For Starters

    Bradley will play its conference home opener in search of its first Missouri Valley Conference victory after suffering road losses to Northern Iowa (62-64) and Indiana State (65-70) to start league play.  Despite the two-game losing skid to open conference play, the Braves have won four of their last six and boast a four-game home win streak heading into Sunday's contest with I-74 rival Illinois State.

    BU is looking to end a five-game losing streak in regular-season Missouri Valley Conference games which began last season when Illinois State topped the Braves 75-66 in Peoria on Feb. 23, 2007.  The Braves have started conference play with an 0-2 record for the third consecutive year, but will be attempting to avoid the first 0-3 start to league play since the 2005-06 season.  A Bradley win would even the Braves record at 7-7 on the season and end a four-game losing streak in the series with the Redbirds.

    League leading Illinois State will put its 3-0 MVC mark and nine-game win streak on the line when the Redbirds make their final trek to Robertson Memorial Field House for Sunday's game which will be televised in the Peoria area on WTVP.  Illinois State is undefeated away from Redbird Arena, owning an 8-0 record in road (7-0) and neutral site games (1-0).  Illinois State's lone loss on the season came at home at the hands of now 21st-ranked DePaul. 

About Illinois State

    Illinois State brings a nine-game win streak and perfect 3-0 Missouri Valley Conference game into Sunday's contest.  Sunday's game will be the third Valley road game in four outings for the Redbirds, who were picked to finish second in the preseason poll.

    The Redbirds return 11 of 15 letterwinners, including four starters from last year's team that finished 22-11 and advanced to the second round of the WNIT.  Illinois State finished second in the Valley last season and have advanced to postseason play in two of the last three years.

    Leading the way for the Redbirds is defending MVC Player of the Year, Kristi Cirone.  A junior guard, she is second in the Valley in scoring at 16.9 points per game while dishing out a league-best 6.8 assists per game and owning a conference-best 2.97 assist-to-turnover ratio. 

    Senior guard Tiffany Hudson (12.1 ppg) and sophomore guard Maggie Krick (11.1 ppg) are both averaging in double figures, while sophomore Ashleen Bracey leads the Valley in both rebounding (8.5 rpg) and field goal percentage (.573).

    The Redbirds lead the MVC in scoring (77.1 ppg), scoring margin (+14.4), field goal percentage (.482), three-point field goal percentage (.376), rebounding margin (+6.2), assists (19.14) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.28), while ranking second in field goal percentage defense (.397) and third in scoring defense (62.7).

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 12.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game after playing in each of the last 11 games.  Rogers is shooting better than 54 percent from the field and has reached double figures in scoring eight times, including each of the last five contests. Sophomore guard Skye Johnson is averaging 9.2 points, 2.5 assists and is also averaging 2.1 steals per game after missing last season.  Sophomore forward Jenny Van Kirk scored nine points as a freshman, but is averaging 7.4 points per game and is shooting nearly 51 percent from the field.  Van Kirk has also hit 10 of her last 17 three-point attempts heading into Sunday's game against Illinois State.

    Senior guard Devyn Flanagan is the Braves top returning scorer and active career scoring leader, and has been a key part of the Braves offense of late, scoring in double figures in four of the last six games.  Flanagan ranks 18th in career scoring at Bradley and is now averaging 8.5 points per game, after scoring an average of 11.7 points per game over the last six outings.

    The Braves are averaging 64.0 points per game and have reached 70 points just four times this season.  BU has averaged 68.4 points per game over the last eight games, however and ranks as one the top defensive squads in the Missouri Valley Conference, giving up an average of 61.2 points per game on the season to rank second in the MVC in scoring defense.  Bradley also leads the MVC in steals (9.85 spg) and is second in the league rebound margin (+4.7). 

Series History

    Bradley will play its first home conference game of the season when I-74 rival Illinois State makes its last trip to Robertson Memorial Field House for a Sunday afternoon tilt.  The Redbirds hold a 38-23 lead in the all-time series with the Braves and have won four consecutive meetings, including all three contests last season.  Illinois State is 16-13 in games played in Peoria, Ill., in the series, but Bradley has won six of the last seven meetings at Robertson Memorial Field House.  The Braves are 7-8 against Illinois State under eighth-year head coach Paula Buscher.

The Coaches

    Paula Buscher (Missouri State, ?86) is in her eighth year at Bradley and has a record of 90-121 (.427) 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 133-159 (.455) 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.

    Robin Pingeton (St. Ambrose ?90) is in her fifth season as head coach at Illinois State and 13th overall as a collegiate head coach.  The 2004 Rawlings Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year, she has a 76-59 (.563) record at Illinois State.  Pingeton and the Redbirds finished second in the Missouri Valley Conference standings last season and advanced to the second round of the WNIT.  She has led Illinois State to the postseason in two of the last three years, also guiding the Redbirds the 2005 NCAA Tournament after winning the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in Normal, Ill.

0-2 Record Nothing New For Braves

    Bradley has opened Missouri Valley Conference play with back-to-back losses for the third consecutive year and 10th time in the last 11 years.  The lone exception is the 2004-05 season when Bradley opened league play with a 1-1 record.  BU has opened conference play with an 0-2 record a total of 15 times in 25 years of conference membership.  Bradley has now lost 11 consecutive conference openers dating back to an 83-53 home win against Evansville on Dec. 29, 1996.

MVC Home Openers

    Sunday's game against Illinois State will be the Missouri Valley Conference home opener for the Braves and will also kick off a three-game homestand.  Bradley is 9-15 all-time in conference home openers and the Braves have lost three consecutive Valley home openers dating back to the 2003-04 season when BU downed Wichita State in the first home conference game of the season.  Bradley is 2-5 in conference home openers under head coach Paula Buscher.

Braves Fall Despite Best Shooting Night Of The Season

    Bradley fell 65-70 at Indiana State on Thursday despite shooting a season-best 52 percent from the field.  The Braves previous season-high field goal percentage was 46.6 percent shooting in the 80-56 win at Loyola.  Bradley's 52 percent shooting marked the first time the Braves had shot 50 percent or better from the field in a game in over two years.  The last time BU made over half of its field goal attempts in a road contest was Jan. 7, 2006, when the Braves were 28-for-50 (56 percent) from the floor in a 64-66 loss at Southern Illinois.

Hot Or Cold

    Bradley has proved to be very streaky when it comes to shooting from beyond the three-point arc this season.  The Braves currently rank third in the Missouri Valley Conference, shooting 36.5 from three-point range, but have failed to find any consistency.  Bradley has shot under 30 percent from long range seven out of 13 games, but have shot 50 percent or better from three-point territory three times.  In fact, the Braves have turned in two of the top four three-point shooting performances in school history this season.  BU shot 64.3 percent (9-for-14) from beyond the arc against Eastern Illinois and nailed 7-of-11 trey's (63.6 percent) at Indiana State.  The Braves have 18 of their last 42 attempts (42.9 percent).

Team 3-Point FG Percentage (Single Game)

          Wichita State (7-12)                             2/13/92

Heating Up

    Senior Devyn Flanagan appears to be heating up from three-point range.  The Braves active career leader with nearly 90 three-pointers, started out the season slow, making just three of her first 17 three-point field goal attempts.  Flanagan has been on fire from long range as of late, connecting on 8-of-16 three-point attempts over the last six games.  Sophomore Renee Frericks has also been warming up from beyond the arc, making 8-of-15 trey's over the last three contests.

Rogers Shines Off The Bench

    Junior forward Monica Rogers has scored in double figures in eight of her 11 games as a Brave, but the Hampton transfer has shown that she prefers to come off the bench rather than start so far this season.  Bradley's leading scorer and rebounder, she has started three times this season and is averaging 7.0 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while shooting 25 percent from the field when in the starting lineup.  Rogers has shined off the bench, however, averaging 13.9 points and 7.1 and shooting nearly 61 percent from the field when not in the starting lineup.  The Braves are 5-3 when Rogers comes off the bench, but just 1-2 when she starts a contest.

Braves Four-Game Win Streak Snapped

    Bradley had a four-game win streak snapped last week, suffering a 64-62 loss at Northern Iowa.  The four-game win streak was the longest since winning four consecutive games in December 2004.  However, they still own a four-game home win streak after winning four consecutive home games following a 46-56 loss to Butler in the home opener.  The four-game win streak is the longest since winning five consecutive home games between the end of the 2005-06 season and the start of the 2006-07 campaign.

UNI Loss Ends Trend

    Last week's loss to Northern Iowa ended a streak of seven consecutive wins for the Braves when shooting 40 percent or better from the field.  Bradley shot 42 percent from the field against the Panthers but fell 64-62 on the road for the first loss this season when the team shot 40 percent or better.  BU was 6-0 on the year when eclipsing the mark prior to the UNI loss, with all five previous losses coming when Bradley failed to shoot at least 40 percent from the field.  Last season the Braves were just 10-7 overall when shooting 40 percent or better in a game.

Rogers Named MVC Newcomer Of The Week

    Junior forward Monica Rogers was named the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week for the week of Dec. 31 after helping Bradley to a 79-70 home win against UC Davis to wrap up the non-conference schedule.  Rogers scored a team-high 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting off the bench to pace the Braves against the Aggies.  She scored 11 points in the second half and corralled three rebounds in the final 20 minutes or play.  She also added one assist and two steals in 25 minutes of play in the contest.  She is just the third Bradley player to earn Valley Newcomer of the Week, joining teammate Kelly Krumwiede and former Bradley player Amy Fuller.

Braves Wrap Up Non-Conference Slate With Winning Mark

    Bradley posted a 79-70 win against UC Davis to wrap up the non-conference portion of the schedule.  The Braves finished the non-conference slate with a winning record (6-5 overall) for the first time since going 7-2 in 2004-05 and finished better than .500 against non-league opponents for just the second time in the last six years.  In 25 years of conference membership, Bradley has finished the non-conference slate with a winning record 13 times.

Blowout Streak Ends

    Bradley's 79-70 victory against UC Davis ended a string of blowouts for the Braves.  The Braves had won  three consecutive games by 21 points prior to the nine-point win and each of the previous six games had been decided by an average margin of 23.8 points per game.  The Braves won consecutive road games by 20 or more points for the first time since the 1985-86 season and were the victors in three consecutive games overall by 20 or more for the first time since February 1980.

Getting Defensive

    Bradley heads into this weekend's action as one the top defensive teams in the Missouri Valley Conference, surrendering an average of 61.2 points per game to rank second in the Valley in scoring defense.  The Braves recently turned in some of the top defensive performances in school history.  Bradley limited Chicago State to 44 points in a 70-44 road win and posted a 68-47 win against Toledo at Robertson Memorial Field House.  The 44 points given up against the Cougars ranks as the third lowest point total for a BU opponent on the road in program history and fewest points surrendered by the Braves in a road game since posting a 68-42 win at Southern Illinois on Jan. 16, 2005.  In addition, Bradley held back-to-back opponents to fewer than 50 points for the first time since February 1979, when the Braves held five consecutive foes to 40 points or fewer.

Minnesota Connection Leading From Beyond The Arc

    Minnesota natives Jenny Van Kirk and Renee Frericks have been far and away the best long range bombers for the Braves this season.  Van Kirk has made 10 of her last 17 three-point attempts and is shooting 52.6 percent (10-for-19) on the season.  Frericks tied a school record earlier this season hitting eight three-pointers in the Braves home win against Eastern Illinois.  The sophomore duo combined for 18 points and were 1-for-7 from beyond the arc last season as freshmen.  Van Kirk is averaging 7.4 points per game and has started eight games this season, while Frericks is averaging 5.5 points per game and shooting 46.5 percent from three-point range.  Combined the two have hit 30-of-62 (48.4 percent) of their three-point attempts this season, while the rest of the team is just 24-for-86 (27.9 percent) from beyond the arc.

Braves End Road Skid

    Bradley ended a seven-game losing streak in non-conference road games with an 80-56 victory at Loyola (Dec. 5).  Bradley's last non-conference road victory was Dec. 2, 2005 at Loyola, when the Braves posted a 61-50 against the Ramblers at the Gentile Center.  BU had lost six consecutive games away from home heading into the game in Chicago.  The Braves won 70-44 at Chicago State, giving Bradley back-to-back road wins for the first time since March 2005.

Up Next

    The Braves continue a three-game Valley homestand Thursday against Wichita State.  Bradley is looking to even the all-time series with the Shockers in what will be the 50th meeting in the all-time series.  Wichita State holds a 25-24 edge between the two schools, but the Braves are 15-9 in home games against the Shockers.  Bradley has won seven of the last 10 meetings, which includes five consecutive home wins.

Flanagan In Rare Air

    Senior Devyn Flanagan was already in elite company to open the season, starting the year in 28th place on the career scoring list.  The senior has since joined an even more elite group as she is one of nine players in program history with 800 points, 300 rebounds, 200 assists and 100 steals in a career.  She currently has 864 points, 352 rebounds, 235 assists and 129 steals during her time as a Brave.  Flanagan has moved up 10 spots on Bradley's career scoring list and now ranks 18th all time and needs 17 points to pass former teammate Amy Peters for 17th place.  Flanagan needs 12 made three-pointers to join Heather Best as the only players in school history with 900 points, 350 rebounds, 200 assists, 100 steals and 100 made three-pointers.

Offense Coming Around

    Bradley opened the season averaging just 57.0 points per game in the first five games of the season, but has since turned things around averaging 68.4 points per game over the last eight games.  The Braves recent offensive surge is even more impressive when you factor in the season-low 40-point outing at Arkansas-Little Rock into the recent improved scoring.  UALR ranks as one of the top defensive teams in the nation and was third in the nation in opponent's points per game in 2006-07.  BU is shooting 44.1 percent from the field, including 42.4 percent from beyond the three-point arc during the recent offensive surge.

Flanagan Cracks Top 20 In Scoring

    Senior Devyn Flanagan scored 15 points in the non-conference finale against UC Davis to move into 18th place on the Braves career scoring list.  Flanagan has moved up eight spots on the scoring list in the last six games and could soon be closing in on the top 15 scorers in school history.  She needs 17 points to pass former teammate Amy Peters for 17th place.  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 481 career points.

Bradley's Career Scoring Leaders

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 (Nov. 27).  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 career high of four points.  She has hit 20 of her last 39 three-point attempts (51.3 percent).

In-State Foes

    Sunday's game against Illinois State is the sixth of nine scheduled games against teams from the state of Illinois.  The Braves are 4-1 against in-state opponents, after going 3-9 against teams from the Prairie State last year.  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 36-25 (.590) against teams from the Land of Lincoln under eighth-year head coach Paula Buscher.  Bradley is 119-138 (.463) against Division I teams from Illinois all-time, but owns an 85-60 (.586) mark against Division I non-conference foes from Illinois.

Braves Top 70 For First Time

    Bradley scored a season-high 83 points against Eastern Illinois on Nov. 27, 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.  The Braves have reached 70 points in three of the last five games and are averaging 66.5 points per game over the last eight games after scoring a combined 94 points in the first two games of the season.

Braves Finish Horizon League Tour

    Bradley's game at Loyola-Chicago (Dec. 5) marked the Braves' fourth and final game against Horizon League opponents.  The Braves finished 2-2 against Horizon League teams this season, posting wins against Illinois-Chicago and Loyola.  BU is 37-21 (.638) against current members of the Horizon League, including a 28-18 (.609) record against this year's Horizon League foes.  Bradley is 15-7 (.682) against current members of the Horizon League under eighth-year head coach Paula Buscher.

Braves Dial In From Downtown

    Bradley opened the season struggling from long distance, shooting 26.8 percent (15-for-56) from beyond the arc over the first five games of the season.  The Braves have heated up, however, hitting 39-of-92 (42.4 percent) from three-point range over the last eight contests.  The Braves rank third in the Valley in three-point field goal percentage, shooting 36.5 percent from beyond the arc.

Jenny On The Spot

    Sophomore Jenny Van Kirk has emerged as one of the Braves top scoring threats after seeing very little time as a freshman.  Van Kirk scored nine points as a freshman, but has started the last eight games and is averaging 7.4 points per game through the first 13 games.  Over the last nine contests, Van Kirk is shooting 50.9 percent from the field (27-for-53) and averaging 8.0 points per game.  She has also heated up from long range, hitting 10 of her last 17 three-point attempts. 

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 the 1993-94 campaign.

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.

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 Thursday's tilt at Indiana State with a record of 90-121 (.427) at BU, including a 41-34 (.547) 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.

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 Jan. 11 are available at the Bradley Athletics Ticket Office for $30.  All-session tickets purchased after Jan. 11 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 is 4-1 at home this season and owns a 204-164 (.554) all-time record at the facility.  BU has finished .500 or better in 23 of 31 seasons playing in the building.  The Braves are 51-43 (.543) at Robertson Field House under head coach Paula Buscher and own a 53-43 (.552) home record during eight years, having won two games played at Carver Arena.