For Starters

    The Braves opened up the exhibition portion of their schedule with a 77-69 victory against Lewis University and conclude the exhibition slate with a Sunday afternoon tilt against Truman State.  The 1:05 p.m. will be the first game of a men's and women's basketball doubleheader at Carver Arena.  The Bradley men's basketball team will play follow at 4:05 p.m. with its final exhibition game of the year against NCAA Division III member Wisconsin-Platteville. 

About Truman State

    A member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA), Truman State returns 10 of 14 letterwinners from last year's squad which finished 16-13 overall and was seventh in the MIAA at 7-11.  Sunday's game is the only exhibition contest on the schedule for Truman State.

    While the Bulldogs return a bulk of the roster from 2007-08, Truman State boasts just one returning starter.  First-year head coach Michael Smith will rely on a familiar face for Bradley fans, as Georgia Mueller is the lone returning starter for Truman State.  Georgia is the younger sister of former Bradley standout Genny Mueller (2001-05). 

    While her older sister Genny did the bulk of her damage from outside, finishing her career as the Braves career three-point leader, Georgia does most of her damage on the inside.  A two-time first-team All-MIAA selection, Georgia has led Truman State in scoring each of her first three seasons and led the MIAA in scoring (22.0 ppg) and field goal percentage (56.4 percent).  The 5-11 forward ranked in the top 10 nationally in both scoring and blocked shots (71) at the NCAA Division II level.  Mueller also led Truman State in rebounding at 9.7 boards per game.

    Junior guard Laura Joya (6.3 ppg) and sophomore forward Malorie Kiecker (5.6 ppg) are the only other returning Bulldogs to average better than five points per game in 2007-08.             

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).

    Junior guard Skye Johnson was named the 2007-08 Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year and led the team in scoring at 9.5 points per game.  She will take over the primary ball-handling duties in 2008-09 after ranking second on the team with 99 assists (3.3 apg).  Johnson, who led the MVC with 82 steals, was also second on the team with 17 blocked shots and is just the fifth player in program history with 250 points, 75 assists, 75 rebounds and 70 steals in a season.

    Senior Kelly Krumwiede headlines a strong group of front court players.  She averaged 9.4 points and team-best 6.2 rebounds per game as a junior.  Krumwiede enters the season as the Braves active career leader in scoring and rebounding and needs 181 boards to become the sixth player in program history with 700 career rebounds. 

    Bradley lost two starters to graduation (Devyn Flanagan and Rachel Merriman) but returns 72 percent of the team's scoring and better than 70 percent of the team's rebounding from 2007-08.  BU is one of three teams in the Valley to return 70 percent of both its scoring and rebounding. 

    The Braves posted a 77-69 victory over Lewis University in the team's exhibition opener Sunday at Lorene Ramsey Gym.  Junior Jenny Van Kirk had 18 points and Krumwiede added 11 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in the win against the Flyers. 

Truman State Series

    Bradley and Truman State have met just once - an exhibition game prior to the 2006-07 season.  The Braves posted a 56-42 victory against the Bulldogs at Robertson Memorial Field House.  Kelly Krumwiede led Bradley with 15 points on 5-for-5 shooting and also added six rebounds, four assists and three steals.  The two teams have never played a regular-season game against each other.

The Coaches

    Paula Buscher (Missouri State, ?86) is in her ninth year at Bradley and has a record of 96-132 (.421) 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 139-170 (.450) 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.

    Michael Smith (Central Methodist ?96) is in his first year as head coach at Truman State.  Smith spent the previous two seasons at Arkansas-Little Rock, where he helped lead the Trojans to a combined 44-19 (.698) record and a WNIT appearance in 2007-08.  Prior to his stint at UALR, Smith was head coach at Moberly Area Community College.  He guided the Lady Greyhounds to a 102-34 (.750) record in his four seasons.

Last Time Out

    The Braves struggled in the early going of their exhibition opener Sunday against Lewis, hitting just 5-of-24 shots to open the game and fell behind by nine points.  Bradley heated up, making 13-of-21 shots to end the half as the Braves boasted a 37-33 halftime advantage.  Junior Jenny Van Kirk scored 11 of her team-high 18 points in the second half, helping BU extend the lead to as many as 11 points en route to the 77-69 victory.  Senior Kelly Krumwiede added 11 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, while freshman guard Michelle Lund scored 11 points and dished out six assists in her debut.

Bradley-Truman State Ties

    There are several connections between Bradley and Truman State.  Truman State senior forward Georgia Mueller is the younger sister of former Bradley standout Genny Mueller (2001-05), who finished her career as the Braves all-time leader in three-point field goals.  The Mueller sisters isn't the only connection between the two programs, however.  First-year Bradley Director of Women's Basketball Operations Marne Fauser is a 1998 Truman State graduate.  She was an assistant coach at Truman State for the previous eight seasons prior to coming to The Hilltop.  Georgia Mueller was a sophomore at Truman State and Fauser was in her seventh season as an assistant coach when the Bulldogs played an exhibition game against the Braves prior to the 2006-07 season.

Carver Arena

    The Bradley women's basketball team will take the court at Carver Arena for the first time since the 2004-05 season when the Braves take on Truman State in an exhibition game.  The women's team has played a total of 12 games at Carver Arena and boasts a 9-3 record at the facility.  Ninth-year head coach Paula Buscher has coached two games at Carver Arena, leading the Braves to victory both times.  Bradley's last game at Carver Arena was a 77-49 victory against Jackson State on Dec. 18, 2004.

Games At Carver Arena

Date         Opponent                           Score

12/5/84     Northeastern              W, 69-53 (ot)

12/15/84   Lewis                               W, 76-66

1/10/85     Southern Illinois                 L, 51-67

1/12/85     Eastern Illinois                  W, 85-73

1/16/86     Eastern Illinois                  W, 72-66

2/8/86       Wichita State                     W, 64-63

2/27/86     Valparaiso                        W, 86-60

2/27/86     Indiana State             L, 95-102 (ot)

12/31/96   Southern Illinois         W, 69-66 (ot)

2/5/2000   Southern Illinois                 L, 47-51

12/20/2000                                          Cornell      W, 58-55

12/18/04   Jackson State                   W, 77-49

Up Next

    The Braves open the regular season Saturday, Nov. 15 with a 2:05 p.m. game against Loyola-Chicago at Lorene Ramsey Gym.  Bradley is 19-14 all-time in season openers and boast a 14-5 record when opening the season at home.  The Braves own a 15-10 lead in the all-time series with the Ramblers.  Bradley has won each of the last four meetings with Loyola and 10 of the last 11 overall in the series.  The Braves will be playing Loyola in a season opener for the third time.  BU kicked off the 1991-92 season with a 93-84 double-overtime win against the Ramblers.  Loyola topped Bradley 79-75 to open the 1993-94 season.   The Braves are 8-3 in home games in the series and have not lost at home against Loyola since the 1993-94 season opener. 

Exhibition History

    Bradley has won 10 consecutive exhibition games dating back to the Braves trip to Western Europe in the summer of 2004 and boasts a perfect 9-0 record against college teams in exhibition play.  BU topped Quincy (72-57) and SIU-Edwardsville (69-66) last year in exhibition contests.  Bradley is 16-6 in exhibition games under ninth-year head coach Paula Buscher, which includes a 3-2 record during the European exhibition tour.

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 school's 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 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.  Sunday's game will be the only appearance for the Braves at Carver Arena this year.  Bradley will also play the Dec. 28 home game against Air Force at Richwoods High School. 

Freshmen Make Big Impact

    Sophomores Raisa Taylor and Sonya Harris had big impacts during their freshmen seasons.  Taylor averaged 6.6 points per game off the bench and led the team in free throws made and attempted, while Harris averaged 7.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in addition to leading the team in blocked shots (34) and field goal percentage (.555).  Taylor's 62 free throws made were the most by a Bradley freshman since Sarah Sommer made 66 ion 1999-2000 and ranks as the fifth best total by a BU freshman.  Harris was named Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week twice last year and her 34 blocked shots are the most by a BU freshman since Dena Williams turned back 52 shots as a freshman in 2001-02.  After both had slow starts to the year, Taylor averaged 10.4 points and shot 43 percent from the field over the final 13 games of the season, while Harris scored 10.2 per game on 57.6 percent shooting in addition to 8.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots per game over that same stretch. 

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.  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)

STEALS IN A SEASON (TEAM)

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 645 points and also ranks as the active career leader in rebounding with 519 career boards.  She needs 55 points and 81 rebounds to become just the 10th player with 700 points and 600 rebounds in a career and is just 53 rebounds short of cracking BU's career top 10.

REBOUNDS (CAREER)

Buscher Nears 100 Wins At BU

    Ninth-year Bradley head coach Paula Buscher is closing in on 100 career wins at BU, needing just four victories to become the second head coach in program history to reach the 100-win mark.  Buscher is 96-132 (.421) at Bradley and 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 will also mark the 400th win in program history. 

BRADLEY CAREER COACHING VICTORIES

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

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.

Krumwiede Poised To Climb Chart

    Senior forward Kelly Krumwiede ranks as the Braves active career scoring leader and will likely become the 30th player in program history to score 700 points.  She enters the season tied with Va'Nicia Waterman for 33rd on the Braves scoring chart with 645 points.  Krumwiede is 55 points from becoming the 30th player in school history to reach the 700-point mark and is the only player on the roster with more than 500 points.  Junior guard Skye Johnson is currently second among active players and 53rd in school history with 390 career points.

Bradley's All-Time Scoring List

21.      Maureen Hogan ? 1978-82              831

33.      Kelly Krumwiede ? 2005-               645