Bradley vs. Chicago State Game Notes (Nov. 11, 2006)

Bradley vs. Chicago State Game Notes (Nov. 11, 2006)

Bradley University Women's Basketball 11/8/2006 6:00:00 AM

Today's Matchup

Bradley will open its 32nd season of competition Saturday when the Braves welcome Chicago State for a 2:05 p.m. game at Robertson Memorial Field House.

Chicago State returns eight of 14 letterwinners, including two starters from last year's squad that finished with a 12-16 overall record and was seventh in the Mid-Continent Conference with a 7-9 league mark. The Cougars are in their first season as a Division I Independent after a 12-year membership in the Mid-Continent Conference. Chicago State lost its only exhibition game, losing to Odyssey, 69-65. Senior center Chandra Timberlake led the Cougars in scoring with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting. The rest of the team combined to shoot 24.5 percent against Odyssey.

Senior guard Ayesha Neasley is Chicago State's top returning scorer at 8.1 points per game, while Timberlake averaged 7.9 points per tilt and is the Cougars top returning rebounder at 5.4 boards per game.

While Bradley returns just six of 12 letterwinners, including three starters from last year's team, the Braves bring back each of the top five scorers from 2005-06 and six of the top seven. Junior guard Devyn Flanagan led the team in scoring as a sophomore, averaging 11.2 points per game. Senior center Amy Peters was also in double figures in scoring, averaging 10.5 points per game, while shooting 42 percent from three-point range. Senior point guard Jen Brown has started 83 of 84 games in her career and ranks fifth in career assists at Bradley, needing just 13 assists to move into third place in program history.

The Braves opened the exhibition portion of the schedule with a 56-42 victory against Truman State on Nov. 1 and trounced Quincy 85-43 to wrap up the exhibition portion of the schedule. Four players averaged in double figures in the exhibition games, including Ashley Chelleen (13.0),

Chicago State Series

Bradley opens the season against Chicago State, Saturday, Nov. 11. The Braves and Cougars will be meeting for the first time since the 1999-2000 season and it will be Chicago State's first game at Robertson Field House since Jan. 19, 1993. Bradley holds a 10-0 lead in the all-time series which dates back to the 1979-80 season. The Braves are 5-0 in home games against the Cougars. Bradley has averaged 92.0 points per game in the series and limited Chicago State to an average of 56.6 points per game.

The Coaches

Paula Buscher (Missouri State, ?86) is in her seventh year at Bradley and has a record of 72-95 (.431) at BU. Buscher led teams to improved records in each of her first five seasons as a collegiate head coach and six of her nine seasons overall. Buscher owns a 115-133 (.464) career record and is in her 10th 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.

Angela Jackson (Old Dominion ?91) is in her fourth season as head coach at Chicago State and fourth as a collegiate head coach. She has led the Cougars to a 33-51 (.393) record, including a 12-16 mark last season and seventh-place finish in the Mid-Continent Conference. In 2004-05 she led Chicago State to a fifth-place conference finish and 13-15 overall mark.

Season Openers

Bradley is opening its 32nd season of competition Saturday against Chicago State. The Braves are 18-13 all-time in season openers, including a 13-5 mark when opening the season at home. Bradley will be opening the season at home for the third consecutive year and will also be looking for its third straight victory in a season opener. The Braves are 4-2 in season openers under seventh-year head coach Paula Buscher. Bradley is 22-9 overall in home openers.

2005-06 Stats At A Glance

Bradley.......................................... Chicago State

63.1................... Points Per Game................... 58.6

66.8............. Points Allowed Per Game............. 59.7

.408................ Field Goal Percentage................ .380

.329........................ 3-Pt. FG%........................ .266

.712...................... Free Throw%..................... .635

35.6................. Rebounds Per Game................ 38.8

13.5............. Offensive Reb. Per Game............. 14.4

14.1................... Assists Per Game.................. 13.9

16.2................ Turnovers Per Game................ 14.8

2.1..................... Blocks Per Game.................... 2.8

8.5..................... Steals Per Game..................... 7.8

Chelleen Expected To Return To The Lineup

After sitting out the final exhibition game Sunday against Quincy, senior center Ashley Chelleen is expected to be back in the lineup Saturday in the season opener against Chicago State. Chelleen turned her ankle in practice last week, but should see the floor Saturday agains the Cougars. She had 13 points in Bradley's exhibition game against Truman State and averaged 8.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game last season.

Quincy Recap

Bradley used a balanced attack and stifling defensive effort to close out the exhibition schedule with an 85-43 victory against Quincy. Junior Devyn Flanagan was one of five players in double figures with a game-high 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting. The Braves shot 51.7 percent and limited the Hawks to 26.4 percent shooting, while forcing 26 Quincy turnovers. Amy Peters added 15 points on 5-of-8 from the field, while Jasmin Wright (12 points), Chasity Cotton (10 points) and Erika Nelson (10 points) were also in double figures. Wright added a game-high 13 rebounds for a double-double.

Truman State Recap

Bradley used a 12-0 second-half run to put away Truman State 56-42 Wednesday night in the exhibition opener for both teams. Sophomore Kelly Krumwiede led all players with 15 points to go along with six rebounds, four assists and three steals. Senior Ashley Chelleen was the only other player in double figures with 13 points.

The Braves owned a 26-12 advantage in points off turnovers, forcing 24 Bulldog turnovers. Bradley also held Truman State to 32 percent shooting and had a 41-31 edge in rebounding. Senior Jen Brown had game highs of eight assists and seven rebounds, while Erika Nelson added nine points and five boards.

Braves Picked 10th In Preseason Valley Poll

Bradley was picked to finish 10th in the Missouri Valley Conference according to a vote of Valley coaches, sports information directors and media. The Braves, which finished in a tie for ninth with Creighton last season, return the top five scorers and six of the top seven scorers from last years squad. Bradley received 66 points in the poll and was 18 points behind ninth-place Creighton. Drake garnered 28 of 40 first-place votes to finish first in voting.

MVC Preseason Poll

Rank Team (First-Place Votes).................. Points

1. Drake (28)............................................. 373

2. Wichita State (10)................................... 345

3. Northern Iowa........................................ 274

4. Evansville............................................ 242

5. Illinois State........................................... 237

6. Indiana State (2)..................................... 227

7. Missouri State........................................ 176

Southern Illinois...................................... 176

9. Creighton................................................ 84

10. Bradley................................................. 66

Up Next

The first road trip of the season is on tap for Bradley as the Braves play at Eastern Illinois on Tuesday. Bradley is 14-17 in road openers, including a 3-3 mark under head coach Paula Buscher. Eastern Illinois leads the all-time series with Bradley 16-14, including a 10-6 edge in games played in Charleston, Ill. The two programs will be meeting for just the third time since they were both members of the Gateway Conference (ending in 1991-92). Bradley won the last meeting, defeating the Panthers 84-72 on Nov. 20, 2001 at Eastern Illinois en route to a 9-0 start to the season. The Braves have won each of the last two meetings in Charleston, Ill., and three of the last four games at Eastern Illinois.

Live Audio

For the first time audio for all of Bradley's home and away games will be available on the Bradley Athletics website at www.bubraves.com

In previous seasons only home and select road contests were available on the Braves website, but audio for all 29 regular-season games will be available free of charge via the internet.

New Faces

Bradley welcomed seven new players for the 2006-07 season, which includes four junior college transfers, a Division I transfer and two freshmen. Chasity Cotton (Little Rock, Ark./J.A. Fair Magnet H.S./Arkansas-Ft. Smith) is the first player in program history from the state of Arkansas. Local product Rachel Merriman (Peoria, Ill./Notre Dame H.S./Illinois Central College) will help in the backcourt, along with fellow junior college transfer Felicia Nekmouche (Uppsala, Sweden/Katedral H.S./Kankakee C.C.), who is the fourth foreign-born player in program history. Jasmin Wright (Beale Air Force Base, Calif./Wheatland H.S./Yuba College) is the sister of former Bradley men's basketball player Lawrence Wright. The Braves also added two freshmen in Renee Frericks (Wyoming, Minn./Forest Lake H.S.), a 5-10 guard and Jenny Van Kirk (Waconia, Minn./Waconia) a 6-1 forward. Rounding out the newcomers is Monica Rogers (Forsyth, Ill./St. Teresa H.S./Hampton), a 6-1 forward who transferred from Hampton. Rogers will sit out the 2006-07 season due to NCAA rules regarding Division I transfers.

Chelleen Nears Top 30 In Scoring

Senior center Ashley Chelleen is closing in on 30th place on Bradley's career scoring list, needing eight points to pass Sheila Jenkins for 30th all-time in scoring. Chelleen enters the season as Bradley's active career scoring leader with 631 career points and is just 69 points from reaching the 700-point plateau and 25th place in program history. Fellow seniors Jen Brown and Amy Peters will likely join Chelleen in the top 30, having scored 565 and 567 points, respectively.

Bradley's Career Scoring Leaders

Rank Name (Years).......................... Total Points

1. Karen Anderson (1979-83).................... 1,679

2. Shelli Braud (1984-88).......................... 1,605

3. Connie Griffith (1977-81)....................... 1,583

4. Judy Burns (1981-84).......................... 1,544

5. Sara Bailey (1999-03).......................... 1,541

6. Karin Nicholls (1986-90)....................... 1,461

7. Heather Best (1995-99)......................... 1,447

8. Carrie Coffman (1991-95)...................... 1,313

9. Genny Mueller (2001-05)...................... 1,269

10. Eileen Yerkes (1988-92)....................... 1,120

11. Val Wancket (1987-91)......................... 1,048

12. Dena Williams (2001-05)....................... 1,030

13. Carol Baresch (1986-89)....................... 1,018

14. Andrea McAllister (1988-92)..................... 980

15. Jenn Jolley (1997-01)............................. 920

16. Roxanne Grabow (1979-83).................... 836

17. Maureen Hogan (1978-82)....................... 831

Michelle Nason (1993-95)........................ 831

19. Erika Grogg (1990-94)............................. 816

20. Kathy Stokes (1977-81)........................... 802

21. Karen Richardson (1979-81).................... 798

22. Audrey DeClue (1984-88)........................ 784

23. Tammy Van Oppen (1995-97).................. 763

24. Heidi Nelson (1987-91)............................ 705

25. Liza Reed (1991-95)............................... 699

26. Dawn Cartwright (1992-96)...................... 666

27. Carolyn Hagerty (1993-95)...................... 653

28. Va'Nicia Waterman (2001-05)................... 645

29. Dana Anderson (1994-98)........................ 641

30. Sheila Jenkins (1989-91)......................... 638

31. Ashley Chelleen (2002-present)............ 631

Steady Force In The Lineup

Over the past three seasons one thing has almost always been certain about the Braves starting lineup. Senior point guard Jen Brown has started 83 of the 84 games since the start of the 2003-04 season, missing one start during her sophomore year (2004-05). She currently ranks sixth in school history in starts and needs 26 starts to break Dawn Cartwright's school mark of 108 starts. Erika Nelson is the only other player on the roster to start more than 30 games, owning 54 starts.

Bradley's Career Starts Leaders Since 1984-85

Rank Name (Years)................................... Starts

1. Dawn Cartwright (1992-96)...................... 108

2. Heather Best (1995-99)............................ 107

3. Karin Nicholls (1986-90).......................... 105

4. Shelli Braud (1984-88).............................. 98

5. Andrea McAllister (1988-92)....................... 86

6. Jen Brown (2003-present)...................... 83

Brown Into Fifth On Assist List

Senior guard Jen Brown enters her final season fifth on Bradley's career assist list with 348 and needs just 13 assists to pass Andrea McAllister for third all-time. The fourth player in program history to have 100 or more assists in back-to-back seasons, she joined Kathy Stokes and Judy Burns as the only players in school history to lead the team in assists in three different seasons and has a chance to be the only individual to accomplish that feat all four years. She will likely end her career third in school history, needing 182 assists to pass Judy Burns for second.

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. Jen Brown (2003-present)..................... 348

6. Val Wancket (1987-91)............................ 338

7. Heather Best (1995-99)............................ 330

On The Mark

? Senior center Ashley Chelleen has a chance to become Bradley's career leader in field goal percentage. Chelleen has connected on 53.5 percent (242-for-452) of her field goal attempts during her career. The Braves active career scoring leader with 631 points, she currently ranks as the Braves career leader in field goal percentage, holding a slim edge on Kim Harris (1984-86), who ranks second all-time at 53.1 percent (245-of-461). Fellow senior Amy Peters ranks 11th in school history in field goal percentage at 47.1 percent.

BU Career Field Goal Percentage

FG% Name (Years)................................ FG-FGA

.535 Ashley Chelleen (2002-present)...... 242-452

.531 Kim Harris (1984-86)......................... 245-461

.523 Tami Van Galder (1991-95)................ 218-417

.512 Audrey DeClue (1984-88).................. 301-587

.506 Connie Griffith (1977-81).................. 636-1257

.495 Krisha Green (1993-97)..................... 240-425

.490 Carrie Coffman (1991-95)................. 552-1127

.481 Sheila Jenkins (1989-91)................... 273-567

.477 Karen Richardson (1979-81).............. 335-702

.473 Kathy Stokes (1977-81)..................... 337-712

.471 Amy Peters (2003-present).............. 220-467

Brown Leads Valley In Assist-To-

Turnover Ratio Again

? For the third consecutive season senior Jen Brown led the Missouri Valley Conference in assist-to-turnover ratio, averaging 2.14 assists to every turnover. She was even better in conference play, posting a league-best 2.27 assist-to-turnover radio against Valley opponents. Brown has improved her assist-to-turnover ratio each of her three seasons after posting a 1.92 ratio as a sophomore and 1.78 assist to every turnover as a freshman.

MVC Assist/Turnover Ratio (2005-06)

Rank Name (Team).................................... Ratio

1. *Jen Brown (Bradley).......................... 2.14

2. Melanie Boeglin (Indiana State)................ 2.07

3. *Erin Pauk (Southern Illinois)................... 1.74

4. *Kristi Cirone (Illinois State)..................... 1.58

5. *Jessie Biggs (Northern Iowa)................. 1.48

6. *Ally Thrall (Creighton)............................ 1.3

* - Indicates returners for 2006-07.

Chelleen Breaks Onto Blocks List

Senior Ashley Chelleen tied for the team lead with 16 blocked shots last season to crack into Bradley's career top 10 in blocks. Currently ninth all-time in Braves history, she needs three blocked shots to move into sole possession of seventh place, passing Lynn Pastucha and Sara Bailey.

Bradley's Career Blocked Shots Leaders

Rank Name (Years)......................... Total Blocks

1. Dena Williams (2001-05).......................... 197

2. Heather Best (1995-99)............................ 153

3. Krisha Green (1993-97)........................... 106

4. Eileen Yerkes (1988-92).......................... 105

5. Tami Van Galder (1991-95)....................... 86

6. Karin Nicholls (1986-90)............................ 86

T7. Sara Bailey (1999-03)............................... 51

T7. Lynn Pastucha (1999-00).......................... 51

9. Ashley Chelleen (2002-present).............. 48

10. Courtney Spillers (1993-98)....................... 47

Brown Bombing From Long Range

? Senior Jen Brown is also looking to break into Bradley's career top 10 for made three-pointers, needing eight treys to move into a tie for 10th place with former teammate Va'Nicia Waterman. Brown has averaged 25.3 three-pointers per season and could become just the eighth player to make 100 three-pointers in a career. Junior Devyn Flanagan is second on the team with 44 career made three-pointers after connecting on 34 shots from beyond the arc last year.

BU Career Three-Pointers Made

Rank Name (Years).............................. 3-Pt. FGs

1. Genny Mueller (2001-05)......................... 182

2. Michelle Nason (1993-95)........................ 158

3. Heather Best (1995-99)............................ 154

4. Andrea McAllister (1988-92)..................... 148

5. Erika Grogg (1990-94)............................. 112

6. Dawn Cartwright (1992-96)...................... 110

7. Dana Anderson (1994-98)........................ 104

8. Sara Bailey (1999-03)............................... 99

9. Jennifer Jolley (1997-01)........................... 85

10. Va'Nicia Waterman (2001-05)..................... 84