Women's Basketball Game Notes at Creighton (Jan. 6, 2007) & at Drake (Jan. 8, 2007)

Women's Basketball Game Notes at Creighton (Jan. 6, 2007) & at Drake (Jan. 8, 2007)

Bradley University Women's Basketball 1/5/2007 6:00:00 AM

The Creighton Matchup

Bradley is looking to end a season-long four-game losing streak when the Braves continue a three-game Valley road swing Jan. 6 at Creighton. The trip concludes with a Monday night tilt at Drake.

Creighton owns a 3-11 overall record and just like Bradley, the Bluejays are looking for their first Missouri Valley Conference victory after starting out conference play with three consecutive losses. After opening the season with seven consecutive losses, Creighton is 3-4 in its last six games, but has dropped each of the last three games and four of the last five, including losses at Illinois State (59-70), at Indiana State (62-86) and at home to Northern Iowa (56-53).

The Bluejays are averaging 64.9 points per game, but have struggled from long range, shooting 29.1 percent from beyond the three-point arc. Junior guard Ally Thrall is leading Creighton in scoring, averaging 12.0 points per game and also leads the team with a 3.1 assists per game average. Sophomore Chevelle Herring (9.5 points per game) and junior Sara Cain (9.4 ppg) are the only other Bluejays averaging better than eight point per game.

Both teams suffered losses to the only common opponents, as Eastern Illinois defeated Creighton (81-71) in Columbia, Mo., and downed Bradley (92-75) in Charleston, Ill. Northern Iowa has also posted wins against both squads.

Not only is Bradley looking for its first MVC victory of the season, but the Braves are looking for their first road victory of the year. Bradley has lost four consecutive games heading into Saturday's contest and have dropped eight consecutive road games dating back to a win at Creighton last March.

Junior Devyn Flanagan took over as the team's leading scorer after an 11-point effort at Northern Iowa and is averaging 12.6 points per game. Senior Erika Nelson has been sick the last two games and was limited to a total of seven points, but is averaging 12.5 points per game and ranks among the Valley leaders in three-point field goals per game (2.6) and three-point field goal percentage (.425). Sophomore Kelly Krumwiede is the only other Bradley player averaging in double figures, tossing in 12.0 points per game to go along with her team-best 7.6 rebounds per game average.

Despite a combined 88 points in the last two games, Bradley is still averaging 68.5 points per game and is one of the top rebounding teams in the Valley averaging 38.2 boards per game. The Braves are surrendering 74.2 pointer per game, however, and allowing opponents to shoot 44.8 percent from the field.

Bradley's six returning players have combined for 712 of the 822 points (86.6 percent) this season and are shooting 41.2 percent (256-621) from the field, while the six newcomers have combined to average 9.2 points per game and shoot 25.4 percent.

About Drake

Drake enters Saturday's home game against Northern Iowa with a 5-7 overall record and 0-2 MVC mark. The preseason favorite to win the Missouri Valley Conference, Drake has been marred by injuries and have lost three consecutive games and seven of the last eight heading into Saturday's tilt. Preseason All-Valley pick Jill Martin averaged 20.0 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in the first five games, but is out for the rest of the season with an injury. Sophomore point guard Jordann Plummer averaged 9.0 points per game and 4.5 assists per game in the first six games, but has missed the last six games with a foot injury and her status for the remainder of the season is uncertain.

Junior Brandy Dahir is Drake's top scoring threat, averaging 15.3 points per game to go along with her team-best 6.1 rebounds per game. Fellow junior Lindsay Whorton is averaging 11.3 points per tilt.

Despite the injury to Plummer, Drake is averaging an MVC low 14.2 turnovers per game. While the offense has struggled (64.2 points per game), the Bulldogs are one of the top defensive squads in the league surrendering a league-best 63.4 points per tilt and have given up more than 70 points just three times this season.

Creighton Series

Bradley will continue its three-game MVC-opening road swing with games at Creighton (Jan. 6) and at Drake (Jan. 8). The Braves last road victory was an 80-63 win at Creighton (March 2, 2006) that ended an 18-game losing streak in the series with the Bluejays. Creighton holds a 28-4 lead in the all-time series, including a 3-13 mark in games played in Omaha, Neb. Since the two teams have both been members of the Missouri Valley Conference beginning with the 1992-93 season, Creighton holds a 26-2 edge in the series.

Drake Series

The road swing concludes next Monday at Drake. The Bulldogs hold a 40-9 lead in the all-time series and have won five consecutive meetings. Drake is 20-3 against the Braves in games played in Des Moines, Iowa and has won 13 consecutive home games in the series dating back to an 83-75 Bradley victory over the Bulldogs on Feb. 25, 1993.

The Coaches

Paula Buscher (Missouri State, ?86) is in her seventh year at Bradley and has a record of 76-103 (.424) 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 119-141 (.458) 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.

Jim Flanery (Creighton ?87) is in his fifth season as head coach at his alma mater and as a collegiate head coach. Flanery has led the Bluejays to a 78-59 (.569) record in his four-plus seasons and guided Creighton to 19 or more victories in each of his first three years. Creighton won the 2004 WNIT Championship and advanced to postseason play in each of his first three years, but finished 8-21 last season and was tied with Bradley for ninth in the MVC in 2005-06.

Amy Stephens (Nebraska ?91) is also in her fourth year as head coach at Drake and 12th season as a collegiate head coach. She has led the Bulldogs to a 52-49 (.515) record in her time in Des Moines, Iowa. Stephens owns a 249-90 (.735) career record, which includes eight seasons as head coach at Nebraska-Kearney.

Bradley-Creighton Stats At A Glance

Bradley................................................ Creighton

68.5................... Points Per Game................... 64.9

74.2............. Points Allowed Per Game............. 71.5

.388................ Field Goal Percentage................ .386

.448.......... Field Goal Percentage Defense.......... .469

.318........................ 3-Pt. FG%........................ .291

.760...................... Free Throw%..................... .742

38.2................. Rebounds Per Game................ 35.7

13.7............. Offensive Reb. Per Game............. 14.5

+0.6.................... Rebound Margin.................... -0.7

15.3................... Assists Per Game.................. 12.4

17.2................ Turnovers Per Game................ 18.4

2.7..................... Blocks Per Game.................... 2.4

7.8..................... Steals Per Game..................... 8.4

Bradley-Drake Stats At A Glance (prior to Saturday's games)

Bradley....................................................... Drake

68.5................... Points Per Game................... 64.2

74.2............. Points Allowed Per Game............. 63.4

.388................ Field Goal Percentage................ .447

.448.......... Field Goal Percentage Defense.......... .437

.318........................ 3-Pt. FG%........................ .345

.760...................... Free Throw%..................... .621

38.2................. Rebounds Per Game................ 33.4

13.7............. Offensive Reb. Per Game............. 10.8

+0.6.................... Rebound Margin.................... -1.9

15.3................... Assists Per Game.................. 11.6

17.2................ Turnovers Per Game................ 14.2

2.7..................... Blocks Per Game.................... 1.6

7.8..................... Steals Per Game..................... 7.5

Busy Stretch Coming Up

Since concluding non-conference play Dec. 21 against Illinois, Bradley has played just one game (at Northern Iowa on Dec. 29). The Braves will have a 15 day-stretch with only one game come to an Saturday when Bradley plays at Creighton. The break may come at just the right time as the Braves have their busiest stretch of the season coming. Beginning with Saturday's game against the Bluejays, Bradley will play four games in an eight-day span.

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.

Chelleen Hits Century Mark

Senior center Ashley Chelleen played in her 100th game as a Brave last Friday at Northern Iowa. Chelleen became the 21st player in school history to play in 100 games and has a chance to break the school record for games played. Genny Mueller and Dena Williams both share the school mark for games played at 112, but with at least 18 games remaining on the schedule, Chelleen has a chance to shatter the mark. Senior guard Jen Brown is second among active players in games played with 96, while fellow guard Erika Nelson has appeared in 95 games as a Brave.

Road Woes Continue

Bradley's road struggles continued last week with a 47-74 loss at Northern Iowa. The Braves are 0-6 on the season on the road and just 1-6 away from Robertson Memorial Field House. Bradley has lost eight consecutive road games dating back to an 80-63 victory at Creighton on March 2, 2006. The Braves willl attempt to end the eight-game road losing skid Saturday at the site of their last road victory (the Omaha Civic Auditorium) against the Bluejays.

Road Weary

For the first time in program history Bradley will open Missouri Valley Conference play with three consecutive road games, ending with Monday's game at Drake. 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 winless on the road this season (0-6), were 1-8 on the road in MVC play last season and 2-11 overall in road contests in 2005-06. 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.

Getting Defensive

Bradley held Illinois to 18 points in the first half and just 57 points in the gameon Dec. 21, but still lost the game as the Braves scored a season-low 41 points. The 18 points at the half were the fewest for a Bradley opponent since Feb. 4, 2006 when the Braves held Evansville to 18 points in the second half of a game in Peoria. Bradley wasn't any better offensively, however, scoring just 41 points and shooting 22.6 percent from the field. The 22.6 percent shooting was the lowest field goal percentage for the Braves since shooting 21.4 percent in a road loss at Iowa on Nov. 27, 1999 and the 41 points were the fewest by a Bradley team since a 36-79 loss at Missouri State on Feb. 3, 1996 and lowest scoring output for a home game since Jan. 12, 1995, a 39-52 loss to Missouri State.

Up Next

Bradley will open a brief two-game homestand against Southern Illinois on Thursday (Jan. 11). Southern Illinois holds a 38-11 lead in the all-time series, but Bradley has won four of the last five meetings and nine of the last 11 meetings between the programs. The Salukis are 18-6 in games played in Peoria and hold a 35-11 lead in regular-season conference meetings. The Braves are 9-3 against Southern Illinois under head coach Paula Buscher and 4-1 in the last five meetings in Peoria, Ill.

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-points 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. Nelson 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 31-of-73 three-point attempts (.425) and is second on the team with a 12.5 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

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. For the season, Bradley is shooting 76.0 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.

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 fifth double-double in the last eight games with an 18-point, 10-rebound effort against Northern Illinois (Dec. 17). Her five 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 12.0 points per game and leads the team in rebounding (7.6 per game) and field goal percentage (.523). She is tied for second in the Valley in double-doubles behind Missouri State's Tiff Terwelp who has six double-doubles this season.

Finding The Range

Senior Erika Nelson has connected on a team and career-high 31 three-pointers after 12 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 31 of 73 three-point attempts this season (42.5 percent). Nelson is averaging 12.5 points per game this season and needs just 27 points to match her career best total of 177 points from her sophomore 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 3-4 against instate foes this season and own a 32-20 (.615) 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 Nearing 700-Point Mark

Senior Amy Peters is closing in 700 career points, needing 21 points to become the 26th player in program history to reach the mark. Fellow senior Ashley Chelleen is 24th in career scoring with 720 career points and is currently 43 points behind Tammy Van Oppen for 23rd place, while Peters is 27th all-time with 679 points and needs 21 points to pass Liza Reed for 26th. Jen Brown currently ranks 33rd in school history with 631 points, while junior Devyn Flanagan (575 points) and Erika Nelson (557) are both closing in on 600 career points. With a minimum of 18 games remaining in the season, Chelleen is on pace to finish her career with 853 points and Peters is on track to end her career with 847 points. Flanagan would also top the 800-point mark this season at her current season average.

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)............ 720

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

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

27. Amy Peters (2003-present).................... 679

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

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

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

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

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

33. Jen Brown (2003-present)..................... 631

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 Moves Into Top Three In Assists

Senior guard Jen Brown 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 passed Andrea McAllister for third place on the all-time list and now has 388 career assists. Brown will likely end her career in third place as she needs 141 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.

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)..................... 388

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. Chelleen 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 63 shots during her time on The Hilltop and is currently 23 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).............. 63

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 110 points (9.2 points per game) or 13.4 percent of the offense and 88 rebounds (22 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

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.

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 93 of the 96 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 93 and needs just six starts to pass Shelli Braud for fourth place. Brown needs 16 starts to break Dawn Cartwright's school record of 108 starts. Erika Nelson is the only other player on the roster to start more than 40 games, owning 66 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)...................... 93

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 11 in field goal percentage. Chelleen entered the year as the Braves career leader but has made 34-of-76 shots (43.8 percent) to open the season and has slipped into a tie for second place with Tami Van Galder at 52.3 percent. Peters is shooting 40 percent from the field this season and is currently 11th all-time in shootin accuracy at 45.8 percent.

BU Career Field Goal Percentage

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

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

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

.523 Ashley Chelleen (2002-present)...... 276-528

.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).............. 262-572

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.

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 tied with Jenn Jolley for ninth with 85 with career made three-pointers. Brown, who 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 among active players with 60 career made three-pointers, while senior Erika Nelson has connected on a career-best 31 three-pointers this season to push her career total to 55.

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

Jen Brown (2003-present)...................... 85