PEORIA, Ill. -- Four instate opponents and a total of five home games, highlight the 2005-06 non-conference schedule for the Bradley women's basketball team, announced by sixth-year head coach Paula Buscher Thursday. Bradley has not played host to five non-conference opponents since the 1991-92 season and will play a total of 16 games at Robertson Memorial Field House including two exhibition contests.

The Braves open the 2005-06 regular-season at Robertson Memorial Field House, Friday, November 18 at 11:35 a.m. against Illinois-Chicago. The Flames went 14-15 last season and finished fourth in the Horizon League's final standings.

Bradley then plays host to Valparaiso on Monday, November 21 at 7:05 p.m. The Crusaders finished 18-10 overall and tied for second place in the Mid-Continent Conference. The game against Valparaiso will be the first meeting between the two programs since 1985-86 and will be the Crusaders first trip to Robertson Field House since the 1983-84 season.

Bradley will be opening the season at home for just the second time in the last six years and the season-opening two-game homestand marks the first time since the 1996-97 campaign that the Braves will open a season with consecutive home contests.

Four consecutive games away from Robertson Memorial Field House precedes a three-game homestand to conclude the non-conference schedule. The Braves travel to Miami, Fla., for the Miami Thanksgiving Tournament (Nov. 25 & 26). Bradley's only other trip to Florida was during the 1993-94 season when the Braves won the Stetson Hatter Classic in Deland, Fla.

Bradley will open the tournament on Friday, November 25 against Oakland University. The Golden Grizzlies were 21-8 overall and tied Valparaiso for second place in the Mid-Continent Conference regular-season standings with a 12-4 league mark. The Braves will face either Duquesne or tournament-host Miami (Fla.) in Saturday's second round.

One of the busiest stretches of the season comes on the heals of the trip to Miami. Bradley will play three games in six days against instate opponents, beginning with a midweek road game at defending regular-season Mid-Continent Conference regular-season champion Western Illinois on November 30. The Braves then head to Chicago to play Loyola on Friday, December 2.

The highlight of the home schedule concludes the busy stretch for the Braves, when Illinois makes its first trip down I-74 to Peoria since the 1989-90 season, for a 7:05 p.m. game on Monday, December 5. A WNIT participant last year, the Fighting Illini finished 17-13 overall and lost in the first round of the WNIT to Indiana State. The Illini won the first six meetings in the series, before Bradley's victory at Assembly Hall last season, and will be making just its third trip to Robertson Memorial Field House.

The Braves return to action after finals on Thursday, December 15 against St. Mary's (Calif.). Bradley won the only meeting in the all-time series, defeating the Gaels 64-57 in overtime at the Hilton Concord Thanksgiving Classic in Moraga, Calif., during the 2003-04 season.

Bradley wraps up the non-conference slate against Atlantic-10 member Saint Louis on Sunday, December 18. The Braves and Billikens will be meeting for the fourth consecutive year after a seven-year break in the series.

The Braves annual Red-White scrimmage is scheduled for October 28. The first of two exhibition games will be played Sunday, November 6 against Quincy at Robertson Memorial Field House, with the exhibition portion of the schedule concluding November 12 against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.

Season tickets are $45 for adults and $18 for children (K-12) and senior citizens and available at the Robertson Field House Ticket office. A family season pass is also available for $100. Contact the ticket office at (309) 677-2625 for more information.