For Starters

    Bradley has won four consecutive games, after closing out the non-conference portion of the schedule with a 79-70 home win against UC Davis.  The Braves have won four straight games for the first time since December 2004 and head into Thursday's Missouri Valley Conference opener at Northern Iowa, looking to end a 10-game losing streak in Valley openers. 

    Bradley has not won five consecutive games since opening the 2001-02 season with a perfect 9-0 record. 

    The Braves have won five of the last six games overall and are averaging 70.0 points per game over that stretch.  Bradley has shot 41.5 percent from beyond the arc over the last six games and has forced an average 22.8 turnovers per game, while limiting foes to just 56.5 points per game. 

    Bradley is 2-2 on the road this season and have won back-to-back road games for the first time since March 2005. 

    Northern Iowa is opened the season with a 4-2 record, but has lost five consecutive games heading into Thursday's conference opener.  The Panthers played five road games in the month of December losing all five contests, but Thursday's game will be the first home contest for UNI since defeating Detroit 62-35 on Nov. 30.  The Panthers are 3-2 at home this season with the only losses coming at the hands of Big Ten Conference members Minnesota and Iowa.

About UNI

    UNI boasts one of the youngest rosters in the nation, featuring just one upperclassmen in senior guard Traci Ollendieck (8.3 points per game).  The Panthers returned eight of 15 letterwinners, including two starters from last year's team that finished 17-13 and tied for fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference.

    Freshman guard Jacqui Kalin lead's first-year head coach Tanya Warren's squad averaging 11.4 points and 4.4 assists per game.  Sophomore Nicole Clausen has come off the bench in all 11 games, but is averaging 9.8 points per game and is shooting 41 percent from beyond the three-point arc.

    The Panthers set a school record with 17 three-pointers earlier this season at UMBC and rank as one of the top three-point shooting teams in the Valley averaging 7.2 trey's per game.  Both Clausen and Ollendieck have combined to make 48 three-pointers and are shooting nearly 41 percent from beyond the arc.  The rest of the team is shooting a combined 25.6 percent from three-point range.

    Bradley and UNI have one common opponent as both teams have played at Northern Illinois this season.  Bradley suffered a 48-58 season-opening loss to the Huskies, while UNI fell 46-61 in DeKalb, Ill., just before Christmas.

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 11.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game after playing in each of the last nine games.  Rogers is shooting 50 percent from the field and has reached double figures in scoring six times, including each of the last three games. Sophomore guard Skye Johnson is averaging 9.6 points, 3.0 assists and a Missouri Valley Conference best 2.5 steals per game after missing last season.  Sophomore forward Jenny Van Kirk scored nine points as a freshman, but is averaging 8.8 points per game and is shooting 51.5 percent from the field.  Van Kirk also has hit eight of her last 12 three-point attempts.

    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 three of the last four games.  Flanagan ranks 18th in career scoring at Bradley and is now averaging 8.8 points per game, after scoring an average of 14.0 points per game over the last three outings.

    The Braves are averaging 64.1 points per game and have reached 70 points just four times this season, but have averaged 70 points per game over the last six games and rank as one the top defensive squad in the Missouri Valley Conference, giving up an average of 60.2 points per game.  The Braves have held their last four opponents to an average of 54.2 points per game and have held six of 11 opponents to 57 or fewer points. 

Series History

    The Braves open Missouri Valley Conference play on the road for the second consecutive year and sixth time in the last eight campaigns when they face Northern Iowa on Thursday, Jan. 3 in Cedar Falls, Iowa.  Thursday's contest will be the 50th all-time meeting between the two teams.  Bradley holds a 30-19 lead in the all-time series, despite losing six consecutive games to the Panthers.  The Braves are 12-12 in road games in the series, but have not won in Cedar Falls, Iowa, since edging UNI 53-52 on Jan. 17, 2004.  Bradley is 1-9 in its last 10 road games in the series.  The Braves are 5-10 against UNI under head coach Paula Buscher.

The Coaches

    Paula Buscher (Missouri State, ?86) is in her eighth year at Bradley and has a record of 90-119 (.431) 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 133-157 (.459) 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.

    Tanya Warren (Creighton ?88) is in her first season as head coach at Northern Iowa and has led the Panthers to a 4-7 (.364) record this season.  No stranger to the Missouri Valley Conference, Warren was an assistant coach at UNI for six seasons from 1995-2001.  She returned to alma mater in 2004 as associate head coach, after a three-year stint as recruiting coordinator.  Warren spent the last three seasons as associate head coach at Creighton.

Missouri Valley Conference Openers

    Bradley will open the season on the road for the second straight year and will be opening Valley play away from home for the sixth time in the last eight years.  The Braves are opening MVC action at Northern Iowa for the second consecutive year.  Bradley has lost 10 consecutive MVC openers dating back to an 83-53 home victory against Evansville on Dec. 29, 1996.  The Braves are 8-16 in conference openers, including an 0-7 record under head coach Paula Buscher.  Bradley is 3-9 when opening league play on the road.  The Braves are 3-1 when opening conference play against UNI, including a 2-1 record when opening league play in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Braves Win Fourth Straight

    Bradley wrapped up the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 79-70 victory against UC Davis, winning its fourth consecutive game.  The Braves four-game win streak is the longest since wrapping winning four consecutive games in December 2004.  Bradley has not won five consecutive games since opening the 2001-02 season with a perfect 9-0 record.  With the win against UC Davis, the Braves improved to 6-2 in the final non-conference game of the season under head coach Paula Buscher and now own a 13-3 record in the final non-conference game of the season since the start of the 1991-92 season.

Rare California Visitor

    Bradley and UC Davis met for the first time last week with Bradley topping the Aggies 79-70.  The Braves improved to 3-1 against Big West Conference members all-time and are now 6-4 record against teams from California all-time, including a 3-1 home record against teams from the Golden State.  Bradley is 5-2 against teams from California under eighth-year head coach Paula Buscher.  The Braves have played a team from California in each of the last three years and six of the last eight years overall.

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 last 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 team in the Missouri Valley Conference, surrendering an average of 60.2 points per game.  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.

On The Mark

    Sophomore Skye Johnson ranks among the league leaders, shooting 50.6 percent from the field this season.  Johnson had a bit of an off night last outing against UC Davis, hitting 4-of-11 shots, but is shooting 53.8 percent over the last five games.   She also leads the Missouri Valley Conference in steals with 27 and is averaging 9.6 points per game after sitting out the 2006-07 season.

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 will close out a two-game MVC road swing next Thursday at Indiana State.  The Sycamores hold a 34-18 lead in the all-time series after winning each of the last seven games and 11 of the last 12 overall in the series.  Bradley has lost 10 consecutive road games in the series dating back to a 70-53 win on Jan. 26, 1997 and owns a 7-18 road record against Indiana State.  The Braves are 2-13 against Indiana State under eighth-year head coach Paula Buscher. 

Turning Up The Pressure

    Bradley has won five of its last six games, thanks in part to a stingy defense.  The Braves have limited four of its last six foes to 57 points or less and are giving up 56.5 points per game over the last six tilts.  During that stretch, BU has limited opponents to 39.3 percent shooting and has forced an average of 22.8 turnovers per game, while owning an average rebounding margin of +9.0 on the boards.  .

Flanagan In Rare Air

    Senior Devyn Flanagan was already in elite company to open the season, starting the year in 28th place in career scoring.  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 850 points, 346 rebounds, 231 assists and 128 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.  She needs 31 points to pass former teammate Amy Peters for 17th.  Flanagan needs four rebounds and 14 made three-pointers to join Heather Best as the only players in school history 900 points, 350 rebounds, 231 assists, 128 steals and 100 made three-pointers.

Offense Coming Around

    Bradley is averaging 70 points per game over the last six games after averaging 57.0 points per game in the first five contests of the season.  The Braves recent offensive surge is even more impressive when you factor in the season-low 40-point outing at Arkansas-Little Rock is factored into the recent improved scoring.  UALR ranks as one of the top defensive teams in the nation and was third in the nation in opponents points per game in 2006-07.  BU is shooting 43.3 percent from the field, including 41.5 percent from beyond the three-point arc during the recent offensive surge.

Flanagan Cracks Top 20 In Scoring

    Senior Devyn Flanagan scored 15 points last week in the home win 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 four games and passed Roxanne Grabow last outing against the Aggies.  She needs 31 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 458 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 14 of her last 28 three-point attempts (50 percent).

In-State Foes

    Bradley's game at Chicago State was the fifth of nine games against teams from the state of Illinois.  The Braves are 4-1 in those in-state battles, 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) 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 27-of-65 (41.5 percent) from three-point range over the last six contests.  The recent three-point shooting binge started when the Braves shot 64.3 percent from three-point range in an 83-57 home win against Eastern Illinois, knocking down nine of 14 three-point attempts.  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.  Bradley also shot 50 percent (6-for-12) from beyond the arc at Loyola.  The Braves are shooting 34.7 percent from three-point range on the 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 six games and is averaging 7.8 points per game through the first 11 games.  Over the last seven contests, Van Kirk is shooting 52.3 percent from the field (23-for-44) and averaging 8.7 points per game.  She has also heated up from long range, hitting eight of her last 12 three-point attempts. 

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 11.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game over her first nine games in a Bradley uniform.  The Hampton transfer is shooting 50 percent from the field and is also averaging better than one steal 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 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.

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 against Northern Iowa with a record of 90-119 (.431) 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.