Evansville at Bradley Game Notes (Jan. 12, 2007)

Evansville at Bradley Game Notes (Jan. 12, 2007)

Bradley University Women's Basketball 1/12/2007 6:00:00 AM

The Matchup

Bradley has lost six of its last seven enters Saturday's game against Evansville attempting to end a three-game home losing streak after falling Thursday against Southern Illinois (40-64). On the flip side, the Purple Aces have won six of their last seven after posting a 56-54 victory at Northern Iowa Thursday night.

After starting out the season 5-4, Evansville has won six of its last seven and is currently tied with Southern Illinois for second place in the Valley with an 11-5 overall record and 4-1 league mark. The Purple Aces are an impressive 7-1 at home and 3-4 on the road, including a 2-0 road mark in MVC games with wins at Wichita State (99-97 in overtime) and at Northern Iowa (56-54).

Evansville is second in the MVC in scoring at 78.1 points per game and is averaging 83.2 points per game in Valley games. The Aces lead the conference in scoring margin (+7.0), free throw percentage (.797), three-point percentage (.376), steals (11.94) and turnover margin (+5.75).

Leading the way for Evansville is junior guard Rebekah Parker, who leads the Aces in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. Parker is third in the MVC in scoring at 15.9 points per game and leads the league in three-point field goal percentage, shooting a blistering 52.8 percent beyond the arc. She is also second in the MVC in steals (2.2 spg) and ranks among the top 10 in the Valley in free throw percentage (.813). Also averaging in double figures for Evansville is senior guard Ashli Senff (12.1 ppg) and junior guard Courtney Felke (10.0 ppg).

Bradley is coming off a 40-64 loss to Southern Illinois which extended the team's home losing streak to three games (the longest home losing skid since the end of the 2002-03 season.

Junior Devyn Flanagan has scored in double figures in six of the last seven games and is averaging a team-best 12.9 points per game. Senior Erika Nelson is among the top players in the league in three-point field goals made (2.53 made per game) and is tossing in 12.4 points per tilt. Sophomore Kelly Krumwiede is tied for the league lead in double-doubles with six on the season and is averaging 10.9 points per game to go along with her team-best 7.9 rebounds per game.

The Braves are averaging 65.8 points per game, but scoring just 53.0 points per game in league play so far. Bradley is third in the league in free throw percentage (.754) and fourth in rebounding (37.9 rpg).

Bradley's six returning players have combined for 870 of the 987 points (88 percent) this season and are shooting 40.7 percent (312-766) from the field, while the six newcomers have combined to average 7.8 points per game and shoot 25.6 percent from the field.

Evansville Series

The all-time series between the Braves and Purple Aces is tied at 12-12 after Evansville swept the regular-season series last year. The regular-season series has resulted in a sweep in eight of the 12 seasons the two programs have been members of the Missouri Valley Conference, including each of the last four years. Bradley swept the regular-season series from the Purple Aces in 1994-95, 1996-97, 2002-03 and 2004-05. Evansville swept the series in 1998-99, 2000-01, 2003-04 and last season in 2005-06. Bradley is 8-4 in home games in the series. The Braves are 5-7 against the Purple Aces under seventh-year head coach Paula Buscher.

The Coaches

Paula Buscher (Missouri State, ?86) is in her seventh year at Bradley and has a record of 77-105 (.423) 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 120-143 (.456) 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.

Tricia Cullop (Purdue ?93) is in her seventh season as head coach at Evansville and as a collegiate head coach. Cullop owns a 94-91 (.508) record as head coach of the Purple Aces. She took over the head coaching duties at Evansville following a four-year stint as an assistant coach at Xavier. The Purple Aces have finished tied for fifth or better four times under Cullop and own a 25-16 (.610) record in Valley play since the start of the 2004-05 season.

Stats At A Glance

Bradley................................................ Evansville

65.8................... Points Per Game................... 78.1

72.3............. Points Allowed Per Game............. 71.1

.386................ Field Goal Percentage................ .417

.437.......... Field Goal Percentage Defense.......... .435

.318........................ 3-Pt. FG%........................ .376

.754...................... Free Throw%..................... .797

37.9................. Rebounds Per Game................ 36.9

13.3............. Offensive Reb. Per Game............. 13.8

+0.3.................... Rebound Margin.................... -0.9

14.5................... Assists Per Game.................. 12.4

17.8................ Turnovers Per Game................ 16.2

2.7..................... Blocks Per Game.................... 2.8

7.4..................... Steals Per Game................... 11.9

Offense Struggling In Valley Play

Bradley averaged 70.5 points per game in its 11 non-conference games, but the Braves offense has struggled in Missouri Valley Conference play, averaging just 53.0 points per game in its four league tilts to date. Bradley's 40 points against Southern Illinois was the team's lowest scoring output since suffering a 36-79 loss at Missouri State on March 3, 1996. The Braves have scored 50.6 points per game over the last five tilts, counting the 41-point effort in the final non-conference game of the year against Illinois.

First Half In The Books

Thursday's game against Southern Illinois marked the halfway point of the regular-season for the Braves and Bradley finished the first-half of the year with a 5-10 mark. The Braves have 14 regular-season games remaining on the schedule before the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference tournament (March 8-11). Bradley has posted a 5-8 record in the second half of the regular season in five of Paula Buscher's six seasons on The Hilltop

Year-by-Year Under Buscher

Below is a year-by-year comparison of the Braves record in the first-half and second-half of the regular season under head coach Paula Buscher. Please note that the numbers will not add up as the final record includes games in the State Farm MVC Tournament.

Year 1st Half 2nd Half Final Record

2006-07 5-10 ????

2005-06 4-10 5-8 9-19

2004-05 10-4 5-8 15-13

2003-04 4-10 5-8 9-19

2002-03 5-9 8-5 13-15

2001-02 11-3 5-8 16-12

2000-01 5-8 5-8 10-17

Braves Hoping To End Home Losing Streak

Bradley is hoping to end a three-game home losing streak Saturday against Evansville. The three-game home losing streak is the longest since last season. With a victory the Braves can avoid the longest home losing streak since dropping five consecutive home tilts between the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons. Bradley lost the final three home games of the 2002-03 season, losing to Missouri State, Creighton and Drake and opened the 2003-04 season with home losses to Missouri and Butler.

Brown To Join Chelleen In Century Club

Senior guard Jen Brown has appeared in 99 games heading into Saturday's contest against Evansville and will likely join fellow senior Ashley Chelleen in the century club. Chelleen became the 21st player in school history to play in 100 games, joining the club on Dec. 29 at Northern Iowa and has now played in 103 games in her career. Genny Mueller and Dena Williams both share the school mark for games played at 112, but with at least 15 games remaining on the schedule, both Chelleen and Brown both have a chance to eclipse the mark. Senior guard Erika Nelson has appeared in 98 games as a Brave, while Amy Peters is also closing in on 100 games, having played in 95 contests.

Braves Earn First Win At Knapp Center

Bradley picked up its first-ever victory at the Drake Knapp Center Monday, defeating the Bulldogs (62-57). The Braves had never won a game at the Knapp Center going 0-13 in road games against Drake since defeating the Bulldogs in Des Moines, Iowa, on Feb. 25, 1993. Bradley also lost a pair of State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament games at the Knapp Center as the Braves ended a 15-game losing streak in Des Moines with Monday's victory.

Braves Pick Up First Road Win

Bradley ended a nine-game road losing streak Monday with a 62-57 victory at Drake Monday night. The Braves entered the game 0-7 on the season on the road and the road losing skid dated back to a win at Creighton on March 2, 2006. The nine-game road losing streak was the longest for the Braves since dropping 18 consecutive road games between the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 seasons. Bradley's win at Drake matched its Valley road win total from last season as the Braves finished the 2005-06 regular-season with a 1-8 road mark in league play.

Busiest Stretch Of The Year

Saturday's game against Evansville will be the fourth game in eight days for the Braves and will bring to an end the busiest stretch of the season. Bradley concluded non-conference play Dec. 21 against Illinois, but played just one game (at Northern Iowa on Dec. 29) in a 15-day stretch prior to returning to the court last Saturday at Creighton (Jan. 6). The Braves played games at Drake (Jan. 8) and at home against Southern Illinois (Jan. 11) prior to the game against the Aces.

Peters' Streak Comes To An End

Senior center Amy Peters had her streak of 24 consecutive free throw made snapped Saturday at Creighton (Jan. 6) when she missed her first attempt from the line against the Bluejays. Peters, who is shooting 93.1 percent from the line this season, made her first 24 attempts of the year and is now 27-of-29 from the line in 2006-07. Her 24 consecutive free throws made is the longest streak for a Brave since Genny Mueller converted 33 consecutive free throws between the end of the 2001-02 season and beginning of the 2002-03 campaign.

Nelson Returns To Form

Senior Erika Nelson broke out of her recent funk with an 18-point effort Saturday at Creighton. Nelson, who hit 7-of-11 three-point attempts in the Braves game against Northern Illinois on Dec. 17, was sick the two games prior to Saturday's contest and averaged just 3.5 points per game in that stretch while going 0-for-7 from three-point range. She connected on 4-of-10 three-point attempts and finished with 18 points against the Bluejays and has averaged 12.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists and nearly two steals per game over the last three contests. Nelson is second on the team in scoring (12.4 ppg) and leads the team in three-pointers (38).

0-2, Nothing New

Bradley's 0-2 start to Missouri Valley Conference play is nothing new for the Braves. Bradley has opened league play with a pair of losses for the second straight year and the ninth time in the last 10 seasons. The lone exception during that time is the 2004-05 season, when the Braves opened Valley play with a 1-1 record. Bradley is 1-3 to open league action for the third time in the last five season and opened Valley play 1-3 or worse eight times in the last 10 years counting this season. Bradley has opened Valley play with a 2-2 mark just twice (2001-02 & 2004-05) since a 3-1 start to the 1996-97 campaign.

Bradley, The Opening Opponent Of Choice

The Bradley women's basketball team was the first MVC women's basketball squad to visit the McLeod Center, but the Braves weren't the first BU team to visit the facility which opened in November. The Bradley volleyball team was the first opponent of any kind to play at the McLeod Center, losing to the Panthers in the first athletic event held in the facility in November. The Bradley men's basketball was the first MVC men's basketball team to play at the McLeod Center, last week. Unfortunately for Bradley fans, Northern Iowa swept the three contests, completing the sweep with a 74-47 victory against the women's basketball team last week.

Conference Openers

Bradley opened Missouri Valley Conference play on the road for the first time since the 2003-04 season, but the Braves were unable to end their losing streak in Valley openers, falling 47-74 at Northern Iowa. Bradley has lost 10 consecutive league openers, dating back to an 83-53 victory against Evansville on Dec. 29, 1996. Bradley is 8-16 in conference openers, including 0-7 under head coach Paula Buscher, and 3-9 mark when opening league play on the road. The Braves are now 3-1 when opening conference play against Northern Iowa, including a 2-1 record when opening league play in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Road Weary

For the first time in program history Bradley opened Missouri Valley Conference play with three consecutive road games. The Braves played six of their 11 non-conference games away from home and will open MVC play with five of the first seven league games away from home, giving Bradley 11 of its first 18 games away from Robertson Memorial Field House. The Braves, who are just 1-7 on the road after defeating Drake, ended a nine-game losing skid against the Bulldogs. Bradley will close the season with seven of the final 11 games at Robertson Memorial Field House.

Braves Wrap Up Non-Conference Play Bradley is 35-29 (.547) 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 117-96 (.549) record in non-conference games. The Braves are 17-10 (.630) 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 56-30 (.651) at home against non-conference foes since the start of the 1983-84 campaign.

Up Next

Bradley will open a two-game Valley road swing Friday, Jan. 19 at Wichita State. The Shockers hold a slim 24-23 lead in the all-time series, but the Braves have had better luck in the series of late, winning three of the last four in the series and six of the last eight between the two programs. Wichita State leads the series 14-9 in games played in Wichita, Kan. Bradley is 8-4 against the Shockers under seventh-year head coach Paula Buscher.

Nelson Ties Field House Record For Three-Pointers

Senior guard Erika Nelson tied a Robertson Memorial Field House record with seven three-point field goals against Northern Illinois (Dec. 17). Nelson, who hit 7-of-11 three-point attempts, is the fourth Bradley player and sixth person to connect on seven three-pointers in a game at the Field House and finished with a career-high 25 points against the Huskies. She joined former Braves Genny Mueller, Michelle Nason and Nancy Zoros, along with Evansville's Alissa Kirby and Creighton's Missy Miller as the only players to hit seven three-pointers in a game at the Field House. Nelson's seven three-point baskets is tied for the second best single-game total in school history, behind Andrea McAllister's school mark of eight three-pointers set during the 1989-90 season. On the season, Nelson has made 35-of-88 three-point attempts (.398) and is second on the team with a 12.3 points per game average.

Three-Pointers (Robertson Field House Single Game Mark)

3-FG Name (Team)...................................... Date

7 Erika Nelson (Bradley).................. 12/17/06

7 Genny Mueller (Bradley)..................... 3/6/04

7 Alissa Kirby (Evansville)..................... 2/2/04

7 Michelle Nason (Bradley)................... 1/26/95

7 Missy Miller (Creighton)...................... 1/7/93

7 Nancy Zoros (Bradley)...................... 2/13/88

Deadly Accurate From The Line

For the season, Bradley is shooting 75.4 percent from the charity stripe as a squad. The team record for free throw percentage was set during the 1993-94 season when the Braves shot 75.1 percent from the line as a team. Bradley shot 92.9 percent from the free throw line in the loss at Illinois-Chicago on Dec. 15, hitting 13-of-14 free throw attempts. The Braves 92.9 free throw percentage in the game against the Flames, ranks as the seventh best effort in school history and marks the best team free throw percentage in a contest since making 15-of-16 free throw attempts against Evansville on Feb. 2, 2004. Four players currently rank among the school's career leaders in free throw percentage with senior Erika Nelson leading the way with a 76.6 career free throw percentage.

BU Career Free Throw Percentage

FG% Name (Years)................................. FT-FTA

.870 Genny Mueller (2001-05)................... 235-270

.841 Carolyn Hagerty (1993-95)................ 143-170

.787 Carol Baresch (1986-89, 90-91).......... 300-381

.769 Liza Reed (1991-95)......................... 120-156

.766 Erika Nelson (2003-present)............ 147-192

.7562 Heather Best (1995-99)...................... 276-365

.7560 Amy Peters (2003-present).............. 124-164

.752 Ashley Chelleen (2002-present)...... 164-218

.735 Jenn Jolley (1997-01)....................... 253-344

.722 Devyn Flanagan (2004-present)........ 96-133

.721 Carrie Coffman (1991-95).................. 199-276

.720 Sara Bailey (1999-2003).................... 191-270

Home Win Streak Snapped At Five

Northern Illinois ended Bradley's five-game home win streak with an 85-75 Sunday at Robertson Memorial Field House on Dec. 17. The Braves five-game home win streak was the longest since winning five straight home contests midway through the 2002-03 season.

Double Trouble

Sophomore Kelly Krumwiede posted her sixth double-double of the season with a 10-point, 13-rebound effort Monday at Drake and is tied with Missouri State's Tiff Terwelp for the most double-doubles in the MVC this season. Her six double-doubles are the most by a Brave since Dena Williams posted eight double-doubles in 2004-05. Krumwiede ranks third on the team in scoring at 10.9 points per game and leads the team in rebounding (7.9 per game) and field goal percentage (.504). She has scored in double figures nine times this season and has seven outings with 10 or more rebounds in 2006-07.

10+ Rebound Games (Season)

No. Name............................................ Season

19 Carrie Coffman................................ 1994-95

14 Roxanne Grabow............................ 1982-83

13 Eileen Yerkes.................................. 1991-92

11 Dena Williams.................................. 2004-05

11 Dena Williams.................................. 2003-04

11 Val Wancket.................................... 1990-91

11 Roxanne Grabow............................ 1981-82

10 Val Wancket.................................... 1988-89

8 Sheila Jenkins................................. 1989-90

7 Kelly Krumwiede........................... 2006-07

7 Karin Nichols................................... 1988-89

7 Lora Weber..................................... 2000-01

7 Felicia Brown.................................. 1984-85

Finding The Range

Senior Erika Nelson has connected on a team and career-high 38 three-pointers after 15 games and has already surpassed her career total for made three-pointers from her first three seasons. Nelson entered the season with 24 made three-pointers and had a career three-point field goal percentage of 33.8 percent (24-for-71), but has made 38 of 95 three-point attempts this season (40.0 percent). Nelson is averaging 12.4 points per game this season and needs just five points and has already surpassed her previous career high of 177 points in a season

Touring The Horizon League

Bradley's game at Illinois-Chicago (Dec. 15) marked the third contest this season against a current member of the Horizon League. The Braves also played a game at Valparaiso, which will be joining the Horizon League next year, earlier this season. Bradley finished 1-3 against its “Horizon League” opponents this season and is now 11-5 (.688) under seventh-year head coach Paula Buscher against team's that will be part of the Horizon League membership in 2007-08. Including a 5-1 record against Valparaiso, the Braves are 35-19 (.648) all-time against the schools that will make up the Horizon League in 2007-08.

Bradley Closes Out Four Game Stretch Against Illinois Schools

Bradley wrapped up its non-conference schedule with four consecutive games against team's from the state of Illinois, losing 41-57 to Big Ten Conference foe Illinois on Dec. 21. Illinois was the seventh overall opponent from the state of Illinois this season. The Braves will play a total of nine opponents and 11 games against teams that hail from the Prairie State. Bradley is 3-5 against instate foes this season and own a 32-21 (.604) against instate Division I opponents under seventh-year head coach Paula Buscher. In fact the Braves have finished .500 or better against those opponents in all but one season (2003-04 - 3-5 record) since the start of the 2000-01 campaign.

Krumwiede Named Scholar-Athlete of the Week

Sophomore Kelly Krumwiede was named the Prairie Farms/Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the week announced last Thursday. Enrolled in Bradley's Academic Exploration Program, she owns a 3.90 cumulative grade point average and posted a pair of double-doubles during the previous week's action, averaging 15.0 points and 10 rebounds per game, while shooting 54.5 percent (12-for-22) from the field as she helped Bradley to a 1-1 record. Krumwiede, who has four double-doubles in the last five games, opened the week with a 10-point, 10-rebound effort in the

Braves loss at Valparaiso. Krumwiede had arguably her best outing of the year in Bradley's victory against Loyola, posting 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting and also added 10 rebounds, one assist and one blocked shot.

Peters Reaches 700 Career Points

Senior Amy Peters reached the 700-point mark for her career Thursday against Southern Illinois and moved into 26th place on Bradley's career scoring list. Peters needs just six points to move into the Braves top 25 in scoring, where she would join classmate Ashley Chelleen who is 24th all time with 740 career points. With a minimum of 15 games remaining in the season, Chelleen is one of three players on pace to finish the season with over 800 career points, with Flanagan also potentially nearing the mark before season's end. Below is a look at the Braves all-time leading scorers. The numbers in parenthesis () is the point total the active individuals are on pace to finish the season.

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. Ashley Chelleen (2002-present).... 740 (849)

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

26. Amy Peters (2003-present)............ 700 (833)

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

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

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

30. Jen Brown (2003-present)............. 650 (735)

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

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

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

34. Devyn Flanagan (2004-present)..... 617 (810)

35. Lea Ann Machias (1984-86)..................... 599

36. Kimberly Harris (1984-86)........................ 593

Erika Nelson (2003-present).......... 593 (779)

Texas Two-Step

Bradley is 3-3 all-time in games played in the state of Texas after going 1-1 and finishing third at the Hoops for the Cure Classic. The Braves have played in in-season tournaments at Rice in 1990-91 and again in 1995-96, going 1-1 each time, before this year's trip to Dallas, Texas. Bradley is 1-3 against teams from the state of Texas, having defeated Texas Southern during a tournament in Pullman, Wash., in the 1992-93 season and going 0-2 against Rice, in addition to this season's loss at SMU.

In-Season Tournaments

Bradley is 7-7 in in-season tournaments under head coach Paula Buscher and has finished second or better in four of the seven tournaments during her tenure. The Braves are 22-23 during in-season tournaments since the start of 1985-86 season, including a 17-13 mark since 1993-94. Bradley has finished second or better in seven of 15 tournaments since the beginning of 1993-94 campaign.

Brown Nearing 400 Assists

Senior guard Jen Brown enters Saturday's game needing five assists to reach the 400-assist mark in her career. She moved into third place on Bradley's career assist list, dishing out five assists in the Braves 90-77 victory against Western Illinois (Nov. 20). Brown now has 395 career assists and will likely end her career in third place in school history, however, as she needs 134 assists to catch Judy Burns for second place. The fourth player in program history to have 100 or more assists in back-to-back seasons, Brown joined Kathy Stokes and 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. Brown needs 17 assists to break into the Missouri Valley Conference career leaders for assists.

Bradley's Career Assists Leaders

Rank Name (Years)......................... Total Assists

1. Kathy Stokes (1977-81)........................... 543

2. Judy Burns (1981-84)............................. 529

3. Jen Brown (2003-present)..................... 395

4. Andrea McAllister (1988-92)..................... 360

5. Dawn Cartwright (1992-96)...................... 353

Krumwiede Collects All-Tournament Honors

Sophomore Kelly Krumwiede was named to the all-tournament team at the Hoops for the Cure Classic in Dallas, Texas, helping the Braves to a 1-1 record, averaging 10.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game in the two games.

Chelleen Moves Into Sixth On Blocks List

Senior Ashley Chelleen matched a career-best with three blocked shots against Western Illinois (Nov. 20) to take over sixth place on Bradley's career blocked shot list. She entered the game tied with Sara Bailey and Lynn Pastucha for seventh place with 51 blocks, but her three rejections, pushed her past Karin Nicholls (53 blocks), into sixth place. Chelleen has turned back 67 shots during her time on The Hilltop and is currently 19 blocks behind Tami Van Galder for fifth place.

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. Ashley Chelleen (2002-present).............. 67

7. Karin Nicholls (1986-90)............................ 53

Season Openers

Bradley opened its 32nd season of competition with a 67-60 victory against Chicago State on Nov. 11. The Braves are now 19-13 all-time in season openers, including a 14-5 when opening the season at home. Bradley opened the season at home for the fourth consecutive year and is now 23-9 overall in home openers and improved to 5-2 in season openers under seventh-year head coach Paula Buscher.

Road Openers

Bradley's game at Eastern Illinois (Nov. 14) marked the first of 14 true road games on the schedule for the 2006-07. Bradley opened the road portion of its schedule with a 92-75 loss to Eastern Illinois in Charleston, Ill., and fell to 14-18 in road openers. The Braves are now 3-4 in road openers under seventh-year head coach Paula Buscher.

Returners Continue to Shine

Bradley's six returning players stole the show for the Braves in the team's season-opening victory against Chicago State and have continued to shine. Despite a roster that features six newcomers and just six returning letterwinners, Bradley received all 67 points in its win against the Cougars from the six returning players. The group also combined for 40 of Bradley's 49 rebounds, all 11 steals and 16 of the team's 18 assists. On the season, Bradley's newcomers have combined for 117 points (7.8 points per game) or 11.9 percent of the offense and 111 rebounds (19.5 percent).

Live Audio

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.

Bradley also has a pay-per-view video stream available for all home games at www.bubraves.tv

Steadying Force In The Lineup

Over the past three-plus seasons one thing has almost always been certain about the Braves starting lineup - senior point guard Jen Brown has been in it. Brown has started 96 of the 99 games since the start of the 2003-04 season, missing a total of three starts. She had started the first 45 games of her career before coming off the bench against Creighton on Jan. 30, 2005. Brown then started 45 consecutive games again before coming off the bench Dec. 3 against Loyola. She is currently in fifth in school history in starts since the start of the 1984-85 season with 96 and needs just three starts to pass Shelli Braud for fourth place. With at least 15 games remaining this season, Brown needs 13 starts to break Dawn Cartwright's school record. Erika Nelson is the only other player on the roster to start more than 40 games, owning 69 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. Jen Brown (2003-present)...................... 96

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

Chelleen & Peters Appear On Field Goal Percentage List

Seniors Ashley Chelleen and Amy Peters both rank as two of the most accurate shooters in school history as both rank among the Braves career top 12 in field goal percentage. Chelleen entered the year second in career field goal percentage but has made 43-of-95 shots (45.3 percent) to open the season and has slipped into fourth place at 52.1 percent. Peters is shooting 40.7 percent from the field this season and is currently 12th all-time in shooting accuracy at 45.8 percent.

BU Career Field Goal Percentage

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

.563 Roxanne Grabow (1979-83).............. 311-552

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

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

.521 Ashley Chelleen (2002-present)...... 285-547

.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

.458 Amy Peters (2003-present).............. 270-590

Brown Bombing From Long Range

In addition to ranking among Bradley's career assist leaders, senior Jen Brown also ranks as one of the school's top three-point threats. Brown passed former teammate Va'Nicia Waterman for 10th place in school history against Loyola and is now alone in ninth place with 87 career trey's. Brown, who has averaged 25.3 three-pointers per season, could become just the eighth player to make 100 three-pointers in a career. Junior Devyn Flanagan is second among active players with 65 career made three-pointers, while senior Erika Nelson has connected on a career-best 38 three-pointers this season to push her career total to 62.

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. Jen Brown (2003-present)...................... 87

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