For Starters

    Bradley returns home for the final non-conference game of the season when Air Force visits for a Sunday afternoon tilt.  The game is the only regular-season home game not held at Illinois Central College as the two teams square off at head coach Paula Buscher's alma mater - Richwoods High School.  The Braves are coming off back-to-back wins and have claimed six of the last seven overall.  Air Force has lost three consecutive games and is looking for its first road win of the season.

About Air Force

    Air Force brings a 3-7 overall record into Sunday's game and will be attempting to end a three-game losing streak against the Braves.  The Falcons are 0-2 in road games with Sunday's contest marking just the second game Air Force has played outside the state of Colorado. 

    The Falcons returned nine of 16 letterwinners, including three starters from last year's squad which finished 10-19 overall and was seventh in the Mountain West Conference with a 4-12 league mark.  The Air Force roster includes nine underclassmen and features four players from the state of Illinois.

    Sophomore guard Raimee Beck leads the Falcons in scoring at 14.6 points per game and leads Air Force with 26 made three-pointers.  Beck is one of three players on the roster averaging more than 30 minutes per game, averaging 36.2 minutes per ball game and is shooting 38.2 percent from beyond the arc while ranking second on the team in rebounding at 6.7 boards per game. 

    Onarga, Ill., native Brooke Cultra is scoring 13.8 points per game and is shooting 91.4 percent from the free throw line in addition to leading the team in field goal percentage (43.6 percent).

    Senior center Kim Kreke, a Salem, Ill., native, is scoring 8.4 points per game and ranks among the national leaders in rebounding at 11.3 boards per game. 

    Air Force ranks as one of the top free throw shooting teams in the country, making an impressive 83.5 percent from the free throw line, but is averaging just 54.1 points per game.  The Falcons are shooting 36.7 percent from the field and 31.8 percent from beyond the arc.

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 scored in double figures in eight of 10 games this season and leads the Braves in scoring at 12.5 points per game.  Rogers is second in the Missouri Valley Conference in rebounding at 9.6 boards per game and has posted a team-best four double-doubles this season.

    Freshman guard Michelle Lund was named the MVC Newcomer of the Week for the week of Dec. 1 and is scoring 10.7 points per game.  The MVP of the Northern Arizona Thanksgiving Classic, she is dishing out 2.2 assists per game and ranks among the MVC leaders in three-point field goals per game (2.8) and three-point field goal percentage (.444).

    Junior guard Skye Johnson has taken over the primary ball-handling duties this year and is tossing in 8.9 points per game, while leading the team in assists (5.0 apg), blocks (1.6 bpg) and steals (2.2 spg).  Johnson joined Lund on the all-tournament team at the NAU Thanksgiving Classic.

    Sophomore Sonya Harris missed two games due to injury but has returned to the lineup to play in the last four contests and is now averaging 9.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game.

    BU has dominated the glass so far this season, outrebounding its opponents by 12 boards per game.  The Braves have outrebounded each of their first 10 opponents.  In addition to leading the MVC in rebounding, Bradley is tops in The Valley in three-point field goal percentage (37.7) a year removed from shooting 32.4 percent from beyond the arc last season.

The Coaches

    Paula Buscher (Missouri State, ?86) is in her ninth year at Bradley and has a record of 104-134 (.437) 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 147-172 (.461) 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.

    Ardie McInelly (Boise State ?82) is in her eighth year as head coach at Air Force and owns a 53-145 (.268) in her time at the school.  McInelly was head coach at Idaho State for five seasons prior to taking over the Falcons head coaching position and owns a 130-217 (.375) record in her 13 years as a collegiate head coach.

Series Records

    Bradley will be playing Air Force for the first time in program history.  In fact, Sunday's game will be the first time the Bradley women's basketball team has played one of the service academies.  

Last Time Out

    Bradley picked up its second road win of the season, topping Toledo 73-65 Monday night in Toledo, Ohio.  The Braves led by as many as 16 points in the second half, before the Rockets were able to cur BU's lead to four points with one minute to play.  Senior Monica Rogers scored four points and added a rebound and steal in the final 46 seconds of play to help the Braves to the 73-65 victory.  Freshman guard Michelle Lund made 3-of-4 three-point attempts and scored a team-high 13 points to lead five Bradley players in double figures.  Sonya Harris had 12 points and junior guard Skye Johnson added 11 points and five assists before both fouling out.  Senior Aseer Itiavkase scored a career-high 11 points off the bench and Rogers finished with 10 points and seven rebounds.  Bradley committed 27 turnovers, but shot 45.5 percent from the field, including 55.6 percent from beyond the three-point arc.

BU Against The Mountain West Conference

    Sunday's game will mark the first time Bradley has played a member of the Mountain West Conference.  The Braves are 1-1 all-time against current Mountain West Conference members with both games coming against then Western Athletic Conference member Utah.  Bradley lost 86-42 at Utah during the 1997-98 season and opened the 1998-99 campaign with a 58-57 home victory against the Utes at Roberson Memorial Field House.

Home Win Streak On The Line

    Despite not having a true home court to call their own, the Braves will be putting a six-game home win streak on the line when Bradley plays host to Air Force Sunday at Richwoods High School.  BU has won six consecutive home games, which includes the final two games played at Roberson Memorial Field House last season and the Braves own a eight-game home win streak against non-conference opponents.  In addition, Bradley has also won six consecutive home games against in-state non-conference opponents.  The Braves are 26-11 (.702) at home against non-conference opponents under head coach Paula Buscher.  The eight-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.  The six game home win streak is the longest since winning the first eight home games of the 2001-02 season.

Richwoods High School

    Sunday's game against Air Force will be the only regular-season contest Bradley will play in Peoria during the 2007-08 season.  The Braves will play 13 of 14 regular-season home dates at Illinois Central College's Lorene Ramsey Gym, but will use Richwoods High School for Sunday's scheduled home date against Air Force.  Richwoods will mark the fifth different facility the Bradley women's basketball team has used as a home court.  The Braves called Haussler Hall home when Bradley first starting sponsoring women's basketball at the intercollegiate level in 1975-76 and eventually used Robertson Memorial Field House as its home court.  In addition to using Lorene Ramsey Gym as home this season, Bradley has played 12 regular-season games and one exhibition contest at Carver Arena.  Bradley head coach Paula Buscher is a Richwoods High School graduate, where she played basketball and softball.

Braves Enjoy Ohio

    Bradley has made the most of its trip to the Buckeye State, owning a 5-3 record in games played in Ohio after Monday's 73-65 victory at Toledo.  The Braves had not played in Ohio since taking part in the 2004-05 Buckeye Classic in Columbus, Ohio.  BU has won five of its last seven games in Ohio.

Best Start Since 2001-02

    Bradley's 8-2 start to the season is tied for the second-best start to a season in program history and is the best start since opening the 2001-02 season with a 9-0 record.  The Braves started the 2001-02 campaign with nine consecutive victories for the best start in program history.  BU could tie the school mark for non-conference victories at nine with a win Sunday against Air Force and would match the 2001-02 and 1980-81 teams for the best 11-game record (9-2) to start a season.   

Year       Start   Final Record MVC Record

2008-09  8-2      ??                  ??

2001-02  11-2    16-12              7-11

1980-81  10-2    19-8                N/A

Harris Moves Into Top 10 For Blocks

    Sophomore Sonya Harris recorded a block in her fourth consecutive game Monday at Toledo to take over sole possession of 10th place on Bradley's career blocked shots list.  Harris is currently second in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 1.8 blocked shots per game average.  She needs three rejections to move into a tie for eighth place all time with Sara Bailey and Lynn Pastucha.  Below is a list of Bradley's top 10 in career blocked shots.

BRADLEY CAREER BLOCKED SHOTS LEADERS

Freshman Bomber

    Freshman guard Michelle Lund has been the Braves top outside shooter through the first nine games of the season.  Lund has made 44.4 percent of her three-point attempts (28-for-63) on the year and leads the MVC in three-point field goals.  Her 28 three-pointers is already tied for the second 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 two trey's to pass last season's team leader and needs five makes from beyond the arc to break Genny Mueller's freshman record of 33 made three-pointers.

3-Point Field Goals By A Freshman

Four-Game Road Swing Ends

    Bradley closed out a season-long four-game road swing with the loss at Missouri, finishing the stretch with a 3-1 record.  Bradley has not had a winning record on a four-game road swing since starting the 2001-02 season with four wins away from home.  BU has had a four-game regular-season road swing or longer 18 times including this year's swing, with the last time coming during the 2005-06 season.  The Braves have posted a winning record seven of the 18 times BU has had four or more consecutive games away from home.

Pounding The Boards

    One area the Braves have been dominating this season has been in rebounding.  Bradley has outrebounded each of its first nine opponents this season and is averaging +12.0 boards per game.  The closest an opponent has gotten to BU on the glass was seven rebounds last outing at Toledo.  Bradley leads the Missouri Valley Conference in both rebounding and rebounding margin.

Second City Is Second Home For Braves

    Bradley posted a 71-53 victory against Illinois Dec. 6 at the United Center in Chicago, ending a five-game Illinois win streak in games played in the facility.  Chicago has been a bit of a second home for the Braves over the years.  BU is 7-3 all-time in Chicago under head coach Paula Buscher and the Braves are 24-15 (.615) all-time in the “Second City”.  The Braves 18-point win against Illinois is the worst loss for the Illini in games played at the United Center.

Defending Her Title

    Junior guard Skye Johnson is making an early big to repeat as Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year.  Johnson currently ranks among the league leaders in both steals and blocked shots after leading the MVC with 82 steals last season.  She currently leads the Braves in steals (22) and blocked shots (16).  Her 16 blocks on the year is just one short of her season total of 17 from last year.  Averaging 1.6 blocked shots per game, she is fourth in the MVC in blocked shots per game and also ranks fourth in the Valley in steals per game.

Braves Love The Charity Stripe

    Bradley made Illinois pay from the charity stripe, making 14-of-15 free throw attempts in BU's 71-53 victory against the Illini.  The 93.3 percent free throw shooting is the eighth-best effort in school history and best performance from the line since making 10-for-10 from the stripe against Illinois State on March 9, 2007.  The Braves have struggled from the line in home games, however, shooting just 63.9 percent from the free throw line in four home games.  Bradley has shot 78.1 percent from the stripe in the five games played away from Peoria.

Skye Johnson Earns Trio Of Honors

    Junior guard Skye Johnson was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 8, marking the first time a Bradley player earned the award since Jen Brown in February 2007.  In addition she was also selected as the MVC's and Bradley's Scholar-Athletes of the Week.  Johnson turned in one of the best all-around performances of her career, helping Bradley to a 71-53 victory against in-state foe Illinois at the United Center.  Johnson, who had just one turnover in the game, had 13 points and matched a career-best nine assists against the Illini.  She also collected four steals and recorded a career-high four blocked shots.  Johnson had five points, two boards, five assists, three blocks and three steals in the first half, helping Bradley to a 40-27 lead at the break. 

Braves Win NAU Thanksgiving Classic

    The Braves won both games at the Northern Arizona Thanksgiving Classic in Flagstaff, Ariz., topping tournament-host NAU (83-66) and preseason Big West Conference favorite UC Riverside (59-56) to win the tournament title.  Bradley won an in-season tournament for the first time since claiming the Dead River Classic in Orono, Maine, in 2001-02 in addition to snapping a five-game neutral site losing streak with the wins.  The Braves are now 4-0 all-time in the state of Arizona, having also claimed the tournament title at the Sun Devil Classic in Tempe, Ariz., during the 1996-97 season.

Lund Named MVC Newcomer of the Week

    Freshman guard Michelle Lund was named the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week for the week of Dec. 1 after averaging 15.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game to help Bradley to a 3-0 record.  The tournament MVP at the NAU Thanksgiving Classic, Lund made 11-of-20 (55 percent) from beyond the arc last week.  She opened the week with a 22-point, six-assist effort in the Braves win against in-state foe Northern Illinois.  Lund made 5-of-9 three-point attempts and led the Braves in both scoring and assists against the Huskies.  She scored 11 points, all in the second half, in BU's first road win of the year at Northern Arizona.  She concluded the week with team-highs of 13 points, four assists and three steals to go along with five rebounds in Bradley's win against Big West Conference preseason favorite UC Riverside in the championship game of the NAU Thanksgiving Classic. 

Buscher Gets 100th Win Against Familiar Foe

    Ninth-year Bradley head coach Paula Buscher picked up her 100th win as head coach of the Braves Friday against Northern Arizona and earned the milestone victory against a familiar face.  Northern Arizona head coach Laurie Kelly was a graduate assistant under Buscher at Minnesota State-Mankato.  Buscher is second in school history with 104 wins, needing just 21 victories to pass Lisa Boyer.  Boyer was 124-149 (.4]54) as Bradley head coach from 1986-87 through the 1995-96 season.  Buscher's 100th win at Bradley also marked the 400th win in program history. 

BRADLEY CAREER COACHING VICTORIES

All-Tournament Honors

    Freshman guard Michelle Lund was named MVP of the Northern Arizona Thanksgiving Classic in Flagstaff, Ariz., and was joined on the all-tournament team by her backcourt mate; junior guard Skye Johnson.  Lund averaged 12.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals while hitting 6-of-11 three-point attempts in the two games.  Johnson tossed in 9.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 blocked shots per game while shooting 53 percent from the field. 

Bench Coming Up Big

    Bradley's reserves played a big role in the Braves wins against Northern Arizona and UC Riverside and have been a big part of BU's success this season.  The bench combined for 64 points (32.0 points per game) in the two games in Flagstaff, Ariz., on 50 percent shooting, while the starters averaged 37.5 points per game and shot 46.7 percent from the field.  Freshman Leah Kassing and MacKenzie Westcott each scored then season highs of 11 points off the bench against Northern Arizona and combined to go a perfect 9-for-9 from the field.   BU's reserves have outscored their counterparts in eight of 10 games this season and have outdone the opponents' reserves by an average margin of +9.0 points per game.

Braves End Several Streaks

    Several streaks came to an end for the Braves with the pair of wins at the Northern Arizona Thanksgiving Classic.  Bradley ended a four-game losing streak in 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 also picked up its first non-conference road win outside the state of Illinois since the 2004-05 campaign.  The Braves had lost five consecutive non-conference road games outside of the Land of Lincoln dating back to an 86-56 road win at Saint Louis on Dec. 21, 2004.  The win against UC Riverside in the championship game also snapped a four-game losing skid in games played at neutral sites.

Nationally Ranked

    The Braves rank as one of the top rebounding team's in the country according to the NCAA National Statistics through games of Dec. 21.  Bradley was seventh in the nation in rebounding margin at +12.6 boards per game prior to Monday's game at Toledo.  BU also ranks 49th in the country in blocked shots and was 50th in assister per game before the game against the Rockets.  Senior forward Monica Rogers is ranked 33rd in the latest National Leaders report from the NCAA in rebounds per game (9.9) and freshman Michelle Lund is in the top 50 in two different statistical categories.  In addition to ranking 45th nationally in three-point field goal percentage (.423), she is 23rd in three-point field goals per game (2.8).  Junior guard Skye Johnson is ranked 44th in the country in assists, dishing out 5.0 per tilt.

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 43.9 rebounds per game.  BU boasts a +12.0 average rebounding margin and has hauled down 15.4 offensive boards per contest.  Senior Monica Rogers is second in the MVC in rebounding at 9.7 and is one of four Bradley players averaging five or more rebounds per outing.

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 25-14 (.641) against in-state non-conference opponents under ninth-year head coach Paula Buscher.  BU is 42-30 (.583) 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.

Up Next

    Bradley will open Missouri Valley Conference play Friday at Wichita State.  The Shockers won the last meeting between the two teams in Wichita, Kan., and hold a slim 26-25 lead in the all-time series.  Bradley is 9-16 in road games against Wichita State.  The Braves have won two of the last three meetings overall and five of the last eight.  Bradley is 10-6 vs. Wichita State under ninth-year head coach Paula Buscher, with five of the six losses coming in games played in Wichita, Kan.

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 4-0 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.  She currently leads the team in steals (20) and is second in blocked shots (16), ranking among the MVC's top 10 in both categories.

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 687 points and also ranks as the active career leader in rebounding with 553 career boards.  She needs 13 points and 47 rebounds to become just the 10th player with 700 points and 600 rebounds in a career and is just 20 boards short of cracking BU's career top 10.

REBOUNDS (CAREER)

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.  Junior Jenny Van Kirk will be blogging throughout the 2008-09 season on the Bradley Athletics website at www.bradleybraves.com