For Starters

   Bradley (19-6 overall, 10-4 MVC) has won six straight games and has the most since the 1981-82 season heading into Thursday's game at I-74 rival Illinois State.  The Braves 10 conference wins are the most since 1991-92.  Illinois State (22-4 overall, 13-1) has won 11 consecutive games and sits atop The Valley standings with a 13-1 record.  Bradley is three games behind the Redbirds and a game and a half behind second-place Creighton with four games remaining in the regular season.

 

About Illinois State

   The unanimous choice to win the regular-season Valley title in the preseason poll, Illinois State has won 11 consecutive games and 20 of the last 21 overall.  The Redbirds bring an impressive 22--4 record into Thursday's contest.

   Illinois State returned 10 of 14 letterwinners, including four starters from last year's team which finished 26-7 overall and won a share of the 2007-08 regular-season MVC title with a 13-5 league mark.  The Redbirds went on to win the MVC Tournament and was The Valley's lone representative in the NCAA Tournament.

   The top scoring team in the Missouri Valley Conference at 74.5 points per game, Illinois State is led by two-time MVC Player of the Year Kristi Cirone.  Cirone leads The Valley in scoring at 18.3 points per game and is shooting a league-best 43.2 percent from three-point range.  She also leads the MVC in assist-to-turnover ratio, while dishing out 6.1 assists per game. 

   Junior guard Maggie Krick is scoring 12.3 points per game and is second in the MVC in free throw percentage (81.7 percent).  Junior center Nicole Lewis is tossing in 10.4 points per contest and leads the Redbirds in rebounding (7.3 per game) and blocked shots (2.3 bpg).

   Sophomore Shala Jackson adds 9.7 points per game, while junior forward Ashleen Bracey tosses in 8.8 points per game on 53 percent shooting and is hauling down 6.5 rebounds per game. 

   In addition to leading the MVC in scoring, Illinois State leads The Valley in free throw percentage (.717), field goal percentage (.455), field goal percentage defense (.359), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.1) and defensive rebounding (28.8 per game).

 

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 16 of 24 games she has played in this season and leads the team in scoring at 12.8 points per game, while ranking fourth in the MVC in rebounding at 8.2 boards per game.  Rogers missed the Dec. 28 home game against Air Force, but has started 22 of the 24 games she has played in and has posted a team-best eight double-doubles this season.

   Sophomore Sonya Harris missed two games due to injury but has returned to the lineup to play in the last 17 contests and is now averaging 9.8 points and 8.5 rebounds.  Harris leads the MVC in blocked shots (2.7 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 (1.9 apg) and is shooting 40.8 percent from three-point range.  Lund has already surpassed the Bradley freshman record for three-pointers with her 64 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 8.1 points per game, while leading the team in assists (6.6 apg) and steals (2.3 spg).  The 2007-08 MVC Defensive Player of the Year is also averaging 1.4 blocks per tilt.

   BU has dominated the glass so far this season, outrebounding its opponents by better than seven boards per game and ranks 17th in the nation in rebounding margin through games of Feb. 22.  The Braves have outrebounded 19 of 25 opponents this season.  In addition to leading the MVC in rebounding margin, Bradley is second in The Valley in field goal percentage (.433) 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 115-138 (.455) 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 158-176 (.473) 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 19 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.

   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 111-69 (.617) 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

   The Braves hit the road for the next two games, beginning with a Thursday night tilt at league-leading Illinois State.  Bradley has lost 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 and are 10-21 in games played in Normal, Ill.  Bradley is 7-11 in the all-time series under head coach Paula Buscher.

 

Last Time Out

   The Braves extended their win streak to six games with an 87-80 double-overtime victory against Drake to move into third place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings.  Sophomore Sonya Harris was limited to 16 minutes because of foul trouble, but senior Monica Rogers turned in a 26-point, 16-rebound performance.  The Braves missed a shot at the end of regulation to win the game and needed a little luck to force double-overtime.  Bradley trailed 74-71 with 6.6 seconds remaining in the first overtime when Drake missed a pair of free throws.  With no time outs remaining, Jenny Van Kirk pulled down the defensive rebound and passed the ball to Renee Frericks.  Frericks knocked down a 25-foot buzzer-beater to force a second overtime.  The Braves hit three consecutive three-pointers to open the second overtime, including two by Frericks and went on to the 87-80 victory.

 

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 leads the MVC in assists per game and also ranks among the top five in The Valley in both steals and blocked shots 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.  Her 164 assists on the year is the fifth best season total in school history and the most by a Brave since 1982-83.

 

Blocking The Night Away

   Sophomore Sonya Harris is averaging 3.3 blocked shots per game in Missouri Valley Conference play and is a big reason the Braves have a school-season record 148 blocks on the year.  Bradley leads the MVC in blocked shots per game at 5.92 and the 148 rejections as a squad is the fifth 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 171 blocks, which would rank fourth among MVC team records.

 

MVC BLOCKED SHOTS IN A SEASON

 

Another Season Blocks Record Falls

   In addition helping the team break the school-season mark for blocked shots, sophomore forward Sonya Harris has also established a new individual record for blocks in a season.  Harris has turned back 61 shots this season, surpassing Dena William's previous school record of 59 rejections.  The 61 blocked shots are tied for the most in the MVC this season and ranks as the 12th best season total in Valley history. 

 

BRADLEY SEASON BLOCKED SHOTS LEADERS

 

19 Wins

   Bradley's 19 victories this season are the most since finishing the 1981-82 season with a 19-8 record and is tied for the second most wins in program history.  The Braves 19 victories are the most since playing a full NCAA Division I schedule and Bradley has just three other seasons with more than 19 wins in school history with the last coming in 1981-82 when BU finished with a 19-8 record.  Bradley's 10 MVC victories are the most since finishing 1991-92 with an 11-7 conference mark.

 

Best Starts Through 25 Games

Year       Start   Final Record MVC Record

2008-09  19-6    ??                  10-4

1981-82         18-7           19-8        N/A

1980-81         18-7           19-8        N/A

1979-80         17-8           20-9        N/A

 

Pink Zone Game

   Saturday's home game against Drake was the sixth annual Pink Zone game of the Braves with proceeds from the contest going toward the Susan G. Komen For The Cure Foundation.  Bradley raised nearly $6,000 for the Komen Foundation and has raised almost $45,000 over the six years of the event.

 

Tough Stretch

   Bradley kicks off the final road swing of the regular-season Thursday night at Illinois State and will also be concluding arguably one of the toughest stretches of the season.  Thursday's game will mark the third consecutive contest against teams ahead of the Braves in the Missouri Valley Conference standings.  Bradley knocked off second-place Creighton 75-67 last Thursday and moved ahead of Drake into third place in The Valley standings with an 87-80 double overtime victory.   Creighton, Drake and Illinois State have combined for a 55-23 overall record (.705), including a 35-9 (.795) mark against Missouri Valley Conference teams. 

 

10-4 Start To Valley Play

   Bradley enters this weekend's action third in the Missouri Valley Conference standings with a 10-4 league mark and has the most conference wins in program history since the 1991-92 campaign.  The Braves 10-4 start to conference play is the best for BU since opening the 1989-90 Gateway Conference schedule with a 10-4 record.  The only other time the Braves opened league play with a 10-4 record, Bradley finished the year with a school-record 12 conference victories (12-6) and finished fourth in the final standings.  Below is chart showing the Braves four best starts to conference play.

 

Best Valley Starts Through 14 MVC Games

Year       Start   Final Record Place

2008-09  10-4                          

1989-90         10-4           12-6         4th

1985-86         9-5             11-7         4th

1991-92         8-6             11-7       T3rd

 

 

Six-Game Valley Win Streak

   Since losing four consecutive Missouri Valley Conference games at the end of January, the Braves have rattled off six consecutive Missouri Valley Conference victories and now stand at 10-4 in league play.  The six consecutive regular-season conference wins is the longest win streak in conference play in program history.  Bradley's previous record for consecutive regular-season MVC wins was set earlier this season.  The Braves won their final regular-season game of 2007-08 against UNI and opened the 2008-09 Valley slate with four consecutive victories.

 

Nearing 1,000 Points

   Senior forward Monica Rogers is nearing the 1,000-point mark for her collegiate career.  The Braves leading scorer at 12.8 points per game, has scored 456 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 943 career points at the NCAA Division I level and needs 57 points to reach the 1,000 point mark.  With at least five games remaining on the schedule, she would need to average 11.4 points per game to reach 1,000 points.  Rogers is averaging 20.4 points per game over the last five contests.

 

Rogers Repeats As MVC Player of the Week

   Senior forward Monica Rogers has been selected as the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week each of the last two weeks.  The first Bradley player to earn MVC Player of the Week honors in the same season since Carol Baresch in 1988-89, she joined Baresch as the only Brave to earn the award in back-to-back weeks.  Rogers averaged 23.0 points and 12.0 rebounds last week in wins against Creighton (20 points and eight rebounds) and Drake (26 points and 16 rebounds).  Bradley has had three MVC Player of the Week selections in the same season for the first time since 1986-87.

 

Trio Of Four-Game Win Streaks

   Bradley has won six 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, six and seven games.  Bradley has never had two win streaks of five or more games in the same season prior to this year.

 

Dishing The Rock

   Junior guard Skye Johnson leads the Missouri Valley Conference in assists per game at (6.6 per game) and is averaging 7.4 assists per ball game in Missouri Valley Conference play.  Her career-best 164 assists on the year 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 Shelli Braud for ninth on BU's list Saturday with her career-best 13-assist effort against Drake.  Johnson has 294 career assists and needs just nine assists to pass Karen Anderson for eighth on Bradley's career list. 

 

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 the 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

   Bradley boasts an impressive 11-1 home record this season with two more home games remaining on the schedule.  The Braves 11 home wins are the most for BU since finishing the 1981-82 season with a 12-4 home mark.  The 1981-82 squad's 12 home victories are the most in program history.  Bradley has three other seasons with 10 or more home wins. 

 

BEST HOME RECORDS IN PROGRAM HISTORY

Year         Home    Road    Neutral          Final

2008-09     11-1        6-5          2-0                     

1979-80  10-1     6-7       4-1          20-9

1986-87  10-3    5-10      0-0        15-13

1981-82  12-4     5-2       2-2          19-8

 

 

 

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 38-39 (.494) mark in the second half of play through Saturday's game against Drake.  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              5-0                           ??

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 have won four home games since then and are now 11-1 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 597 career boards.  Krumwiede needs four rebounds to pass Connie Griffith for ninth place.

 

REBOUNDS (CAREER)

 

Harris Climbing Career Blocks Chart

   Sophomore Sonya Harris leads the MVC in blocked shots, averaging 2.7 per tilt and has already surpassed 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

 

Up Next

   Bradley plays its final road game of the season Sunday when the Braves visit Indiana State.  The Braves have won back-to-back games in the series with Indiana State, but trail the all-time series 19-35 and are attempting to end an 11-game road losing streak in the series with the Sycamores.  The Braves are 7-19 all-time in road games and have not won at Indiana State since Jan. 26, 1997.  Bradley is 4-14 against the Sycamores under head coach Paula Buscher.

 

More About Win Streaks

   Bradley has won six consecutive games heading into Thursday's game at Illinois State and has two win streaks of six or more games in the same season for the first time in program history.  The current six-game win streak is tied for the fifth longest in program history.  The Braves also had a seven game win streak earlier this season, which is tied for the third longest win streak in program history.  Bradley head coach Paula Buscher has led the Braves to three of the seven longest win streaks in school history.

 

SIX-GAME WIN STREAKS

Year              Win Streak          Final Record

2001-02     9                    16-12

1981-82     8                    19-8

2008-09        7                          ??               

1996-97     7                    16-12   

2008-09        6                          ??

1977-78     6                    14-5

1979-80     6                    20-9

 

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. 

 

BEST STARTS TO CONFERENCE PLAY

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 8-5 away from home, including two neutral site victories.  The eight wins away from home are second only to preseason MVC favorite Illinois State's 12 wins away from (nine road and three neutral) and match Creighton's eight wins away from home.  The Redbirds have two road games remaining on their schedule, while the Bluejays finish the regular season with three consecutive home games.

 

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 (20.5 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 19 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 64 three-pointers is fourth among Valley freshman all-time, is 24th in the nation in three-point field goals per game (2.6 per game) through Sunday's games.  She is shooting 40.8 percent (64-for-157) 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 64 three-pointers is tied for fourth among Bradley season marks.

 

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. 22.  Bradley was 17th in the nation in rebounding margin at +7.2 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 eighth nationally in blocked shots (6.0 bpg) and 14th in assists (16.4 apg).  Individually, freshman guard Michelle Lund is 24th in the country in three-point field goals per game (2.6 per contest) and also ranked 33rd nationally in three-point field goal percentage (40.8 percent) through Sunday.  Junior guard Skye Johnson was ranked eighth in the country in assists per game (6.6 apg) while sophomore Sonya Harris was 19th in blocked shots (2.7 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 (57) and is second in blocked shots (35).  Her 35 blocks on the year is more than double her season total from last year (17).  Johnson is third in the MVC in steals (2.3 per game) and fifth in The Valley in blocked shots per game (1.4 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 115 wins, needing just 10 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 +8.0 points per contest.  Bradley's bench has outscored the opponent's reserves in 19 of 25 games, and BU boasts a 16-3 record when the Braves' reserves out score the opponents.  The Braves are 3-3 when the bench fails to outscore the opponents reserves.  In the victories this season, BU's bench has averaged 24.3 points per game and boasts a +9.8 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 leading The Valley at 41.9 rebounds per game.  In addition to the impressive +7.2 average rebound margin, Bradley is averaging 14.7 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 8.2 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 an 1`-1 record at home this season which includes an 10-1 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 597 career boards.  She needs three 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