the lineup to averaging 10.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game over the last four contests. Junior Amy Peters is the Braves top rebounder, averaging 5.7 boards per game, while also averaging 9.5 points per tilt.
Rebounding has been the key in the early going for Bradley. The Braves have matched or outrebounded their opponents in five of the six games to date and are averaging 41.7 boards per game, including 15.5 offensive rebounds per tilt and are outrebounding their foes by nearly eight rebounds per game.
Series History
Illinois leads the all-time series with the Braves 6-1, but Bradley posted its first-ever victory against the Illini last year at Assembly Hall, defeating Illinois 70-67. The Illini are making its first trip to Peoria and Robertson Memorial Field House since the 1989-90 season. Illinois is 4-2 on the season following a 75-40 victory against Saint Louis at the United Center in Chicago. The Illini is making its third ever trip to Peoria, Ill., having previously visited the Field House during the 1983-84 and 1989-90 seasons. Bradley is 6-22 against current members of the Big 10. The Braves have won each of the last two home games against Big 10 Conference members with the last coming on Dec. 3, 1999 against Minnesota (56-49).
The Coaches
Paula Buscher (Missouri State, ?86) is in her sixth year at Bradley and has a record of 66-79 (.455) 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 109-117 (.482) 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.
Theresa Grentz (Immaculata ?74) is in her 11th season at Illinois and 32nd as a collegiate head coach. A Hall of Fame coach she has led the Illini to a 179-131 (.577) record during her tenure in Champaign and owns a career mark of 640-285 (.692). She has led Illinois to the postseason in eight of the last ning years and has taken teams to the NCAA Tournament a total of 14 times.
Sister Act
For the second consecutive year Bradley junior Ashley Chelleen will have a chance to play against her sister Stephanie who is a sophomore at Illinois. Last season both individuals saw limited action in the Braves 70-67 victory in Champaign. Ashley collected one steal and one foul in seven minutes of action, while Stephanie played four minutes off the bench for the Illini. This season Ashley is averaging 10.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while shooting 50 percent from the field. Stephanie is averaging 2.5 points and 1.3 boards per tilt while shooting 77.8 percent from the field.
Braves Find Stroke
Bradley found its shooting touch once again, shooting 41.8 percent from the field in Friday's victory at Loyols. The Braves had shot a combined 33 percent during their three-game losing skid. Bradley also shot 33.3 percent from three-point range agains the Ramblers, after shooting 25.5 percent in the previous three outings. Below is a statistical comparison between the 2-0 start to the season, the three-game losing streak and Friday's win at Loyola.
2-0 0-3 at Loyola
Points per game 78.5 58.3 61.0
Points Allowed 72.0 66.7 50.0
FG% .486 .330 .418
Opponent FG% .456 .431 .321
Three-Point% .444 .255 .333
Free Throw% .722 .795 .818
Rebounds 43.0 43.0 35.0
Offensive Boards 14.5 18.0 10.0
Turnovers 21.0 19.7 15.0
Turnovers Forced 15.0 19.0 18.0
Braves Open Five-Game Homestand
Bradley opens a season-long five-game homestand Monday against Illinois. 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.
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 last weekend at 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 Friday's victory at Loyola. Chelleen is averaging 10.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while shooting 50 percent from the field.
Krumwiede Crashing The Boards
Freshman Kelly Krumwiede is Bradley's second leading rebounder through the first five games of the season, pulling down an average of 5.7 boards per contest. While she is averaging just 1.5 defensive rebounds per game, she has already collected 25 offensive boards and currently leads the Valley with a 4.2 offensive boards per game average. Krumwiede's offensive boards have helped the Braves average 15.5 offensive rebounds and 13.5 second chance points per game. Bradley's opponents are averaging under seven 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
After playing three games in a span of six days, the Braves will have time to rest up for their next contest, having nine days between games before taking the court again on Dec. 15 against St. Mary's (Calif.). The Braves and Gaels will be meeting for just the second time. Bradley won the only previous meeting, downing St. Mary's 64-57 in overtime in a Thanksgiving Tournament in Moraga, Calif., during the 2003-04 season. The Gaels are 2-3 on the season heading into Sunday's game at UC-Santa Barbara and also have home games against Southern Utah and Oregon before coming to Peoria. St. Mary's returned eight of 13 letterwinners, including three starters, from last year's team that finished 15-13 overall and tied for fourth in the West Coast Conference.
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 66-79 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)............ 66-79
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 456 points during her time on The Hilltop. She missed the first two games of the year, but is averaging 10.0 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).
Brown Leads Valley In Assist-To-
Turnover Ratio For Second Straight Year
Junior Jen Brown led the Missouri Valley Conference in assist-to-turnover ratio for the second consecutive year, averaging 1.93 assists to every turnover in 2004-05. Brown was even better in conference play, owning a league-best 2.08 assist-to-turnover ratio as a sophomore. As a freshman she led the conference with a 1.78 assist-to-turnover ratio and was named to the MVC's all-freshman team.
MVC Assist/Turnover Ratio (2004-05)
Rank Name (Team).................................... Ratio
1. *Jen Brown (Bradley).......................... 1.93
2. Laura Spanheimer (Creighton)................. 1.66
3. *Melanie Boeglin (Indiana State)............... 1.63
4. *Kari Koch (Missouri State)..................... 1.47
5. Jaci McCormack (Illinois State)............... 1.39
* - Indicates returners for 2005-06.
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.
Brown Cracks Top 10 In Assists
Junior guard Jen Brown ranked second in the Missouri Valley Conference in assists per game, averaging 4.96 assists per game in 2004-05. Brown's 139 assists last season were the most by a Bradley player since Tammy Van Oppen dished out 141 assists in 1996-97. Brown moved into 10th on Bradley's career assist list with three assists in the Braves loss to Duquesne (Nov. 26). She is currently 10th in school history with 269 career helpers. The first BU player to crack the career top 10 since Heather Best in the 1998-99 season, Brown needs nine assists to take over sole possession of ninth place all-time. 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)..................... 269
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.
