The Matchups
Bradley opens the second half of Missouri Valley Conference play Thursday when the Braves play host to Southern Illinois. Bradley has lost three consecutive games and eight of the last nine and bring a 5-13 overall record and 1-8 Valley mark into Thursday's contest.
The Salukis are coming off a 73-53 road loss at Evansville Saturday and are 8-10 overlal and 4-5 in Valley play. The eight wins are the most for the Salukis since the 1999-2000 season and the four Valley wins are the best since 2000-01 when SIU finished ninth in the Valley with a 4-14 record.
Junior Carlai Moore is averaging 18.9 points per game and shooting 57 percent from the field to pace the Salukis. Sophomore guard Jayme Sweere is the top rebounder at 5.3 rebounds per game and is the only other player to average in double figures in scoring at 12.7 points per game. Erin Pauk is tossing in 9.2 points per game.
The Salukis are 2-8 in road games this season. SIU is averaging just 15.2 turnovers per game, but is shooting 28 percent from three-point range on the season.
Bradley is looking to end a three-game losing streak against the Salukis.
Flanagan leads the team in scoring at 11.2 points per game and also ranks second for the Braves in rebounding at 4.9 boards per tilt. Junior Amy Peters scored 18 points against Illinois State (Jan. 15) and is currently seond on the team in scoring at 10.3 points per game. Peters is also one of the Braves top three-point threats shooting nearly 52 percent from beyond the arc.
Junior center Ashley Chelleen missed the first two games of the season due to injury but has returned to the lineup to average 7.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game over the last 14 contests.
Freshman forward Kelly Krumweide, the Valley Newcomer of the Week for the week of Jan. 16, has started five consecutive games and is averaging 8.8 points and 9.0 rebounds as a starter. For the year she is averaging 7.9 points and a team-best 6.3 rebounds per game.
Southern Illinois Series
Southern Illinois holds a 38-10 lead in the all-time series with Bradley after defeating the Braves 66-64 earlier this season in Carbondale, Ill. The Braves are 5-18 all-time at home against the Salukis. Bradley has won eight of the last 10 meetings with Southern Illinois and is 8-3 against SIU under head coach Paula Buscher.
The Coaches
Paula Buscher (Missouri State, ?86) is in her sixth year at Bradley and has a record of 68-89 (.433) 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 111-127 (.466) 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.
Dana Eikenberg (Penn State ?92) is in her second season as head coach at Southern illinois and sixth season overall as a Division I head coach. Eikenberg has led the Salukis to an 11-34 (.244) record, including an 8-10 mark this season and owns a career mark of 49-108 (.312). She has already led the Salukis to their most wins since the 1999-2000 season and led UMKC to second place finishes in the Mid-Continent Conference each of her last two seasons at UMKC.
Brown Cracks Top 10 In Starts
Junior guard Jen Brown has started 73 of 74 games during her two-plus seasons at Bradley and took over sole possession of 10th place on Bradley's career starts list. Brown took over 10th place from former teammate Dena Williams who ranked 10th with 72 career starts. With at least 10 games remaining this season Brown could become the seventh player in program history to start 80 games in a career.
Second Half Resurgence?
Bradley completed the first half of Missouri Valley Conference play with a 1-8 record, but will be looking to repeat the team's performance the last time the Braves opened Valley play 1-8. Bradley opened the 2000-01 conference slate with a 1-8 record, but recovered to go 4-5 in the second half to finish 5-13 and earn a spot in the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
Home Sweet Home
The Braves are hoping some home cooking will help during the second half, as the Braves play five of the next seven games at Robertson Memorial Field House. Bradley is coming off a stretch of games that had the Braves away from home for five of the last contests. The Braves are 1-7 in road games and 1-8 away from Robertson Field House, but boast a 4-5 record at home.
Close Calls Not Kind To Braves
Bradley suffered its second two-point loss of the season Saturday when the Braves fell 59-61 at Wichita State. Bradley is 0-3 in games decided by three points or less and five of the Braves 13 losses this year have been by six points or less. Bradley is now 1-5 in games decided by six points or fewer. Last season the Braves were 5-1 in games decided by three points or fewer.
Flanagan Has Hot Hand
Sophomore Devyn Flanagan has scored in double figures in each of her last four games and is the only Bradley player to score in double figures in three consecutive games or more this season. Flanagan is averaging 12.8 points, 3.0 assists and 2.5 steals, while shooting nearly 40 percent from three-point range in her last four outings
Braves Fall Despite Season Low Turnovers
Bradley committed a season-low nine turnovers in Saturday's loss at Northern Iowa. The Braves nine turnovers were the fewest since committing six turnovers in a 63-45 victory against Southern Illinois on Jan. 26, 2003. Bradley had not lost a game when committing less than 10 turnovers in almost 10 years. The last loss when committing nine or fewer turnovers in a game came on Feb. 8, 1996 when Creighton posted a 96-75 win at Robertson Field House.
Dishing The Rock
Sophomore Libby Magnuson has more than doubled her scoring and nearly doubled her rebounding averages from last year, but the most significant improvement she has made may be in her passing. Magnuson currently leads the team with a 2.8 assists per game average, including a 3.9 assists per game norm in Valley play. After dishing out a total of 17 assists in the first 10 games of the year, Magnuson has dealt out 34 assists in the last eight contests for an average of 4.3 per tilt and has led the team in assists in five of those eight games.
Brown Moves Into Seventh On Assist List
Junior guard Jen Brown currently ranks seventh at Bradley with 305 assists in her two-plus seasons, as she passed Karen Anderson for seventh place. The fourth player in program history to have 100 or more assists in back-to-back seasons, she could join Kathy Stokes and Judy Burns as the only players to lead the team in assists in three different seasons. Brown currently is second on the team at 2.6 assists per game. She needs 26 assists to pass Heather Best for sixth place.
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. Jen Brown (2003-present)..................... 305
8. Karen Anderson (1979-83)....................... 302
9. Shelli Braud (1984-88)............................. 290
10. Nancy Zoros (1984-88)........................... 277
Krumwiede Named Valley Newcomer of the Week
Freshman Kelly Krumwiede was named the MVC Newcomer of the Week for the week of Jan. 16 after averaging 11.5 points and 14.5 rebounds per game in a pair of games. In her first career start, Krumwiede posted her first career double-double with 14 points and 17 rebounds against Indiana State. Her 17 boards tied for the 10th best rebounding effort in school history. She nearly posted a double-double against Illinois State as well, finishing with nine points, 12 rebounds, three assists and three steals in Bradley's win against the Redbirds. She scored all nine of points from the free throw line, hitting 9-of-10 attempts. The Newcomer of the Week honor is the first for a Bradley player since Amy Fuller earned the honor to start the 2003-04 season.
Chelleen Shines Off The Bench
After making four consecutive stats junior center Ashley Chelleen returned to the bench for the Braves game against Indiana State (Jan. 12) and turned in her highest scoring output in nearly three years. Chelleen connected on 8-of-14 shots and scored a team-best 18 points in the Braves loss. Her season-high entering the game against the Sycamores had been 15 points and she hadn't scored more than 17 points in a game since netting 19 points in a loss at Indiana State on Feb. 7. 2003.
Krumwiede Comes Up Big In First Start
While Ashley Chelleen turned in a big performance in her return to the bench, freshman Kelly Krumwiede had an equally big impact in her first career start, finishing with her first career double-double against Indiana State (Jan. 12). Krumwiede had 14 points and 17 rebounds in her first career start against the Sycamores. Her 17 rebounds tied for the 10th best rebounding effort in school history and is the most by a Brave since Dena Williams hauled down 17 boards against Southern Illinois on Feb. 12, 2005.
Chelleen Tops 500 Points
Junior center Ashley Chelleen scored her 500th career point at Southern Illinois (Jan. 7) to become the 40th player in school to reach the 500-point plateau. Chelleen entered the 2005-06 season as the Braves active career scoring leader with 416 points and and missed the first two games of the year, but is averaging 7.9 points per game since returning to the floor for the Braves contest at Miami and currently has 528 career points entering Thursday's game against Southern illinois. Two other players are also approaching the 500-point plateau. Junior Jen Brown has 481 career points and is on pace to score her 500th career point before the end of the season. Amy Peters has 458 career points and also should net her 500th career point in 2005-06. A total of 30 players in school history have reached the 600-point mark during their careers.
Peters On the Mark
Junior Amy Peters connected on 9-of-10 shots from the field in the Braves loss at Southern Illinois (Jan. 7) to tie for the third best shooting effort in school history. Peters 90 percent shooting was the best field goal percentage by a Brave since BU Hall of Famer Shelli Braud made 9-of-10 shots at Illinois-Chicago on Jan. 27, 1987. Peters is the fifth different Bradley player to shoot 90 percent or better in a game on 10 or more shots.
BU Single Game FG Percentage
FG% Name (FG-FGA) Opponent.................. Date
.917 Roxanne Grabow (11-12) at Chicago St.................................................................................. 11/27/82
.917 Karen Anderson (11-12) vs. Chicago St..................................................................................... 12/12/81
.900 Amy Peters (9-10) at Southern Illinois...................................................................................... 1/7/06
.900 Shelli Braud (9-10) at Illinois-Chicago... 1/27/87
.900 Connie Griffith (9-10) vs. Eureka......... 12/4/78
Braves Fall In Best Shooting Night Of The Year
Bradley shot a season-best 56 percent in the Braves 66-64 loss at Southern Illinois (Jan. 7). The loss ended a six-game win streak in games in which Bradley shot 50 percent or better. The loss was the first when shooting better than 50 percent since losing to Creighton (64-68) on Feb. 22, 2004. The Braves hadn't lost a road game in which they shot better than 50 percent since falling at Indiana State (69-71) on Jan. 1, 2001. Bradley is 14-3 under head coach Paula Buscher when shooting 50 percent or better.
Carrie Coffman Inducted Into Bradley Hall of Fame
Former Bradley standout Carrie Coffman (1991-95) will be inducted into the Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame this weekend. Coffman was a first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection in 1994-95. A native of Rockford, Ill., Coffman ranks eighth in school history with 1,313 career points. She also ranks third in school history with 740 career rebounds and her 7.9 career rebounding average is second at Bradley. Coffman also holds the BU mark for double-doubles in a season (19) and career (28).
Magnuson Has Career Day Against Jays
Sophomore guard Libby Magnuson had a career day against Creighton, posting her first career double-double with personal bests of 14 points and 10 assists against the Bluejays. Magnuson is just the fifth player in school history with a point-assist double-double and the first since Jen Brown had 11 points and 11 assists against Indiana State last season. Magnuson's point-assist double-double marked the 14th time in school history a Bradley player reached double figures in both points and assists in the same game. Judy Burns accomplished the feat 10 times in her career.
Peters Dialing In From Long Range
Junior center Amy Peters entered the 2005-06 season shooting 12 percent from three-point range (3-for-25), but is shooting over 50 percent from three-point range this year. Peters made two of her 22 three-point shots last season with both being key baskets in Bradley road victories (at Illinois and at Missouri State). This season she has hit 17 of her 33 three-point attempts and has made at least one trey in 11 of the 18 games to date.
Chelleen Returns To Starting Lineup
Bradley had a much different look to its lineup for its Missouri Valley Conference opener as junior center Ashley Chelleen made her first start of the season against Drake. Chelleen, who hadn't started a game since Jan. 30, 2004 at Creighton, finished with nine points, four rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal in a season-high 26 minutes against the Bulldogs. She made a total of one start last season and has started a total of four consecutive games. She hadn't started back-to-back games since appearing in the starting lineup for the final 15 games of the 2002-03 campaign.
Braves Wrap Up Non-Conference Play Bradley was the first Valley team to wrap up the non-conference portion of its schedule, defeating Saint Louis 77-65 on Dec. 18. Bradley is 31-22 (.585) 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 113-89 (.559) record in non-conference games. The Braves are 14-8 (.636) 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 53-28 (.654) at home against non-conference foes since the start of the 1983-84 campaign.
Flanagan Having Breakthrough Season
Sophomore Devyn Flanagan heads into Thursday's game against Southern Illinois leading the team with an 11.2 points per game average and is also one of the team's top rebounders at 4.9 boards per game. Just 18 games into her sophomore season she has already surpassed her season scoring and rebounding totals from her freshman season in 2004-05. As a freshman, Flanagan scored 122 points (4.7 ppg) and grabbed 47 rebounds (1.8 rpg). In addition to the improved production, she has also been much more efficient, improving her overall field goal percentage to 38.4 percent this year and 34.4 percent from three-point range after shooting 37.3 percent from the field and 27.8 percent from beyond the arc in 2004-05.
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 26.6 points per game. Bradley's reserves have outscored their counterparts 478 to 264 on the year or by 11.9 points per contest. Junior center Ashley Chelleen has played in 12 games off the bench and is averaging 7.0 points per tilt, while freshman Kelly Krumwiede has appeared in 13 games as a reserve and is throwing in points per game to help lead the Braves reserves.
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.
Krumwiede Crashing The Boards
Freshman Kelly Krumwiede is currently leading the team lead in rebounding through the first 18 games of the season, pulling down an average of 6.3 boards per contest. While she is averaging just 3.0 defensive rebounds per game, she has already collected 59 offensive boards and ranks among the Valley leaders with a 3.3 offensive boards per game average. Krumwiede is the only freshman to rank among the top 20 in the Valley in rebounds per game.
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 hosts Evansville Saturday at 2:05 p.m. at Robertson Memorial Field House. Bradley holds a slim 12-11 lead in the all-time series with Evansville after the Purple Aces posted a 71-57 victory over the Braves in Evansville, Ind., in the seasons first meeting. Bradley is 8-3 all-time at Robertson Field house against the Purple Aces. In the 11 seasons the two programs have been members of the MVC, the season series has resulted in a sweep a total of seven times. Bradley swept the regular-season series in 1994-95, 1996-97, 2002-03 and last season in 2004-05. The Braves have won four of the last seven meetings in the series.
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.
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 68-89 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)............ 68-89
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.
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 1-7 in true road games and 1-8 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).
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.
