For Starters

    Bradley will try to end a three-game losing streak Friday, when I-74 rival and preseason Missouri Valley Conference favorite Illinois State visits Lorene Ramsey Gym for a 7:05 p.m. game.  The game against the Redbirds will be televised in the Peoria area on WTVP Channel 47 and will also be available on the radio on 1470 AM WMBD.  The Braves have played just two home games in the month of January and 10 of the last 14 games away from home.  BU (13-5 overall, 4-3 MVC) is 7-0 at home this season and boasts a nine-game home win streak.  Illinois State (15-4 overall, 6-1 MVC) is tied for first in the Valley standings with Indiana State and has won 13 of its last 14 games, including each of the last four games.

About Illinois State

    The unanimous preseason favorite to win the Valley title, Illinois State is the hottest team in the MVC, having won four straight and 13 of the last 14 overall.  ISU is 15-4 overall and tied with Indiana State atop the Valley standings with a 6-1 conference record.  

    The Redbirds returned 10 of 14 letterwinners, including four starters from last year's team which finished 26-7 overall and earned a share of the MVC regular-season title with a 13-5 league mark.  Illinois State also claimed the State Farm MVC Tournament title and received The Valley's automatic bid to last season's NCAA Tournament.

    Leading the charge for the Redbirds is two-time MVC Player of the Year Kristi Cirone.  The senior guard leads The Valley in scoring (18.7 ppg) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.3), while ranking second in the league in assists (6.0 apg), steals (2.3 spg) and three-point field goal percentage (.459). 

    Washington, Ill., native Maggie Krick is playing with a fractured hand and is currently averaging 11.9 points per game, while sophomore Shala Jackson is also scoring in double figures at 10.0 points per contest.

    Junior center Nicolle Lewis leads the Redbirds in rebounding at 6.7 boards per game and is averaging 9.6 points per game in addition to a 2.2 blocked shots per game average.

    Illinois State leads the MVC in scoring (74.9 ppg), scoring margin (+13.1 ppg), field goal percentage (.455), field goal percentage defense (.361), assists (16.4 apg) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.1). 

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 10 of 17 games she has played in this season and leads the team in scoring at 10.9 points per game, while ranking third in the MVC in rebounding at 7.8 boards per game.  Rogers missed the Dec. 28 home game against Air Force, but has started 15 of the 17 games she has played in and has posted a team-best six double-doubles this season.

    Freshman guard Michelle Lund has been named MVC Newcomer of the Week three times this season and is second in scoring at 10.3 points per game.

She is third on the team in assists (1.9 apg) and is shooting 42.5 percent from three-point range.  Lund has already surpassed the Bradley freshman record for three-pointers with her 51 triples and ranks in the top 10 nationally in three-point field goals per game.

    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 (5.7 apg) and steals (2.1 spg).  The 2007-08 MVC Defensive Player of the Year is also averaging 1.2 blocks per tilt.

    Sophomore Sonya Harris missed two games due to injury but has returned to the lineup to play in the last 11 contests and is now averaging 9.9 points, 7.6 rebounds.  Harris leads the MVC in blocked shots (2.4 bpg) and also ranks second in The Valley in field goal percentage (.522) and fourth in rebounding (7.6 rpg).

    BU has dominated the glass so far this season, outrebounding its opponents by better than eight boards per game and ranks 16th in the nation in rebounding margin through games of Jan. 25.  The Braves have outrebounded 15 of 18 opponents this season.  In addition to leading the MVC in rebounding margin, Bradley is second in The Valley in three-point field goal percentage (37.2) a year removed from shooting 32.4 percent from beyond the arc.

The Coaches

    Paula Buscher (Missouri State, ?86) is in her ninth year at Bradley and has a record of 109-137 (.443) 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 152-175 (.465) 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.

    Robin Pingeton (St. Ambrose ?90) is in her sixth season as head coach at Illinois State and 14th overall as a collegiate head coach.  The 2004 Rawlings Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year, she has an 104-69 (.601) record at Illinois State.  She has led Illinois State to the postseason in three of the last four years, including a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances.

Illinois State Series

    Bradley returns home to face I-74 rival and preseason MVC favorite Illinois State Friday at Lorene Ramsey Gym.  The Braves will try to end a six-game losing streak in the series with the Redbirds.  Illinois State holds a 40-23 lead in the all-time series with Bradley.  The Braves are 13-17 in home games in the series, but have won six of the last eight home contests in the series.  BU is 7-10 against Illinois State under head coach Paula Buscher.  Illinois State's current six-game win streak against the Braves is tied for the longest streak in the all-time series.

Last Time Out

    Bradley suffered its third consecutive loss, falling 61-46 at Creighton to conclude a three-game Missouri Valley Conference road swing.  The Braves shot a season-low 30.6 percent from the field and were outrebounded for the third time in the last four games as they scored a season-low 46 points.  Junior guard Renee Frericks scored a season-high 16 points off the bench, connecting on 4-of-8 three-pointers.  Bradley went a stretch of 10:21 without a field goal, but trailed by just seven points (43-36) with nine minutes to play.  Creighton's Chevelle Herring scored eight consecutive points to highlight an 11-1 CU run which put the game out of reach. 

Tough Stretch

    The Braves welcome co-league leaders Illinois State and Indiana State to Lorene Ramsey Gym for a brief two-game homestand.  Both Illinois State and Indiana State are tied for first place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings a 6-1.  The Redbirds own the best record in The Valley at 15-4 overall, while Sunday's Indiana State game (10-8 overall) will mark the third consecutive game for BU against a team in the top 100 according to collegerpi.com.

Red Out Set For Friday's Game vs. ISU

    Friday's game against I-74 rival Illinois State will be a Red Out, with the first 1,000 fans through the doors receiving a free t-shirt.  Limited tickets are still available.  Fans should contact the Bradley Athletics Ticket Office at (309) 677-2625 to purchase tickets.

Braves Look To End Losing Skid

    Bradley returns home from a three-game Missouri Valley Conference road swing with its first losing streak of the season, having lost the three games.  The Braves opened the season with a 13-2 record and had not lost back-to-back games since losing four consecutive games last February.  BU had not gone into January without back-to-back losses since the 1995-96. 

More On The I-74 Series

    Friday's game between I-74 rivals Bradley and Illinois State will be the 64th all-time meeting.  The series is the most played in program history for the Braves.  The second-most played series in program history is the Missouri State series with 58 all-time meetings.  BU is 13-17 at home against the Redbirds.  ISU holds a 33-17 lead in regular-season conference meetings.  Illinois State's current six-game win streak in the series is tied for the longest by either program.  The Redbirds won six consecutive games from 1983-84 through the 1985-86 season.  Bradley's longest win streak in the series is five games.  The two teams have met at least twice each season since the 1975-76 campaign, minus the 1980-81 (one meeting), 1981-82 (no meetings) and 1982-83 (no meetings) seasons.

Home, Sweet Home

    Bradley opened the season with three of the first four games at home ending with a Nov. 25 home game Northern Illinois.  In the two months since that stretch, the Braves have played just four home games with two home dates in December and two in January.  BU's seven home games is tied for the second-lowest in the MVC.  Only Southern Illinois, which plays its seventh home game of 2008-09 on Thursday, has played fewer games on its home court. 

Home Win Streak At Nine

    Despite not having a true home court to call their own, the Braves have had no trouble winning on whichever court has served as Bradley's home court so far this season.  BU is 6-0 at Illinois Central College and 1-0 at Richwoods High School, pushing the Braves home win streak to nine games.  The nine-game home win streak is the longest since winning 10 consecutive home contests between the 1980-81 and 1981-82 seasons and is the third longest home winning streak in program history.  Bradley is one of two MVC teams undefeated at home this season.  Illinois State and the Braves both own identical 7-0 home records in 2008-09.

Dishing The Rock

    With at least 12 games remaining in the season, junior guard Skye Johnson has already dished out a career-high 103 assists and currently ranks third in the MVC in assists per game (5.7).  Johnson, who had a career-best 11 assists at Drake last Friday, is just the sixth junior in school history to dish out 100 assists in a season.  Skye is averaging 6.6 assists per game over the last eight contests and needs 45 assists to move into 10th on Bradley's career assist chart.  She is the first player to dish out 10 assists in at least two games in the same season since Jen Brown had four 10-assist outings in 2004-05. 

Harris With The Block

    Sophomore Sonya Harris leads the MVC in blocked shots, averaging 2.4 per tilt.  Her 38 blocked shots this season rank as the third best total by a BU sophomore and Harris is just one block short of moving into Bradley's top 10 season totals.  The sophomore currently ranks seventh in school history with 72 career rejections and needs 15 blocked shots to pass Tami Van Galder for sixth place at Bradley.  Below is a list of Bradley's career blocked shots leaders.

BRADLEY CAREER BLOCKED SHOTS LEADERS

BRADLEY BLOCKED SHOTS BY A SOPHOMORE

Up Next

    The Braves close out a two-game Valley homestand Sunday with a 2:05 p.m. game against co-league leader Indiana State.  Bradley trails the all-time series with Sycamores 35-19, but ended an eight-game losing streak in the series with a 62-50 home win in the last meeting.  BU is 12-14 all-time in home games against Indiana State.  The Braves are 3-14 against the Sycamores under head coach Paula Buscher. 

Win Streak Ends At Seven

    Bradley had its season-long seven-game win streak snapped with a 76-92 loss at Northern Iowa to open a three-game MVC road swing.  The seven-game win streak tied for the third longest in program history and was the longest win streak since the Braves opened the 2001-02 season with a school-record nine consecutive victories.  Bradley has two win streaks of four games or more this season, marking the first time BU has had two win streaks of four or more games in the same season since the 1981-82 campaign. 

Year              Win Streak         Final Record

2001-02        9                          16-12

1981-82        8                          19-8

2008-09        7                          ??                    

1996-97        7                          16-12   

Braves Open Valley Play With 4-0 Mark

    Bradley opened Missouri Valley Conference play with four consecutive wins, marking the first 4-0 start to league play in program history.  The 4-0 start surpassed two previous 3-0 starts (1990-91 & 1988-89) to conference play.  Prior to the loss at UNI, Bradley had won five consecutive regular-season Missouri Valley Conference games dating back to last season's 79-63 home win against UNI in the regular-season finale, marking the first five-game win streak in regular season conference games in program history. 

Year       MVC Start            Final MVC Record    Place

2008-09 4-0           

1990-91 3-0            9-9                               T5th

1988-89 3-0            6-12                               6th

13-5 Starts

    Despite the Braves current three-game losing streak, Bradley is still off to one of the best starts in program history.  In fact the 13-5 record is tied for the second best start through 18 games in school history, second only to the 1981-82 team's 14-4 start.  BU has not opened a season with a 13-5 mark since the 2001-02 season and have just six seasons in which the squad opened with 13 victories in the first 18 games.    The Braves have already surpassed last season's win total and the 13 victories are the most since the 2004-05 team finished 15-13 overall.  BU's four road wins are the most since 2004-05 when Bradley finished 7-6 in road contests. 

13-5 Starts

Year       Start   Final Record MVC Record

1981-82  14-4    19-8                N/A

2008-09  13-5    ??                  4-3

2001-02  13-5    16-12              2-5

1980-81  13-5    19-8                N/A

1979-80  13-5    20-9                N/A

1977-78  13-5    14-5                N/A

Road Warriors

    The Braves opened Missouri Valley Conference play with five of their first seven league games on the road.  Bradley is 4-5 in true road games and 6-3 away from home, including two neutral site victories.  The six wins away from home are second only to preseason MVC favorite Illinois State's eight wins (five road and three neutral).

Blocking The Night Away

    Sophomore Sonya Harris is averaging 3.3 blocked shots per game in Missouri Valley Conference play and has already passed her season total from 2007-08.  Harris has had four blocked shots in three of the last four games and has helped the Braves to a league-best 5.2 blocks per game this season.  Bradley's 94 blocked shots on the year is already the eighth best season total in school history and just two blocks short of the team's total from 2007-08.  BU is on pace to finish the regular-season with a school-record 151 blocked shots.  Bradley's current record is 134 blocks set by the 2004-05 squad.

Turnovers Are Key

    Turnovers have been a key stat for the Braves this season.    BU is committing 21.3 turnovers per game and forcing 17.8 opponent turnovers per contest.  While the Braves do a slightly better job of handling the ball in wins (20.8 turnovers per game) compared to losses (22.4 turnovers per game), the telling stat has been opponent turnovers.  BU has forced an average of 19.5 opponent turnovers in 13 victories this season, but just 13.2 turnovers in the five losses.  Foes have committed 15 or less turnovers in each of the five losses this season and BU is just 3-5 when forcing 15 or less turnovers in a game.

Balanced Attack

    One of the reasons for the Braves success this season has been its balanced attack.  BU has six players averaging 5.7 points per game or more and have had an impressive 13 different players score in double figures in at least one game in 2008-09.  The Braves have had three or more players in double figures in all but four games this season, with three of those outings resulting in losses.  Freshman walk-on Darcel Retreage is the only player who has seen action this year who has not scored in double figures. 

Battle Of The Boards

    Bradley dominated the glass early this season, outrebounding each of the first 14 opponents and boasted one of the top rebounding margins in the nation at +12.1 boards per game during that stretch.  The Braves have been outrebounded by three of the last four opponents, however, and have a -4.5 rebounding margin over that time. 

Lund Sets Underclassmen 3FG Mark

    Freshman guard Michelle Lund had already surpassed the school record for three-pointers by a freshman in the Braves Missouri Valley Conference opener at Wichita State, but the sharp-shooting guard has also set the mark for three-point field goals by an underclassmen.  Andrea McAllister hit 43 three-pointers as a sophomore in 1989-90 to set the underclassmen record.  Lund, whose 51 three-pointers is tied for 11th among Valley freshman all-time, is eighth in the nation in three-point field goals per game (2.8 per game).  She is shooting 42.5 percent (51-for-120) from beyond the arc.  Lund is the first freshman in school history to hit more than five three-pointers in a game, knocking down six trey's on two occasions.

3-Point Field Goals By A Freshman (MVC)

Lund Earns Third Newcomer of the Week Award

    Freshman guard Michelle Lund has earned Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week honors three times this season.  She is the first Bradley player to win MVC Newcomer of the Week three times and is second only to Missouri State's Casey Garrison in the league this season, who has earned MVC Newcomer of the Week four times.

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 Jan. 25.  Bradley is 16th in the nation in rebounding margin at +8.4 boards per game.  After ranking sixth in the MVC in three-point field goal percentage last year, Bradley enters this week's play in 19th place in the nation in three-point field goal percentage at 37.2 percent from beyond the arc.  As a team, Bradley is 17th nationally in blocked shots (5.2 bpg) and 30th in assists (15.8 apg).  Through Sunday's games, freshman guard Michelle Lund is eighth in the country in three-point field goals per game (2.8 per contest) and also ranked 22nd nationally in three-point field goal percentage (42.5 percent).  Junior guard Skye Johnson is ranked 16th in the country in assists per game (5.7 apg) while sophomore Sonya Harris is 23rd in blocked shots (2.4 per game) in the latest national leaders report.

Non-Conference Streaks

    Bradley went undefeated in five non-conference home games this season, extending the Braves home win streak against non-conference foes to nine games.   The nine-game non-conference home win streak is the longest since Bradley joined the Gateway Conference for the 1983-84 season.  In addition, Bradley has also won seven consecutive home games against in-state non-conference opponents.  The Braves are 27-11 (.711) at home against non-conference opponents under head coach Paula Buscher. 

Braves Tie School Mark For Non-Conference Wins

    Bradley finished the non-conference portion of the schedule with a Missouri Valley Conference best 9-2 record and matched the school mark for non-conference victories.  The nine victories is tied for the most non-conference wins for the Braves since joining the Gateway Conference for the 1983-84 season.  Bradley finished the 2001-02 non-conference slate with a perfect 9-0 record.

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 bid 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 (38) and is second in blocked shots (21).  Her 21 blocks on the year is already a career high.  Johnson is tied for third in the MVC in steals and is sixth in The Valley in blocked shots per game.  She is one of two players to rank in the top 10 in the MVC in both steals and blocks. 

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 then 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.  Freshman guard Michelle Lund was named the tournament MVP and junior guard Skye Johnson joined Lund on the all-tournament team.

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 109 wins, needing just 16 victories to pass Lisa Boyer.  Boyer was 124-149 (.454) 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

Bench Coming Up Big

    Bradley's reserves have also been a big reason for the Braves success this season.  BU's reserves are averaging 24.4 points per game and have outscored their counterparts by an average margin of +9.2 points per contest.  Bradley's bench has outscored the opponent's reserves in 14 of 18 games, and boasts a 12-2 record when BU's reserves out score the opponents.  The Braves are 1-3 when the bench fails to outscore the opponents reserves.  In the victories this season, BU's bench has averaged 25.6 points per game and boasted a +12.5 margin.  In the losses, Bradley's reserves are scoring 21.4 points per game, but have outscored the opponents reserves by an average margin of +0.6 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.

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 is now 3-5 when losing at halftime after erasing a four-point halftime deficit against Evansville on Jan. 11.  BU trailed Loyola by 11 points at the break in the season opener, before coming 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, currently ranking first in The Valley at 41.7 rebounds per game.  In addition to the impressive +8.4 average rebound margin, Bradley is averaging 14.9 offensive boards per contest despite owning the second best field goal percentage in the league.  Senior Monica Rogers is third in the MVC in rebounding at 7.8 per game and is one of three Bradley players averaging 5.0 or more rebounds per outing.  BU is the only school in the conference to have three players ranked in the top 10 in offensive rebounds per game. 

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 44-30 (.595) against in-state foes during Buscher's tenure, which includes an 19-16 mark against Illinois State and Southern Illinois.

Lund Starts Season Opener

    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.

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 Away From 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, and own a 7-0 record at home this season which includes a 6-0 mark at Lorene Ramsey Gym and a 1-0 record at Richwoods High School.

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 30th player in school history to score 700 points, Krumwiede is the Braves active career scoring leader with 705 points and also ranks as the active career leader in rebounding with 571 career boards.  She needs 29 rebounds to become just the 10th player with 700 points and 600 rebounds in a career and is just two boards short of taking over 10th place in career rebounding at BU.

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