For Starters

    The Braves rebounded from its first loss of the season with a 77-62 home win against Northern Illinois Tuesday.  Off to its best start since the 2004-05 season, Bradley (3-1 overall) opens a season-long four-game road swing with a pair of games at the Northern Arizona Thanksgiving Classic in Flagstaff, Ariz.  BU will face tournament-host Northern Arizona Friday before playing UC Riverside Saturday afternoon.  The Lumberjacks are 1-4 on the year after topping Santa Clara 68-51 Monday.  UC Riverside is 1-2 heading into Friday afternoon's game against North Dakota.

About Northern Arizona

    Northern Arizona (1-4 overall) returned eight of 12 letterwinners, including three starters from last year's team which finished 10-20 overall and was sixth in the Big Sky Conference. 

    Picked to finish fifth in the preseason Big Sky Conference poll, the Lumberjacks are led by sophomore San Diego State transfer Lauren Hoisington.  The 6-2 forward is averaging 13.0 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. 

    Freshman Caty Huntington did not play in the first three games of the year, but is averaging 9.0 points per game over the last two games and senior guard Sade Cunningham is dishing out 5.0 assists per game in addition to her 8.0 points per game. 

    Northern Arizona opened the season with three consecutive road games and four straight losses before downing Santa Clara Monday in Flagstaff, Ariz.

    The Lumberjacks have struggled offensively, shooting just 34.7 percent from the field and averaging 54.2 points per game. 

    Three NAU players scored in double figures in Monday's win against the Broncos, paced by Huntington's 16 points off the bench.

About UC Riverside

    UC Riverside is the preseason favorite to win the Big West Conference regular-season title after going 14-16 overall and finishing third with a 10-6 league record. 

    The Highlanders return eight of 12 letterwinners, including four starters from last year's squad.

    UC Riverside is 1-2 on the year after participating in the preseason WNIT.  The Highlanders opened the year with an 88-57 loss to fourth-ranked Oklahoma and were edged by Liberty 44-45 in the second round.  UC Riverside is coming off a 54-41 victory against Lafayette heading into Friday afternoon's game against North Dakota.

    Senior forward Kemie Nkele leads the team in scoring and rebounding at 21.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.  A three-time first-team All-Big West performer and the 2006-07 Big West Conference Player of the Year, she redshirted last year after suffering a season-ending injury early in the year. 

    An experienced group, the UC Riverside 15-player active roster features eight seniors and a total of 10 upperclassmen. 

    The Highlanders have struggled offensively, shooting 35.3 percent from the field and 23.4 percent from beyond the three-point arc, while scoring just 51.7 points per game.

About Bradley

    Bradley features one of the most experienced rosters in the Missouri Valley Conference, returning eight letterwinners from last year's squad.  The Braves roster includes six of the top seven scorers from 2007-08, but also features eight newcomers (seven freshmen and one sophomore).

    Senior Monica Rogers has posted double-doubles in each of the last three games and is coming off an 11-point, 14-rebound effort against Northern Illinois.  The Braves top scorer and rebounder, she is averaging 16.0 points per game and a Missouri Valley Conference best 12.8 boards per game.

    Freshman guard Michelle Lund has been the Braves top scorer in each of the last two games and is Bradley's top outside scoring threat.  She is scoring 14.8 points per game and shooting 45.7 percent from beyond the arc.

    Junior guard Skye Johnson has taken over the primary ball-handling duties and is averaging 9.8 points per game to go along with 6.0 assists per contest. 

    Sophomore Sonya Harris missed each of the last two games due to an injury suffered against Eastern Illinois, but is anticipated to return to the lineup sometime this week.  Harris averaged 9.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game in the first two contests.

    BU has dominated the glass so far this season, outrebounding its opponents by nearly 15 boards per game.  Bradley is shooting 41.1 percent from three-point range, while shooting just 38.5 percent inside the arc.

    Bradley's 3-1 start is the best since opening the 2004-05 season with a 3-1 record.  The Braves are looking for their first road win of the season and their first road non-conference road win outside the state of Illinois since topping San Jose State in Dallas, Texas on Nov. 25, 2006.

The Coaches

    Paula Buscher (Missouri State, ?86) is in her ninth year at Bradley and has a record of 99-133 (.427) at BU.  The dean of Missouri Valley Conference women's basketball coaches, Buscher led teams to improved records in each of her first five seasons as a collegiate head coach and eight of her 11 seasons overall.  Buscher owns a 142-171 (.454) career record and is in her 12th 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.

    Laurie Kelly (St. Thomas ?93) is in her sixth year as head coach at Northern Arizona.  A former graduate assistant under Bradley head coach Paula Buscher at Minnesota State-Mankato, Kelly has led the Lumberjacks to an 84-73 (.535) overall record and their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.  She was head coach at Binghamton for five years prior to taking over at NAU and owns a 188-112 (.627) career coaching record.

    John Margaritis (Northeastern Illinois ?82) is in his  fifth season as head coach at UC Riverside and has led the Highlanders to a 68-57 (.544) record in that time.  In his 11th year as a collegiate head coach, he has led UC Riverside to two NCAA tournaments, a Big West Conference regular-season title and has also earned Big West Coach of the Year honors.  He owns a 178-137 (.565) career coaching mark.

Series Records

    Bradley will be playing a pair of games against first-time opponents this weekend.  The Braves have never faced Northern Arizona or UC Riverside.  BU has not faced a member of the Big Sky Conference since topping Weber State in Peoria, Ill., on Nov. 22, 1998. 

BU Against The Big Sky Conference

    Bradley is 2-1 all-time against current members of the Big Sky Conference.  Both of the Braves win against Big Sky Conference teams are against Weber State.  BU downed Weber State 69-68 on Nov. 22, 1998 and also won at Weber State on Nov. 28, 1997.  The only other game against a Big Sky Conference member came on Dec. 10, 1984 when Eastern Washington posted a 79-63 win against the Braves in Peoria, Ill.

BU Against The Big West Conference

    Bradley will be facing a member of the Big West Conference for the second consecutive year.  The Braves are 3-1 against current Big West members after last year's home win against UC Davis.  BU is 1-1 against Pacific splitting a home-and-home series during the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 seasons.  The only other meeting with a Big West Conference team was during the 1996-97 campaign when Bradley topped Cal State Fullerton 73-65 in BU's first trip to Arizona for the Sun Devil Classic

Last Time Out

    Bradley rebounded from its first loss of the season with a 77-62 victory against Northern Illinois Tuesday.  Freshman guard Michelle Lund turned in game highs of 22 points and six assists, while senior Monica Rogers turned in her third consecutive double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds.  Bradley out rebounded the Huskies 44-32 and connected on 8-of-13 three-point attempts.  The BU freshmen scored 21 of Bradley's final 27 points and combined for 44 of the Braves 77 points in the game.

Braves Heading West

    The Braves will be traveling to Arizona for the second time in the 34-year history of the program.  Bradley is hoping to repeat its last trip to the Grand Canyon State.  BU went 2-0 in Tempe, Ariz., posting wins over Cal State-Fullerton and Arizona State to win the Sun Devil Classic. 

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 in-season tournaments since the beginning of 1993-94 campaign.

Braves Hope To End Streaks

    The Braves hope to end several streaks at the Northern Arizona Thanksgiving Classic this weekend.  Bradley has lost five consecutive non-conference games outside the state of Illinois, dating back to the Braves win against San Jose State in Dallas, Texas on Nov. 25, 2006.  Bradley has also lost five consecutive non-conference road tilts outside of Illinois, which dates back to the 2004-05 season.  The Braves will also attempt to end a four-game losing streak in games played at a neutral site. 

3-1 Starts

    The Braves 3-1 start to the year is the best for BU since opening the 2004-05 season with a 3-1 record.  Bradley has opened with a 3-1 record 13 times previously.  BU has finished the year with a winning two of the last three times after opening a season with a 3-1 mark.  Bradley has not opened a season with a 4-1 record or better since the 2001-02 season and have eight starts of 4-1 or better all-time.

California Opponents

    Bradley will be facing a school for the fourth consecutive year when the Braves take on UC Riverside Saturday.  BU is 4-2 under head coach Paula Buscher against schools which call the Golden State home.  Bradley is 7-4 all-time against California opponents.  UC Riverside will be the ninth different NCAA Division I opponent from California for the Braves. 

Buscher Needs One For 100 Wins At BU

    Ninth-year Bradley head coach Paula Buscher is just one win away from 100 career wins at Bradley and will look to reach the century mark against a familiar face Friday.  Buscher owns a 99-133 (.427) record at BU and will try to pick up win #100 against one of her former graduate assistants in Northern Arizona head coach Laurie Kelly.  Buscher is second only to Lisa Boyer on the Braves career wins list.  Boyer was 124-149 (.454) as Bradley head coach from 1986-87 through the 1995-96 season.  Buscher's 100th win at Bradley would also mark the 400th win in program history. 

BRADLEY CAREER COACHING VICTORIES

Dialed In

    Freshman Michelle Lund has been heating up from long range, knocking down four or more three-pointers in each of the last three games.  Lund got off to a slow start to the year, making just 3-of-13 three pointers in Bradley's two exhibition games.  After making just 2-of-7 trey's to open the season, Lund heated up in the second half of Bradley's come from behind victory against Eastern Illinois, hitting 3-of-8 second-half three-point attempts.  In the two games since, Lund has knocked down 11 of her last 20 three-point tries and is shooting 45.7 percent from downtown this year.

Home Win Streaks

    Bradley extended its home win streak to five games after downing Northern Illinois 77-62 Tuesday.  BU has won seven consecutive non-conference home games dating back to a 46-56 home loss to Butler to open the 2007-08 season.  The seven-game non-conference home win streak is the longest since winning eight consecutive non-conference home tilts between the 2000-01 and 2002-03 seasons. 

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

    With sophomore center Sonya Harris sidelines for the last two games, senior Monica Rogers was inserted into the starting lineup and has turned in three consecutive double-doubles heading into Friday's contest against Northern Arizona.  Rogers is leading the Braves in both scoring (16.0 ppg) and is averaging a Missouri Valley Conference best 12.8 rebounds per game.  She has reached double figures in scoring or rebounding in 13 of 16 games in a Bradley uniform.  Rogers has 18 career double-doubles (five in a Bradley uniform), but had never posted three consecutive double-doubles.

Experienced Opponents

    Bradley's first few opponents boast very experienced lineups.  The Braves first four foes of the 2008-09 season and five of the first six teams on the schedule each record four or more starters from the previous year.  BU's first four opponents of the year combined to return 18 of a possible 20 starters from 2007-08. 

Freshman Bomber

    Freshman guard Michelle Lund has been the Braves top outside shooter through the first three games of the season.  Lund has made 45.7 percent of her three-point attempts (16-for-35) on the year after connecting on five of nine attempts from long range Tuesday against Northern Illinois.  Her 16 three-pointers is already tied for the sixth best total by a Bradley freshman and her six trey's against Illinois-Chicago is tied for the 10th best single game total in school history.  She needs just four more three-point baskets to move into a tie for third among Bradley freshman. 

3-Point Field Goals By A Freshman

Bucking The Trend

    Bradley rallied to win after trailing at halftime in each of the first two games of the 2008-09 season.  The Braves were 1-29 when trailing at halftime over the previous two seasons (2007-08 & 2006-07) and have not won two games in the same season when losing at the break since the 2005-06 campaign.  BU erased an 11-point halftime deficit against Loyola and came back to win, marking the first time BU came back from a double-digit halftime deficit to win since topping St. Mary's (Calif.) 64-57 in overtime on Nov. 28, 2003.  The 11-point comeback is the largest halftime deficit in a Bradley win since trailing 32-19 at Illinois State on Feb. 12, 2000 in an eventual 61-60 BU victory.

Crashing The Boards

    A year removed from ranking eighth in the Missouri Valley Conference in rebounds per game, the Braves have hit the boards early on in 2008-09 and are averaging a league best 47.0 rebounds per game.  BU boasts a +14.3 average rebounding margin and has hauled down 29 offensive boards per contest.  Senior Monica Rogers is first in the MVC at 12.8 rebounds per game and sophomore Sonya Harris is pulling down 11.5 boards per game.

Season Openers

    Bradley opened its 34th year of intercollegiate competition with a 67-60 victory against in-state foe Loyola. 

The Braves are now 20-14 all-time in season openers and opened the season against an in-state opponent for the fourth consecutive year.  Bradley is 15-5 when opening the season at home and now 11-2 when opening the season against an in-state opponent.   The Braves are 6-3 in season openers under head coach Paula Buscher.

Heavy Home Schedule To Start

    Bradley opened the season with three of its first four games at home.  The Braves had not opened a season with three of four games at home since the 1983-84 season.  BU opened the 1983-84 campaign with a road game at Purdue, before returning home to face Wisconsin, Illinois and Northern Illinois.  The Braves opened with consecutive home games for the ninth time in program history and the first since the 2005-06 campaign. 

In-State Opponents

    Bradley's first four opponents of the 2008-09 season each call the state of Illinois home, marking the first time the Braves open a season with four consecutive in-state opponents since the 1976-77 season.  Bradley is 23-14 (.622) against in-state non-conference opponents under ninth-year head coach Paula Buscher.  BU is 40-30 (.571) against in-state foes during Buscher's tenure, which includes an 18-16 mark against Illinois State and Southern Illinois.

Lund Starts First Game

    Freshman guard Michelle Lund started the Braves season opener, making her the 13th freshman since the start of the 1981-82 season to start in a season opener for Bradley.  Lund is the third freshmen to start a season opener under ninth-year head coach Paula Buscher, joining Jen Brown and Jaime Lugge.  Below is a list of freshmen to start in a season opener for the Braves along with their points, rebounds and assists for that outing.

Name                Date               Pts.      Reb.     Ast.

Michelle Lund   11/15/08            3          6          5

Jen Brown          11/21/03            5          3          5

Jaime Lugge       11/16/01            3          4          4

Sarah Sommer  11/20/99            7          6          1

Lynn Pastucha   11/20/99            8          8          0

Heather Best        11/24/95            9          1          5

Dawn Cartwright  12/1/92              3          6          4

Liza Reed          11/25/91            2          5          1

Dawyel Jones     11/24/89            6          3          2

Kelly Mazza        11/26/88            7          1          3

Karin Nicholls   11/28/86            6          6          0

Kelly Miller          11/28/83           12          3          1

Judy Burns       11/20/81           23          2          2

* Bold indicates home games.

Double Trouble

    Sophomore forward Sonya Harris has picked up right where she left off in 2007-08, turning in a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds in the Braves season opener against Loyola.  Harris has recorded double-doubles in four of her last five games dating back to last season and has scored in double figures or hauled down 10 or more rebounds in eight consecutive games, dating back to a scoreless outing at Wichita State (Feb. 16, 2008) in which she grabbed just one rebound in eight minutes of play. 

Up Next

    Bradley continues its season long four-game road swing with a neutral site contest against Illinois.  The Braves and Illini will face off at the United Center in Chicago, Ill., on Saturday, Dec. 6.  Illinois holds an 8-1 edge in the all-time series and has won each of the last two meetings.  This year's contest will mark the first time the two teams have ever met at a neutral site.  Fans interested in attending the trip can call (309) 677-3617 for information about a bus trip.  Reservations for the bus trip must be made by Dec. 1. 

Braves Picked Eighth In Preseason Poll

    Bradley was picked eighth in the preseason Missouri Valley Conference poll, after finishing eighth in the 2007-08 regular-season race.  Bradley's roster featured eight of 13 letterwinners from last year, including six of the top seven scorers.  Illinois State was the unanimous choice to win the 2008-09 regular-season crown.  The Braves were five points behind Indiana State for seventh place. 

2008-09 MVC Preseason Poll

Rank Team (First-Place Votes)         Points

1.       Illinois State (40)                               400

2.       Creighton                                          310

3.       Drake                                               297

4.       Evansville                                         251

5.       Northern Iowa                                  245

6.       Missouri State                                   215

7.       Indiana State                                     166

8.       BRADLEY                                        161

9.       Southern Illinois                                108

10.     Wichita State                                        47

Returning Numbers

    Despite losing five letterwinners from last year's team, Bradley boasts one of the more experienced teams in the Missouri Valley Conference heading into the 2008-09 campaign.  The Braves return six of their top seven scorers from last year and are one of just three teams in the league which is returning over 70 percent of both its scoring and rebounding from the previous years.  The only other teams to join BU in that elite company are Northern Iowa and defending regular-season co-champion Illinois State.  The chart below takes a look at the returning numbers for all 10 league members.

Youth Movement

    While the Braves have a strong group of returning players, Bradley also has a lot of youth on its roster.  The Braves 16-player roster includes eight newcomers, the most newcomers to the team since welcoming nine new faces for the 2001-02 season when Bradley finished 16-12 overall.  This year's newcomers include seven freshmen and one sophomore, giving the Braves 10 underclassmen.  Northern Iowa is the only other team in The Valley that can match Bradley's 10 underclassmen and Southern Illinois and Indiana State are the only MVC schools to welcome eight newcomers for the 2008-09 season.  Bradley is the only team in the conference to welcome more than six newcomers, while returning eight letterwinners from last year.  The Braves' 16-player roster is the largest for the program since the 1997-98 campaign. 

Home Sweet Home

    Bradley will play its home games at several different venues during the 2008-09 since Robertson Memorial Field House was razed in May to make room for a new facility which is currently under construction and schedule for completion during the 2009-10 school year.  The Braves closed out Robertson Field House with a 79-63 victory against Northern Iowa in the 2007-008 regular-season finale and won four of the last five games on the historic raised floor to finish with a 209-170 (.551) all-time record at the facility.  Bradley will play the bulk of its games in 2008-09 at Illinois Central College's Lorene Ramsey Gym, where the team is 3-0 so far this season.  Bradley played an exhibition game against Truman State at Carver Arena and will play the Dec. 28 game against Air Force at Richwoods High School.

Getting Defensive

    Sophomore Skye Johnson became the first Bradley women's basketball player to earn Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors after leading the league with 82 steals in 2007-08.  The junior also blocked 17 shots to rank second on the team.  Johnson's 82 steals is the second-best season total in program history, behind Kathy Stokes school record 86 thefts in 1979-80.  Johnson is the first Bradley player to lead The Valley in steals in a season and helped the Braves to a league-best 10.8 steals per game.  BU's 324 steals were the most in program history since swiping 365 steals in 1983-84.

STEALS IN A SEASON (INDIVIDUAL)

Krumwiede Joins 600-500 Club

    Senior forward Kelly Krumwiede is the 14th player in program history to collect 600 points and 500 rebounds in a Bradley uniform, pulling down her 500th career rebound at Evansville last March.  The 36th player in school history to score 600 points, Krumwiede is the Braves active career scoring leader with 663 points and also ranks as the active career leader in rebounding with 542 career boards.  She needs 37 points and 58 rebounds to become just the 10th player with 700 points and 600 rebounds in a career and is just 30 boards short of cracking BU's career top 10.

REBOUNDS (CAREER)

Keeping Up With The Braves

    In addition to being the primary source for updated information, stats and notes for the Bradley women's basketball team, the Bradley athletics website (www.bradleybraves.com) will also feature a women's basketball blog throughout the 2008-09 season.  Junior forward Jenny Van Kirk started her blog during the Braves first week of practice and will continue to update her blog during the regular-season.  Questions for Jenny to answer in the blog can be emailed to jrea@bradley.edu

Team Captains

    Junior forward Jenny Van Kirk and freshman Hanna Muegge have been voted team captains for the 2008-09 season. 

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.bradleybraves.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.