For Starters

   Bradley (18-6 overall, 9-4 MVC) has won five straight games and has the most since the 1981-82 season heading into Saturday's game against Drake.  Saturday's game concludes a season-long three-game homestand for the Braves and will also be Bradley's annual Pink Zone game with proceeds benefitting the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation.  Drake (16-9 overall, 10-4) has a half-game lead on the Braves in the Valley standings and has won four of its last five games overall.  The Bulldogs are 6-7 in road games this season, but own a 4-3 record in Missouri Valley Conference road tilts.

 

About Drake

   One of the best defensive teams in the Missouri Valley Conference, Drake leads the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring defense, giving up a league-low 57.6 points per game, while ranking third in scoring at 62.2 points per contest.

  Picked to finish third in the preseason Missouri Valley Conference poll, the Bulldogs returned nine of 13 letterwinners, including three starters from last year's squad which finished 23-11 and won a share of the regular-season Valley title with a 13-5 league mark.

   Junior guard Jodann Plummer leads Drake in scoring at 13.0 points per game and also leads the team in assists (2.3 apg) and steals (1.5 spg). 

   Sophomore guard Kristin Turk is adding 11.4 points per contest and leads the Bulldogs in three-point attempts (5.52 per game).  Turk does the bulk of her damage inside the arc, however, shooting 51.3 percent on two-point attempts. 

   Senior forward Lauren Dybing contributes 8.9 points per game and leads the team with 26 blocked shots.  Junior forward Monique' Jones leads the Bulldogs in rebounding (5.3 per game)

   The Bulldogs have limited MVC foes to 56.2 points per game and rank second in The Valley in field goal percentage defense (.380). 

   Drake is seventh in the MVC in three-point field goal percentage (.295), but has taken the fewest three-pointers in The Valley this season (11.9 per game) and joins Illinois State and Bradley as the only three teams in the MVC shooting better than 44 percent inside 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 15 of 23 games she has played in this season and leads the team in scoring at 12.2 points per game, while ranking fourth in the MVC in rebounding at 7.9 boards per game.  Rogers missed the Dec. 28 home game against Air Force, but has started 21 of the 23 games she has played in and has posted a team-best seven double-doubles this season.

   Sophomore Sonya Harris missed two games due to injury but has returned to the lineup to play in the last 16 contests and is now averaging 10.0 points and 8.5 rebounds.  Harris leads the MVC in blocked shots (2.8 bpg) and also ranks third in The Valley in rebounding. 

   Freshman guard Michelle Lund has been named MVC Newcomer of the Week three times this season and is third in scoring 9.7 points per game.  She is second on the team in assists (2.0 apg) and is shooting 40.7 percent from three-point range.  Lund has already surpassed the Bradley freshman record for three-pointers with her 61 triples and ranks 24th 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 8.0 points per game, while leading the team in assists (6.3 apg) and steals (2.3 spg).  The 2007-08 MVC Defensive Player of the Year is also averaging 1.3 blocks per tilt.

   BU has dominated the glass so far this season, outrebounding its opponents by better than seven boards per game and ranks 14th in the nation in rebounding margin through games of Feb. 19.  The Braves have outrebounded 18 of 24 opponents this season.  In addition to leading the MVC in rebounding margin, Bradley is second in The Valley in field goal percentage (.434) and second in the league in three-point field goal percentage (37.7) 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 114-138 (.452) 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 157-176 (.471) career record and is in her 12th year as a collegiate head coach.  She is the second winningest coach in school history and this year's 18 victories are the most for the Braves since the 1981-82 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.

   Amy Stephens (Nebraska ?91) is in her sixth year as head coach at Drake and 14th season as a collegiate head coach.  She has led the Bulldogs to a 100-81 (.552) record in her time in Des Moines, Iowa, and three consecutive postseason appearances.  Stephens owns a 297-124 (.705) career record, which includes eight seasons as head coach at Nebraska-Kearney.

 

Drake Series

   The Braves conclude their season-long three-game homestand Saturday afternoon against Drake.  The Bulldogs hold a 43-11 in the all-time series after topping Bradley 71-51 in Des Moines, Iowa, last month.  The Braves a 7-18 in home games against Drake after falling to the Bulldogs 77-63 last season.  Bradley is 3-17 against Drake under head coach Paula Buscher.

 

Last Time Out

   Bradley ended Creighton's 11-game win streak with a 75-67 victory against the Bluejays Thursday night.  After a sluggish start to the contest for the Braves, Creighton built a nine-point halftime lead before Bradley used a run to take a 34-33 lead into the break.  The Braves outscored the Bluejays 29-11 to open the second half and build a 63-44 lead with 8:30 to play.  Creighton hit five three-pointers in the next seven minutes to go on a 20-6 run and pull to within five points (69-64) with 1:35 to play.  Sonya Harris made a free throw and a Monica Rogers basket helped put the game out of reach as the Braves held on for the 75-67 win.  Harris had 16 points, 15 rebounds and six blocks, while Rogers had 20 points and eight rebounds to help pace the Braves.

 

Pink Zone Game

   Saturday's home game against Drake will be the sixth annual Pink Zone game for the Braves with proceeds from the contest going toward the Susan G. Komen For The Cure Foundation.  Breast cancer survivors will receive free admission and be recognized at halftime.  Bradley will wear pink uniforms and head coach Paula Buscher will be pledging $25 toward the Komen Foundation for every Bradley three-pointer.  The Braves have helped raise nearly $40,000 over the past five seasons.  For more information or to donate please call (309) 677-3617.

 

More On The Pink Zone

   Bradley head coach Paula Buscher is once again extending an invitation for anyone to join her in pledging $25 per BU three-pointer for the Susan G. Komen For The Cure Foundation.  The Braves have been more than up to Coach Buscher's challenge during the previous five events, making 34-for-75 (45.3 percent) from beyond the arc.  As of Friday afternoon, the Braves have received pledges for $275 per three-pointer.  For more information or to pledge either per Bradley trey or a flat amount please call (309) 677-3617.

 

 

Tough Stretch

   While the Braves will wrap up a season-long three-game homestand Saturday against Drake, Bradley is also in the middle of arguably the toughest stretch of the season.  The game against Drake marks the second of three consecutive games against teams ahead of the Braves in the MVC standings.  Bradley took over sole possession of fourth place in The Valley standings with Thursday's 75-67 win against second-place Creighton and play host to third-place Drake Saturday.  The Braves conclude the stretch against league-leading Illinois Thursday in Normal, Ill.  Illinois State, Creighton and Drake have a combined 53-22 (.707) record on the season, including a 33-8 (.805) mark against MVC teams.

 

The Skye's The Limit

   Junior guard Skye Johnson dished out her 150th assist and also collected her 30th blocked shot of the season Thursday night against Creighton.  Johnson, who also ranks among the top five in The Valley in steals per game, is the first player in Missouri Valley Conference history with 150 assists, 30 blocks and 50 steals in a season.  She is among Bradley's career top 10 in both assists and blocked shots, while closing in on the Braves top 10 in steals.

 

Blocking The Night Away

   Sophomore Sonya Harris is averaging 3.5 blocked shots per game in Missouri Valley Conference play and is a big reason the Braves have a school-season record 141 blocks on the year.  Bradley leads the MVC in blocked shots per game at 5.88 and the 141 rejections as a squad is the sixth best season total in Missouri Valley Conference history.  The Braves collected 13 blocks against Creighton (Feb. 19), finishing one rejection short of tying a school and MVC game record 14 blocks.  Bradley is on pace to finish the regular-season with 170 blocks, which would rank fourth among MVC team records.

 

MVC BLOCKED SHOTS IN A SEASON

 

18 Wins

   Bradley's 18 victories this season are the most since finishing the 1981-82 season with a 19-8 record and is the fourth most wins in program history.  The Braves 18 victories are the most since playing a full NCAA Division I schedule and Bradley has just three other seasons with more than 18 wins in school history with the last coming in 1981-82 when BU finished with a 19-8 record.  Bradley's nine MVC victories are the most since finishing 2002-03 with an 9-9 conference mark.

 

Best Starts Through 24 Games

Year       Start   Final Record MVC Record

1981-82         18-6           19-8        N/A

2008-09  18-6    ??                  9-4

1980-81         17-7           19-8        N/A

1979-80 16-8      20-9      N/A

 

9-4 Start To Valley Play

   Bradley enters this weekend's action fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference standings with a 9-4 league mark and just one and a half games out of second place.  The Braves 9-4 start to conference play is the best for BU since opening the 1989-90 Gateway Conference schedule with an 9-4 record.  The only other time the Braves opened league play with a 9-4 record, Bradley finished the year with a school-record 12 conference victories (12-6) and finished fourth in the final standings.  In fact, Bradley has three previous starts of 8-5 or better in conference play and finished fifth or better each time.  The Braves have not finished fifth or better since a fifth-place showing in 1996-97.

 

Best Valley Starts Through 13 MVC Games

Year       Start   Final Record Place

2008-09  9-4                            

1989-90         9-4             12-6         4th

1990-91         8-5             9-9         T5th

1985-86         8-5             11-7         4th

1991-92         7-6             11-7       T3rd

 

 

Nearing 1,000 Points

   Senior forward Monica Rogers is nearing the 1,000-point mark for her collegiate career.  The Braves leading scorer at 12.2 points per game, has scored 430 points in a Bradley uniform since transferring from Hampton University.  Rogers, who scored 487 points during her freshman and sophomore seasons with the Pirates, has 917 career points at the NCAA Division I level and needs 83 points to reach the 1,000 point mark.  With at least six games remaining on the schedule, she would need to average 13.8 points per game to reach 1,000 points.  Rogers is averaging 19.0 points per game over the last four contests.

 

Rogers Named MVC Player of the Week

   Senior forward Monica Rogers was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 16 after an 18-point, eight-rebound and three-steal effort in Bradley's come-from-behind victory against Northern Iowa.  Rogers was limited to four points and two boards in the first half, but had 14 points and six rebounds in the second half to help the Braves erase a four-point halftime deficit and defeat the Panthers 69-58.  Bradley has had two MVC Player of the Week award winners in the same season for the first time since the 2001-02 season.

 

Trio Of Four-Game Win Streaks

   Bradley has won five consecutive games heading into Thursday's home contest against Creighton, giving the Braves three separate four-game win streaks this season.  Bradley has not had three win streaks of four games or more in the same season since the 1979-80 season.  The 1979-80 squad had two four-game win streaks and a six-game win streak en route to the only 20-win season in program history.  This season the Braves have win streaks of four, five and seven games.

 

Dishing The Rock

   Junior guard Skye Johnson ranks second in the MVC in assists per game (6.3) and has a career-best 151 assists on the season.  Her 151 assists is the highest total for a Bradley player since Judy Burns had 183 assists in 1982-83 and is the fifth best season total in school history.  Johnson also ranks among Bradley's career leaders in assists, passing Nancy Zoros for 10th on BU's list Thursday against Creighton.  Johnson has 281 career assists and needs just 19 assists to become the ninth player in school history to dish out 300 assists.

 

BRADLEY ASSISTS IN A SEASON

BRADLEY CAREER ASSISTS

 

Van Kirk Named Academic All-District

   Junior forward Jenny Van Kirk was named a second-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V selection, making her first Bradley player to earn the honor since Genny Mueller in 2004-05.  A pre-med major, Van Kirk has been named the Bradley Scholar-Athlete of the Week three times this season and owns a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average.

 

Home, Sweet Home

   While Bradley has had success on the road this season, boasting a 6-5 record in road games and 8-5 mark in road and neutral contests, the Braves will play five of the final seven regular-season games at home.  Bradley is 10-1 at home this season and has won 14 of the last 16 home games overall dating back to last season.  The Braves have not won 10 home games in a season since finishing the 1986-87 campaign with a 10-3 mark and have a total of three seasons with 10 or more home victories.

 

Second Half Team

   Bradley hopes to continue a trend which has become the norm during Paula Buscher's tenure on The Hilltop.  The Braves have had a better second half of Missouri Valley Conference play than the first half in six of eight seasons under Buscher, including each of the last three seasons.  In Buscher's eight years as head coach, Bradley has had fewer wins in the second half of conference play just once - 2001-02.  Bradley's winning percentage in the first half of Valley play under Buscher is 26-55 (.321) compared to 37-39 (.487) mark in the second half of play through Thursday's game against Creighton.  Below is a chart comparing the first half of conference play for the Braves to the second half of league action under Buscher.

 

Year-by-Year Breakdown Under Buscher

Year            1st Round    2nd Round Final Record

2008-09        5-4               4-0                             ??

2007-08      2-7              4-5                  6-12/8th

2006-07      3-6              4-5                  7-11/7th

2005-04      1-8              4-5                5-13/T9th

2004-05      4-5              4-5                8-10/T6th

2003-04      2-7              5-4                7-11/T6th

2002-03      4-5              5-4                    9-9/6th

2001-02      4-5              3-6                7-11/T7th

2000-01      1-8              4-5                  5-13/8th

 

Home Win Streak Ends At Nine

   Bradley's home loss to I-74 rival Illinois State Jan. 30 was the Braves first home loss of the year and ended a nine-game home win streak for BU.  The Braves are now 10-1 at home this year.  The nine-game home win streak was the longest since winning 10 consecutive home contests between the 1980-81 and 1981-82 seasons and is the third longest home win streak in program history.

 

Winning Mark At Halfway Point Of MVC Play

   Bradley's victory against Indiana State (Feb. 1) wrapped up the first half of Missouri Valley Conference play and at 5-4 marked the first time BU finished the first half of league play with a winning record since the 1996-97 season.  Bradley has finished the first half of league action with a winning record just nine times in 25 years of conference membership.  The Braves have finished .500 or better in conference action five of the eight previous times BU had a winning record halfway through the conference season. 

 

Krumwiede Cracks Top 10 In Rebounding

   Senior forward Kelly Krumwiede pulled down three rebounds in the Braves home loss to Illinois State (Jan. 30) to move into 10th place on Bradley's career rebounding list.  BU's active career leader in both scoring and rebounding, she passed Sara Bailey for 10th on the all-time list and is currently 10th at Bradley with 595 career boards.  Krumwiede needs six rebounds to pass Connie Griffith for ninth place.

 

REBOUNDS (CAREER)

 

Harris With The Block

   Sophomore Sonya Harris leads the MVC in blocked shots, averaging 2.8 per tilt and broke Dena William's school season record of 59 rejections against Creighton (Feb. 19).  Harris' 61 blocked shots this season is the most by a BU player in a season and ranks as the 12th best season total in MVC history.  She is currently fifth all-time with 94 career rejections at Bradley and needs 13 blocked shots to move up two more spots into third place at BU.  Below is a list of Bradley's career blocked shots leaders.

 

BRADLEY CAREER BLOCKED SHOTS LEADERS

 

BRADLEY SEASON BLOCKED SHOTS LEADERS

 

Up Next

   The Braves hit the road for the next two games, beginning with a Thursday night tilt at league-leading Illinois State.  Bradley has last seven consecutive games against Illinois State and trails the Redbirds 23-41 in the all-time series.  The Braves have dropped five consecutive road games in the series dating back to a 70-54 Bradley win on Feb. 9, 2003.  Bradley is 7-11 in the all-time series 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 (Jan. 17) 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. 

 

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

 

Road Warriors

   The Braves opened Missouri Valley Conference play with seven of their first 11 league games on the road.  Bradley is 6-5 in true road games and 8-3 away from home, including two neutral site victories.  The eight wins away from home are second only to preseason MVC favorite Illinois State's 11 wins away from (eight road and three neutral).

 

Turnovers Are Key

   Turnovers have been a key stat for the Braves this season.    BU is committing 20.4 turnovers per game and forcing 17.1 opponent turnovers per contest.  While the Braves do a slightly better job of handling the ball in wins (20.1 turnovers per game) compared to losses (21.5 turnovers per game), the telling stat has been opponent turnovers.  BU has forced an average of 18.6 opponent turnovers in 18 victories this season, but just 12.8 turnovers in the six losses.  Foes have committed 15 or less turnovers in each of the six losses this season and BU is just 6-6 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 five players averaging 8.0 points per game or more and has 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. 

 

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 61 three-pointers is fourth among Valley freshman all-time, is 24th in the nation in three-point field goals per game (2.5 per game) through Thursday's games.  She is shooting 40.7 percent (61-for-150) 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.  Her 61 three-pointers ranks fifth among Bradley season marks and she is the fifth different Bradley player to hit 60 three-pointers in a season.

3-Point Field Goals By A Freshman (MVC)

 

Bradley 3-Point Field Goals Made (Season)

 

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 Feb. 19.  Bradley was 14th in the nation in rebounding margin at +7.3 boards per game.  After ranking sixth in the MVC in three-point field goal percentage last year, Bradley entered this week's games in 11th place in the nation in three-point field goal percentage at 37.7 percent from beyond the arc.  As a team, Bradley is seventh nationally in blocked shots (5.9 bpg) and 18th in assists (16.1 apg).  Individually, freshman guard Michelle Lund is 24th in the country in three-point field goals per game (2.5 per contest) and also ranked 35th nationally in three-point field goal percentage (40.7 percent) through Thursday.  Junior guard Skye Johnson was ranked 10th in the country in assists per game (6.3 apg) while sophomore Sonya Harris was 17th in blocked shots (2.8 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 a 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 (54) and is second in blocked shots (32).  Her 32 blocks on the year is already a career high.  Johnson is fourth in the MVC in steals (2.3 per game) and fifth in The Valley in blocked shots per game (1.3 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 114 wins, needing just 11 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 23.4 points per game and have outscored their counterparts by an average margin of +8.4 points per contest.  Bradley's bench has outscored the opponent's reserves in 19 of 24 games, and BU boasts a 16-3 record when the Braves' reserves out score the opponents.  The Braves are 2-3 when the bench fails to outscore the opponents reserves.  In the victories this season, BU's bench has averaged 24.2 points per game and boasts a +10.5 margin.  In the losses, Bradley's reserves are scoring 20.8 points per game, but have outscored the opponents reserves by an average margin of just +2.2 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 4-6 when losing at halftime after erasing a four-point halftime deficit against Northern Iowa (Feb. 14).  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 second in The Valley at 41.5 rebounds per game.  In addition to the impressive +7.5 average rebound margin, Bradley is averaging 14.5 offensive boards per contest despite owning the second best field goal percentage in the league.  Sophomore Sonya Harris ranks third in the MVC in rebounding at 8.5 boards per game, while senior Monica Rogers is fourth in The Valley in rebounding at 7.9 caroms per contest.

 

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 45-31 (.592) against in-state foes during Buscher's tenure, which includes an 20-17 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 10-1 record at home this season which includes an 9-1 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 723 points and also ranks as the active career leader in rebounding with 595 career boards.  She needs five rebounds to become just the 10th player with 700 points and 600 rebounds in a 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