For Starters

    Bradley is looking to win back-to-back games for the first time since winning three consecutive games in mid-February and is also trying to end a six-game losing streak in non-conference road games Saturday when the Braves face Arkansas-Little Rock at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock, Ark.  Bradley (2-4 overall) has not won back-to-back non-conference games since winning against Saint Louis to conclude the 2005-06 non-conference slate and downing Chicago State to open the 2006-07 season.  The Braves have lost six consecutive road non-conference tilts dating back to a 61-50 road win at Loyola-Chicago on Dec. 2, 2005.

    Saturday's contest will mark the Braves first-ever trip to the state of Arkansas and will mark a homecoming for senior Chasity Cotton.  The first Bradley player from the Razorback State, Cotton is a Little Rock, Ark., native.

About UALR

    UALR returns seven of 12 letterwinners, including three starters from last year's team that posted a school-record 21 wins and finished the year 21-10.  The Trojans have their top three scorers returning from last year's team that ranked third in the nation in points allowed per game.  UALR allowed 60 points or more just four times during the 2006-07 season.

    Sophomore guard Kim Stizmann leads UALR in scoring at 16.8 points per game.  Peoria, Ill., native Nikya Hughes is also scoring in double figures at 12.8 ppg and leads the Trojans in rebounding at 7.3 boards per contest.

    UALR is 4-2 heading into Saturday's game and owns a perfect 3-0 record at home.  The Trojans lost at Creighton 54-67 to open the season and defeated Missouri State 68-55 in their last home game.  UALR is holding opponents to 49.8 points per game and forcing 20 turnovers per game, while scoring 62.0 points per game and committing just 12.8 turnovers per contest.                                The Trojans have held four of their six opponents to 49 points or less to date and were the preseason pick to win the West Division of the Sun Belt.

About Bradley

    Bradley returns seven of 12 letterwinners, including two starters from last year's team that finished seventh in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 12-19 overall record and 7-11 Valley mark.  The Braves return just one of its top five scorers, however, from last year in senior Devyn Flanagan.

    Junior transfer Monica Rogers is the Braves top scorer and rebounder, averaging 14.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game after playing in each of the last four games.  Rogers is shooting 52.9 percent from the field.  Sophomore guard Skye Johnson is averaging 9.2 points, 3.2 assists and 2.3 steals per game after missing last season.  Sophomore forward Jenny Van Kirk scored nine points as a freshman, but is averaging 8.3 points per game and shooting 54.3 percent.

    Senior guard Devyn Flanagan is the Braves top returning scorer and active career scoring leader, but has struggled in the early going, averaging 6.2 points per game.  Flanagan is second on the team in assists and steals, however, averaging 3.5 assists and nearly two steals per game.

    The Braves are averaging 61.3 points per game and have topped 70 points just once this season, but have limited opponents to 63.6 points per game and have held three of six opponents to 57 points or less.

Series History

    Bradley will make its first-ever trip to the state of Arkansas for a Saturday afternoon tilt against Arkansas-Little Rock.  Saturday's contest will be the first-ever meeting with UALR and it will be the first game against a Sun Belt Conference member since playing Florida International on Dec. 6, 2002. 

The Coaches

    Paula Buscher (Missouri State, ?86) is in her eighth year at Bradley and has a record of 86-118 (.422) at BU.  Buscher led teams to improved records in each of her first five seasons as a collegiate head coach and seven of her 10 seasons overall.  Buscher owns a 129-156 (.453) career record and is in her 11th year as a collegiate head coach.  She is the second winningest coach in school history and led Bradley to its first MVC Tournament victory since 1996 last season.  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.

    Joe Foley (Central Arkansas ?79) is in his fifth year as head coach at Arkansas-Little Rock, where he owns a 58-63 (.479) record.  He has a career mark of 514-144 (.781), which includes 16 seasons at Arkansas Tech.  He led Arkansas Tech to two NAIA National Championships (1992 and 1993), in addition to six consecutive NCAA Division II Tournament appearances (1998-2003).  The winningest coach in school history, he has led the Trojans to improved records each of his four seasons, including a school-record 21 wins last season.

Bradley vs. The Sun Belt

    Bradley is 1-2 all-time against current members of the Sun Belt Conference.  The Braves are 0-1 against Florida International and own a 1-1 mark against Denver.  All three games against Sun Belt Conference foes have been under eighth-year head coach Paula Buscher.

Frericks Ties School Record

    Sophomore guard Renee Frericks tied a school record with eight three-point baskets in the Braves 83-57 victory against Eastern Illinois.  Frericks entered the game with nine career points and was 1-for-11 in her career from three-point range, but connected on 8-of-11 trey's against the Panthers to tie Andrea McAllister's school record of eight three-pointers set Jan. 27, 1990.  The eight trey's also broke a Robertson Memorial Field House record, which was held by six individuals (including four former Bradley players) and is tied for the third highest game total in Missouri Valley Conference history.  Frericks finished the game with a career-best 26 points, crushing her previous high of four points.

Braves Dialing In From Long Range

    Bradley has finally found its range, shooting 45.7 percent from three-point range (16-for-35) over the last two games.  The Braves shot under 29 percent in each of the first four games and were a combined 8-for-35 (22.9 percent) from beyond the arc during that time.  Facing a zone defense most of the game against Cleveland State, Bradley hit 7-of-21 three-pointers.  Eastern Illinois also tried to zone the Braves, but sophomore Renee Frericks and the Braves knocked down nine trey's and shot 64.3 percent (9-for-14) from long range.  The 64.3 percent from three-point range is the third best shooting performance in school history and was the best since setting a school record for accuracy against Northern Iowa, hitting 9-of-11 three-point attempts on Feb. 10, 2001.

Minnesota Connection Leading Three-Point Binge

    The recent three-point binge the Braves have been on (8.0 three-pointers per game over the last two contests) has been highlighted by a pair of unlikely players.  Sophomore Jenny Van Kirk (Waconia, Minn./Waconia) entered the game against Cleveland State (Nov. 21) with a career 1.5 points per game average and was 0-for-2 from three-point range.  She knocked down 4-of-5 three-pointers during the game against the Vikings en route to a career-best 20-point outing.  Wyoming, Minn., native Renee Frericks followed up with Van Kirk's performance with an 8-for-11 effort from three-point land against Eastern Illinois (Nov. 27).  Frericks had scored nine career points and was 1-for-11 from beyond the arc prior to the outburst against the Panthers.  Combined the duo is 13-for-18 (.722) from beyond the arc over the past two games and are shooting 56.5 percent (13-for-23) on the season.  The rest of the team is 11-for-47 (.234) from beyond the arc so far this season.

Jenny On The Spot

    Sophomore Jenny Van Kirk has emerged as one of the Braves top scoring threats off the bench, averaging 8.3 points per game through the first six contests.  Van Kirk, who scored a total of nine points as a freshman, was scoreless in the first game of the season but has hit 19-of-35 (54.3 percent) from the field and averaged 10.0 points per game over the last five tilts.  She made her first career start Tuesday against Eastern Illinois and has hit five of her last six three-point attempts heading into Saturday's game at UALR.

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

    Junior Monica Rogers has made a big impact in her first few games as a Brave.  After missing both exhibition games and the first two regular-season contests, Rogers is averaging team highs of 14.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game over the first four games in a Bradley uniform.  The Hampton transfer is shooting 54.3 percent from the field and is also averaging nearly one steal and one assist per game.  She transferred to Bradley from Hampton following her sophomore season, where she averaged 10.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game while leading the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference with nine double-doubles in 2005-06.

Braves Top 70 For First Time

    Bradley scored a season-high 83 points in Tuesday's victory against Eastern Illinois, ending a streak of 10 consecutive games in which the Braves didn't reach the 70-point mark dating back to last season.  The 10-game stretch under 70 points was the first for the Braves since failing to score 70 or more in the first 35 games of intercollegiate competition.  Bradley was held to under 70 points for the entire 1975-76 (11 games) and 1976-77 (18 games) seasons in addition to the first six games of the 1977-78 campaign.  Despite the offensive struggles, the Braves have emerged as one of the top defensive teams in the conference, limiting foes to 63.3 points per game. 

In-State Foes

    Tuesday's game against in-state foe Eastern Illinois was the third of nine games against teams from the state of Illinois.  Last season the Braves played 12 games against teams from the Prairie State going 3-9 in those contests.  Bradley ended a nine-game losing streak to in-state opponents that dated back to last December's home win against Loyola with a 69-62 victory over Illinois-Chicago earlier this season.  The Braves are now 34-25 (.576) against teams from the Land of Lincoln under eighth-year head coach Paula Buscher.  Bradley is 117-138 (.459) against Division I teams from Illinois all-time, but owns an 83-60 (.580) mark against Division I non-conference foes from Illinois.

No Long Range Bombers

    While the Braves may have turned around their early season three-point shooting struggles, Bradley's opponents have not.  Bradley is shooting nearly 46 percent from three-point range over the last two contests to raise it's season shooting percentage to 34.2.  The Braves opponents have shot better than 33.3 percent just one this season, however, and are shooting 30.9 percent for the year.  The only Bradley foe to shoot better than 33.3 percent was Santa Clara.  The Broncos, which led the NCAA in three-point field goals per game in 2006-07, connected on 11-of-24 attempts against the Braves.  Bradley's five other opponents are a combined 19-for-73 (.260) from long range.

Braves Make Trek North To Alaska                         

    The Bradley women's basketball team finished fourth at the annual Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage, Alaska, losing to Santa Clara (61-69) and Cleveland State (61-82).  Tournament host Alaska Anchorage won its second consecutive tournament title.  The Braves were the first Missouri Valley Conference women's team to participate in the Great Alaska Shootout since Drake and Wichita State both took part in the 1983-84 event.  The Bradley men's basketball team is the only other team in school history to compete in Alaska, taking part in the 1979 tournament. 

In-Season Tournaments

   Bradley is 7-9 in in-season tournaments under head coach Paula Buscher and has finished second or better in four of the eight tournaments during her tenure.  The Braves are 22-25 during in-season tournaments since the start of 1985-86 season, including a 17-15 mark since 1993-94.  Bradley has finished second or better in seven of 16 tournaments since the beginning of 1993-94 campaign.

Braves Break Out Of Offensive Funk

    The Braves opened the season in a bit of an offensive funk, shooting 32.7 percent and averaging just 47.0 points per game in the first two games of the 2007-08 season.  Bradley broke out of its funk in a big way against Illinois-Chicago, scoring 38 points in the first half en route to a 69-62 victory.  The 38 points in a half were the most by the Braves since a 47 second-half against Wichita State on Feb. 17, 2007.  Bradley had scored 34 points or less in each of the last 14 halves of basketball prior to the 38-point first half against UIC.  The Braves are averaging 68.5 points per game over the last four games.

Putting It In Neutral

    Bradley went 0-2 at the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout, dropping the Braves record to 28-31 all-time in neutral site games.  BU fell to 6-11 all-time in neutral site games under eighth-year head coach Paula Buscher.  The Braves will have a chance to improve its neutral court record later this season at the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in St. Charles, Mo., in March.

Home Opening Notes

    Bradley had a three-game win streak in home openers snapped with a 56-46 loss to Butler.  The Braves fell to 23-10 (.697) in home openers all-time, including a 5-3 (.625) mark under head coach Paula Buscher.  The 46 points scored were the fewest scored by Bradley in a home opener, eclipsing the previous mark of 47.  The Braves scored 47 points in their very first contest, a 47-32 home win against Eureka on Jan. 22, 1976.

Braves No Stranger To The Horizon League

    Bradley has played three Horizon League opponents in its first six games and will play a total of four different Horizon League opponents in 2007-08.  the Braves are 1-2 against Horizon League teams after falling to Cleveland State 61-82 last week in Anchorage, Alaska.  Bradley will also play at Loyola-Chicago (Dec. 5).  BU is 36-21 (.632) against current members of the Horizon League, including a 27-18 (.600) against this year's Horizon League foes.  Bradley is 14-7 (.667) against current members of the Horizon League under eighth-year head coach Paula Buscher.

Buscher Reaches 200 Games At BU

    Bradley's game against Butler (Nov. 13) marked eighth-year head coach Paula Buscher's 200th game as head coach at BU.  She enters Tuesday's tilt with Eastern Illinois with a record of 86-118 (.422) at BU, including a 37-33 (.529) mark against non-conference opponents.  Only Lisa Boyer had a longer tenure as head coach of the Braves, sitting on the Bradley bench for 273 games over 10 seasons.  Buscher is second behind Boyer's school record 124 victories.

Upcoming Promotions

    The Braves next home game is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 8 against Toledo.  The 2:05 p.m. contest, will be the third of six Saturday matinees, featuring free popcorn.  Other promotions include the Mass Mutual Miracle Make during halftime.

Flanagan Closing In On 800 Points

    Senior Devyn Flanagan is nearing 800 career points, needing 10 points to reach the mark.  Flanagan passed Audrey DeClue last week to move into 26th place on Bradley's career scoring list and is just nine points from climbing into the top 25.  Flanagan is the first player to have more than 700 points entering their senior season since Genny Mueller in 2004-05.  All 11 players that scored 700 or more points before their final season reached the 1,000-point mark during their last season as a Brave.  Junior Kelly Krumwiede is second among active players with 425 career points.

Bradley's Career Scoring Leaders

Flanagan Joins Elite Group

    Senior Devyn Flanagan returned to the lineup in the Braves opener at Northern Illinois after missing both exhibition games and finished with six points, three assists, one block and three steals.  Flanagan became the 10th player in program history to record 700 points, 300 rebounds, 200 assists and 100 steals in a career with her season-opening effort.  She currently has 790 points, 325 rebounds, 219 assists and 119 steals during her time as a Brave.  Flanagan enters this week's action 26th in scoring, needing nine points to move into the top 25 in scoring at BU and is 10 points and 25 rebounds short of becoming just the sixth player in program history with 800 points, 350 rebounds, 200 assists and 100 steals.

Up Next

    Bradley will return home for one of its two December home contests when the Braves play host to Toledo on Saturday, Dec. 8.  The Braves and Rockets are meeting for just the second time.  Toledo won the first meeting, claiming a 72-64 victory over Bradley on Nov. 24, 1990 in the season opener for both teams at the Rice Classic in Houston, Texas.

Braves On The Internet

    Bradley women's basketball fans can catch all of this year's home and away games via the internet at www.bubraves.com  Free audio will be available for each game in addition to a pay-per-view video stream for all home games and some road contests.

See You In St. Charles

    While the 2007-08 season will mark the end of an era with the final season of Robertson Memorial Field House, it also marks the beginning of another era for the Missouri Valley Conference.  After 22 years of playing the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at campus sites, the 2007-08 State Farm MVC Women's Basketball Tournament will be the first held at a neutral site.  All 10 teams will advance to this year's tournament that will be held March 13-16 at the Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo.  All-session tickets purchased before Dec. 1 are available at the Bradley Athletics Ticket Office for $20.  All-session tickets purchased after Dec. 1 will be $40.  For ticket information, contact the Bradley Athletics Ticket Office at (309) 677-2625.

Field House Finale

    The 2007-08 season will mark the final year for Robertson Memorial Field House.  A new facility, which includes an arena for women's basketball with seating for 4,500 people, and men's basketball practice facility is planned for the current site that Robertson Field House sits on.  The Bradley women's basketball team has posted a 202-164 (.552) record all-time in the facility and have finished .500 or better in 23 of 31 seasons playing in the building.  The Braves are 49-43 (.533) at Robertson Field House under head coach Paula Buscher and own a 51-43 (.543) home record during eight years, having won two games played at Carver Arena.