For Starters

    Bradley closes out a three-game Missouri Valley Conference homestand Saturday against Missouri State.  The Braves ended a three-game losing skid and stopped a six-game regular-season Missouri Valley Conference losing streak with a 66-54 victory Thursday against Wichita State.  After a 2-11 start to the season, the Bears have won three consecutive games heading into Saturday's contest and ended a 15-game road losing streak with a 78-55 win at Northern Iowa.

    Bradley is tied for eighth in the MVC standings with a 1-3 league mark, while Missouri State is tied for third at 3-2.  The Braves are 5-2 in home games this season and are have won eight of their last 12 games at home overall heading into Saturday's tit.  The Bears are 1-8 in road games after Thursday's win at UNI.

    BU forced 26 turnovers Thursday against Wichita State and the Braves' opponents have committed 20.2 turnovers per game.  Bradley has averaged 67.2 points per game at home this season and surrenders an average of 62.9 points per game when playing Robertson Memorial Field House.

    Missouri State is averaging 76.0 points per game over the last four outings after averaging 62.0 points per game over the first 12 games of the season.

About Missouri State

    Missouri State has won three consecutive games and five of the last 10 overall after opening the season with six consecutive losses.  The Bears are 5-11 overall and tied for third in the Valley with a 3-2 league mark under first-year head coach Nyla Milleson.

    Milleson and the Bears feature five of 12 letterwinners, including four starters from last year's team that finished 7-21 overall and was 10th in the MVC. 

    Michigan State transfer Maggie Dwyer leads the Lady Bears in scoring at 14.0 points per game and is shooting 37.3 percent from beyond the arc.  First-team All-MVC selection Tahnee Balerio is averaging 11.9 points per game and is third in the Valley in assists, averaging 4.6 per game.

    Quincy, Ill., native Tiff Terwelp is scoring 7.6 points per game and is leading the MVC in rebounding with an 8.5 rebounds per game average.  Sophomore Melissa Busby (7.4 ppg) and freshman guard Marisha Brown (7.3 ppg) are the only other players averaging more than five points per game.

    The Lady Bears are one of the top rebounding teams in the conference, hauling down 41.1 boards per game and tied for the league lead in three-point field goals with 107 (6.7 makes per game).

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 their top five scorers, however, from last year in senior Devyn Flanagan.

    The Braves will be a bit shorthanded in the middle, as junior transfer Monica Rogers will miss the remainder of the season after rupturing the Achilles tendon in her left leg last outing against Illinois State.  Rogers was leading Bradley in scoring and rebounding, averaging 12.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in 12 games this season.  She was also shooting a team-best 54.1 percent from the field and had scored in double figures nine times.

    Sophomore guard Skye Johnson is averaging 8.7 points, 2.8 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 7.9 points per game and is shooting nearly 53 percent from the field and 52 percent from three-point range.

    Senior guard Devyn Flanagan is the Braves top returning scorer and active career scoring leader.  Flanagan ranks 18th in career scoring at Bradley and is now averaging 8.1 points per game, after scoring an average of 10.0 points per game over the last eight outings.

    The Braves are averaging 63.9 points per game and have reached 70 points just four times this season.  BU has averaged 67.4 points per game over the last 10 games, however and ranks as one the top defensive squads in the Missouri Valley Conference, giving up an average of 62.9 points per game on the season to rank third in the MVC in scoring defense.  Bradley also leads the MVC in steals (10.0 spg) and is third in the league in three-point field goal percentage (.357). 

Series History

    Bradley closes out a three-game homestand with a Saturday afternoon contest against Missouri State.  The Bears hold a 38-17 lead in the all-time series, but Bradley won all three meetings last year and has won four of the last five overall in the series.  The Braves have won five of the last seven overall against Missouri State.  The Lady Bears hold a 14-10 edge in games played in Peoria, Ill., but the last six meetings at Robertson Memorial Field House have been split 3-3.  The Braves are 6-10 against Missouri State under head coach Paula Buscher.

The Coaches

    Paula Buscher (Missouri State, ?86) is in her eighth year at Bradley and has a record of 91-122 (.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 134-160 (.456) 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.

    Nyla Milleson (Kansas State ?85) is in her first season as head coach at Missouri State and has led the Lady Bears to a 5-11 record.  Milleson took over the Missouri State program after a seven-year run at NCAA Division II power Drury.  The Panthers were 185-36 (.837) during her time there, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen or further in four of her last five seasons, including a National runner-up finish in 2003-04.  Milleson owns a 190-47 (.802) career coaching record.

Braves Pick Up First Conference Win

    Bradley picked up its first Missouri Valley Conference victory of the season Thursday downing Wichita State (66-54) after an 0-3 start.  The 0-3 start to Valley play marked the 10th time in 25 years of conference play the Braves opened league action with three straight losses.  Bradley has opened conference play with four or more consecutive losses seven previous times.  Thursday's win snapped a three-game losing streak and also brought to an end a six-game regular-season Missouri Valley Conference losing skid that dated back to the Braves Feb. 17, 2007 home win against Wichita State.

Dishing The Rock

    Senior Rachel Merriman has taken over the starting point guard duties after the graduation of four-year starter Jen Brown and has been one of the top passers in the Missouri Valley Conference this season.  Merriman currently ranks second in the Valley in assists (4.9 per game) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.24).  In fact, after a slow start to the season she is averaging 6.1 assists per game and boasts an impressive 3.5 assist-to-turnover ratio over the last eight games.  Merriman has also had a positive effect on the team's stats.  Despite the graduation of four of the top five scorers from last season, the Braves are averaging just 0.7 points fewer than last season.  Bradley is averaging 15 assists per game and shooting 41.1 percent from the field as a team after averaging 13.8 assists and shooting 39.1 percent last season.

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 10 games and is averaging 7.9 points per game through the first 15 contests this season.  Over the last 10 contests, Van Kirk is shooting 53.7 percent from the field (36-for-67) and averaging 8.5 points per game.  She has also heated up from long range, hitting 13 of her last 23 three-point attempts (56.5 percent).

Tammy Van Oppen To Be Inducted Into BU Hall Of Fame

    Former Bradley standout Tammy Van Oppen will be inducted into the school's Hall of Fame Saturday evening at the men's basketball game against Evansville at Carver Arena.  A transfer from South Florida, Van Oppen averaged 15.0 points per game in her two years with the Braves and led the team in scoring and rebounding both of her seasons in a Bradley uniform.  The Limestone, Ill., native has one of two triple-doubles in program history and was a two-time first-team All-MVC selection.  She is the 13th women's basketball player elected to the Hall of Fame, joining Karen Anderson, Shelli Braud, Judy Burns, Carrie Coffman, Roxanne Grabow, Connie Griffith, Laura Hedien, Lynn Held, Andrea McAllister, Karin Nicholls, Val Wancket and Eileen Yerkes-Gregor.

Flanagan To Join Century Club

    Saturday's game will mark the 100th career game played for senior Devyn Flanagan making her the 25th player in school history to appear in 100 games as a Brave.  Flanagan has started 72 of the 99 games she has appeared in, including 69 of the last 72 games, and is closing in on Bradley's career top 10 for games played and starts.  With at least 15 games remaining, she needs 10 games played and six starts to break into the career top 10 in both categories.

Reserves Continue To Shine

    Bradley's reserves have played a key part in the Braves success this season, averaging 28.8 points per game this season.  The BU bench has outscored its opponents by an average of +8.7 points per game and have out produced the opponents counterparts in all but four games this.  Bradley is 7-4 on the season when the Braves reserves outscore the opponents bench.  

Rogers To Miss Remainder of 2007-08 Season

    Junior Monica Rogers will miss the remainder of the 2007-08 season after rupturing the Achilles tendon in her left leg during the second half of the Braves MVC home opener against Illinois State (Jan. 13).  A transfer from Hampton University, Rogers was leading the Braves in scoring (12.5 ppg) and rebounding (6.5 rpg), while shooting 54.1 percent from the field.  She sat out the 2006-07 season due to NCAA Division I transfer rules and then missed the first two games of the regular season due to a knee injury.  She had started three games this season, but was averaging 14.3 points and 7.1 rebounds while shooting nearly 60 percent from the field in the nine games she played in off the bench.  Rogers had surgery on Jan. 16 and will be sidelined six to nine months.  She will have one year of eligibility remaining.

Braves Draw Second Largest Crowd

    The first meeting in the annual I-74 rivalry between Bradley and Illinois State drew the second largest home crowd in Bradley women's basketball history when the two teams met Sunday at Robertson Memorial Field House.  A season-best 3,004 fans were on hand to witness the final between the two programs at historic Robertson Memorial Field House.  Sunday's crowd is second only to the 3,128 fans that came out for the Jan. 6, 2002 home game against Illinois State, in which the Braves downed the Redbirds 71-36. 

Merriman Ties School Record

    Senior point guard Rachel Merriman tied the school record for most assists without a turnover at Indiana State (Jan. 10), dishing out eight assists in the Braves' 65-70 loss to the Sycamores.  In her first season as Bradley's starting point guard, Merriman has already passed her season total from last year and is one of three players (Jen Brown & Eileen Yerkes) in school history to have two or more games with six assists or better and no turnovers.

Most Assists With No Turnovers

Ast.    Player.............................. Opponent & Date

8        Rachel Merriman.... at Indiana State 1/10/08

8        Jen Brown........................ at Creighton 3/2/06

8        Jen Brown................. vs. Indiana State 3/6/04

8        Eileen Yerkes......... vs. Eastern Illinois 2/27/92

Braves Fall Despite Best Shooting Night Of The Season

    Bradley fell 65-70 at Indiana State (Jan. 10) 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.  The Braves are 7-3 when shooting 40 percent or better from the field, with all three losses coming in conference play.

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 35.7 from three-point range, but have failed to find any consistency.  Bradley has shot under 30 percent from long range seven out of 15 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 made 29 of their last 76 three-point attempts (38.2 percent).

Team 3-Point FG Percentage (Single Game)

Heating Up

    Senior Devyn Flanagan appears to be heating up from three-point range.  The Braves active career leader with 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 10-of-21 three-point attempts over the last eight games, however. 

Braves Four-Game Win Streaks Snapped

    Bradley had a four-game win streak snapped in the Missouri Valley Conference opener, suffering a 64-62 loss at Northern Iowa (Jan. 3).  The four-game win streak was the longest since winning four consecutive games in December 2004.  Bradley also had a four-game home win streak snapped Sunday by I-74 rival Illinois State.  The four-game home win streak was the longest since winning five consecutive home games between the end of the 2005-06 season and the start of the 2006-07 campaign.

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 week's action as one the top defensive teams in the Missouri Valley Conference, surrendering an average of 62.9 points per game to rank third 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 13 of her last 23 three-point attempts and is shooting 52 percent (13-for-25) on the season.  Frericks tied a school record earlier this season hitting eight three-pointers in the Braves home win against Eastern Illinois and is shooting 43.1 percent from beyond the arc.  The sophomore duo combined for 18 points and was 1-for-7 from beyond the arc last season as freshmen, but are averaging a combined 13.1 points per game and shooting 46.1 percent (35-for-76) from three-point range this season. while the rest of the team is just 30-for-106 (28.3 percent) from beyond the arc.

Up Next

    The Braves open a two-game Valley road swing Thursday at Drake.  Bradley swept the regular-season series from the Bulldogs last season, marking the first regular-season sweep for the Braves since the 1991-92 campaign.  Drake holds a 40-11 lead in the all-time series, however, including a 20-4 advantage in games played in Des Moines, Iowa.  Last season's win in Des Moines, Iowa, snapped a 13-game home win streak in the series for Drake.

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 874 points, 358 rebounds, 239 assists and 132 steals during her time as a Brave.  Flanagan has moved up 10 spots on Bradley's career scoring list and now ranks 17th all time, needing seven points to pass former teammate Amy Peters for 17th place.  Flanagan also needs 10 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 67.4 points per game over the last 10 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 43.5 percent from the field, including 39.7 percent from beyond the three-point arc during the recent offensive surge.

Flanagan Cracks Top 20 In Scoring

    Senior Devyn Flanagan is closing in on former teammate Amy Peters on Bradley's career scoring list, needing seven points to overtake Peters for 17th place.   Flanagan has moved up eight spots on the scoring list in the last eight games and could soon be closing in on the top 15 scorers in school history.  She needs 52 points to move into the top 15 and is 126 points from becoming the 14th player in school history with 1,000 career points.  She 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 494 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 22 of her last 47 three-point attempts (46.8 percent).

In-State Foes

    Last week's game against Illinois State was the sixth of nine scheduled games against teams from the state of Illinois.  The Braves are 4-2 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 36-26 (.581) against teams from the Land of Lincoln under eighth-year head coach Paula Buscher.  Bradley is 119-139 (.461) 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 four of the last nine games and are averaging 66.6 points per game over the last 12 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 50-of-126 (39.7 percent) from three-point range over the last 10 contests.  The Braves rank third in the Valley in three-point field goal percentage, shooting 35.7 percent from beyond the arc.

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. 

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 Saturday's tilt against Missouri State with a record of 91-122 (.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 are available at the Bradley Athletics Ticket Office for $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 5-2 at home this season and owns a 205-165 (.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 52-44 (.542) at Robertson Field House under head coach Paula Buscher and own a 54-44 (.551) home record during eight years, having won two games played at Carver Arena.