PEORIA, Ill. ?
Sophomore guard
Skye Johnson (Olympia Fields, Ill./Marian Catholic) earned a spot on the Missouri Valley Conference all-defensive team announced the league office Wednesday. Johnson is the fifth player in program history to earn all-defensive team honors and the first since Rasheeda Love in 2002-03.
An honorable mention MVC Scholar-Athlete, Johnson heads into the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament with a league-best 82 steals and is just the second player in program history with more than 80 steals in a season. Bradley's top scorer at 9.4 points per game, she is second on the team in blocked shots (17) and averaged better than three steals per game in Missouri Valley Conference play.
Johnson has 10 outings this season with four or more steals, including a career-best eight steals against Creighton. Her eight steals against the Bluejays were the most steals by a Bradley player since the 2003-04 season and is tied for the fifth best single-game performance in school history.
She has helped the Braves force a league-best 20.1 turnovers per game and Bradley's 317 steals on the season are the most since the 1986-87 season. Johnson needs five steals to break the Bradley season record of 86 steals set by Kathy Stokes during the 1979-80 campaign. Over the last five games, she has averaged 11.0 points, 4.6 assists and 3.8 steals per game.
The only underclassman named to the MVC's all-defensive team, she was joined by Evansville junior guard Ashley Austin, Illinois State junior guard Kristi Cirone, Southern Illinois junior guard Erica Smith and Indiana State senior center Laura Rudolphi.
Johnson joins Tammy Van Oppen (1996-97), Heather Best (1998-99), Lora Weber (2001-02) and Rasheeda Love (2002-03) as the only players in program history to earn a spot on the Valley's All-Defensive squad. Each of the previous four Braves to earn the honor did so during their senior year on The Hilltop.
Bradley returns to action Thursday when the Braves face Southern Illinois at 6:05 in the first round of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at the Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo.
