For Starters
Bradley (6-8 overall, 2-2 MVC) and Northern Iowa (6-9 overall, 2-2 MVC) have both won back-to-back games heading into Friday's 7:05 p.m. contest at Lorene Ramsey Gym. The Braves are wrapping a season-long three-game road swing, while the Panthers are playing the first of three straight road games.
BU has won four of its last six overall and brings a 3-2 home record into the tilt. Bradley is coming off a 72-61 home victory against Southern Illinois and is currently in a three-way tie with UNI for fifth place in the Valley standings. The Braves are looking to win three consecutive games for the first time this season and will play five of the next seven games on the road.
Northern Iowa is also looking to win three straight games for the first time this season after posting a 99-67 win at home against Evansville on Saturday. The Panthers have played four of the last six games on the road and bring a 1-6 road record into Friday's contest. UNI opened the season with four consecutive losses, but has gone 6-5 since.
On The Tube
Friday's game against Northern Iowa is the first of four televised games this season for the Braves. Kurt Pegler (play-by-play) and Chad Kleine (analyst) will call the action on WTVP Channel 47.
About Northern Iowa
One of the most experienced team's in the Missouri Valley Conference, UNI's roster features 12 of 13 letterwinners, including all five starters from last year's squad which was 11-19 overall and sixth in The Valley with a 9-9 league mark.
Despite featuring no seniors on the roster for the 2008-09 season, the Panthers have just seven upperclassmen (four seniors and three juniors) on the roster this season to go along with six sophomores and four freshmen.
Currently tied with Bradley for fifth place in the MVC standings at 2-2, UNI is 6-9 overall after an 0-4 start to the season.
Sophomore guard Jacqui Kalin was the 2007-08 MVC Freshman of the Year, but redshirted in 2008-09 after a season-ending injury. She has returned to the lineup and is leading the Panthers in scoring (13.7 ppg) and assists (2.9 apg).
Junior center Lizzie Boeck is adding 11.3 points per game, while shooting 51.9 percent from the field. Senior forward Kim Wypiszynski is also in double figures in scoring at 10.9 points per game. Junior Erin Brocka leads the Panthers in rebounding (7.3 rpg), which includes 10.5 boards per game in Missouri Valley Conference play.
UNI is fourth in the MVC in scoring at 67.4 points per game and is averaging 81.0 points per game over its last three outings. The Panthers rank second in the Valley in free throw percentage (.769).
About Bradley
A year removed from featuring one of the most experienced rosters in the Missouri Valley Conference, youth is prevalent on the 2009-10 roster for the Bradley Women's Basketball.
Despite returning four of its top eight scorers from 2008-09 and one of the top inside players in the Missouri Valley Conference, the Braves roster features just two seniors and a total of four upperclassmen (two juniors) to go along with five sophomores and three freshmen.
Headlining a group which represents 50 percent of last year's scoring and 56 percent of the rebounding is junior forward Sonya Harris. A game-changer on both ends of the floor, Harris averaged 9.3 points per game and was third in the MVC in rebounding at 8.5 boards per game as a sophomore in 2008-09. She earned Second-Team All-MVC honors after posting a league-leading and school-season record 79 blocked shots and was second on the team in steals with 36, while garnering MVC All-Defensive Team honors. This season, she is averaging 7.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots per game on the young season after reaching double figures in rebounds in eight of the first 14 games. In addition leading the conference in blocked shots, Harris is second in the league in rebounding.
Freshman Katie Yohn has led the team in scoring in four of her first 14 games and has started 10 contests. A versatile player with the ability to shoot from the outside or penetrate, she is averaging a team-best 9.5 points per outing and her 24 three-pointers is the fourth-best total by a Bradley freshman. Yohn has averaged 11.0 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in conference play.
Junior Raisa Taylor is second on the team in scoring at 8.9 points per game. She is 29-for-50 from the field over the last seven games (58 percent) and is averaging 11.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.9 steals per game during that stretch.
Senior co-captain Jenny Van Kirk is the only player to start all 14 games this season and is adding 6.6 points and 4.7 boards per game, while leading the team with a 1.58 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Bradley picked up where it left off last year, outrebounding 12 of the first 14 opponents on the schedule by an average margin of +6.93. The Braves lead the Valley in both rebounding (43.5 rpg) and rebounding margin. BU also leads the MVC in blocked shots (5.3 bpg). Bradley is third in the league in field goal percentage (.424) and ranks second in the MVC in field goal percentage defense (.369).
The Coaches
The dean of Missouri Valley Conference Women's Basketball coaches, Paula Buscher (Missouri State, '86) is in her 10th year at Bradley and has a record of 123-150 (.451) at BU. Buscher led teams to improved records in each of her first five seasons as a collegiate head coach and 10 of her 13 seasons overall, culminating in last year's 21-10 season. The 2008-09 Rawlings Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year, Buscher owns a 166-188 (.469) career record and is in her 13th year as a collegiate head coach. She is tied with Lisa Boyer for most wins in school history and is currently tied for 11th in MVC history with 123 career wins at BU. Last season she led Bradley to a school-record 21 victories (21-10 overall) and best conference finish (11-7 MVC; 4th place) since tying for third in 1991-92. 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.
Tanya Warren (Creighton '88) is in her third season as head coach at Northern Iowa and has led the Panthers to a 30-46 (.395) record in her two-plus seasons. No stranger to the Missouri Valley Conference, Warren was an assistant coach at UNI for six seasons from 1995-2001. She returned to her alma mater in 2004 as associate head coach, after a three-year stint as recruiting coordinator at Missouri and later returned to Northern Iowa as head coach for the 2007-08 season.
Last Time Out
Bradley won a pair of Missouri Valley Conference home games, defeating Evansville (75-46) and Southern Illinois (72-61) to open a season-long three-game homestand. Senior Renee Frericks scored a season-high 18 points off the bench to pace the Braves against Evansville and sophomore Latasha Hollingshed added season-bests of 10 points and rebounds as the Braves ran away from the Purple Aces. Junior Raisa Taylor had a season-high 20 points and collected a career-best 11 rebounds to lead the Braves to a 72-61 win against Southern Illinois.
Northern Iowa Series
Bradley will close out a three-game homestand Friday against Northern Iowa at 7:05 p.m. The Braves hold a 32-21 lead in the all-time series with the Panthers, including a 20-6 mark in home contests. The two teams split last year's series and BU has claimed two of the last three meetings, but UNI has eight of the last 10 overall in the series. Bradley is 7-12 vs. Northern Iowa under head coach Paula Buscher, including a 6-3 record at home.
2-2 Start To Valley Play
Bradley picked up a pair of home wins last week to even its Missouri Valley Conference record at 2-2. The Braves have opened league play with a 2-2 record or better for the second straight year, but just the sixth time since the start of the 1991-92 season. BU has not opened Valley play with a 2-2 mark in back-to-back years since 1995-96 (2-2) and 1996-97 (3-1). In 27 years of conference membership, the Braves have opened league action with a 2-2 mark or better 12 times, with seven of the previous 11 resulting in a .500 or better final conference record.
Buscher Ties BU Wins Record
Head coach Paula Buscher tied Lisa Boyer for Bradley's career win record with Bradley's 72-61 victory against Southern Illinois Saturday. In her 10th season as head coach of the Braves, Buscher's career record at BU is 123-150 (.451) and matches Boyer's record of 123-150 (.451) from 1986-87 through the 1995-96 season. Buscher needs just one win to take over sole possession of first-place on Bradley's win list. She is tied with Boyer for 11th all-time in wins in Missouri Valley Conference history.
Turning It Around
In addition to shooting 34 percent from beyond the arc over the last six games, Bradley has won four of its last six contests in part because of cutting down on turnovers. The Braves have averaged 21.2 turnovers over the last six games after recording an average of 24.9 turnovers per game in the first eight tilts of the year. BU is also shooting better from the free throw line during that stretch. Bradley opened the season 89-for-153 (58.2 percent) from the free throw line, but is shooting 63.3 percent from the charity stripe in the last six games.
Hot Hands
Junior Raisa Taylor has had a hot hand as of late, connecting on 29-of-50 (58 percent) shots from the field over the last seven games and averaging a team-best 11.3 points per game during that stretch. Taylor is 35-of-62 (56.5) over the last nine games and is a combined 29-for-52 (.558) in BU's six road games. Senior Jenny Van Kirk is shooting 60.7 percent (17-for-28) over the last five games, while fellow senior Renee Frericks is 10-for-23 from three-point range (43.5 percent) during that stretch.
Up Next
Bradley will play at preseason conference favorite Creighton on Friday, Jan. 22. The Braves and Bluejays split the regular-season series last year and BU has won two of the last three meetings overall, but Creighton holds a 32-6 edge in the all-time series. The Bluejays are 15-3 all-time in meetings in Omaha, Neb. Bradley is 3-15 against Creighton under head coach Paula Buscher, including a 1-8 record in games played in Omaha.
Rare Rout In Valley Game
Bradley's convincing 75-46 victory against Evansville Thursday was a rare rout for the Braves in Missouri Valley Conference. In fact, the 29-point margin of victory is the largest for BU in any game since topping Wichita State 84-53 on Jan. 3, 2005 at Robertson Memorial Field House.
Bring On The Salukis
Junior Raisa Taylor has turned in some of the best performances of her career against Southern Illinois, and Saturday was no different as she collected a season-high 20 points and career-best 11 rebounds against the Salukis. Both of her two career double-doubles have come against SIU and she scored a career-high 28 points at SIU Arena as a freshman. In six career games against the Salukis, Taylor is averaging 15.2 points and 6.3 rebounds while shooting 57.4 percent from the floor and 77.1 percent from the free throw line.
Bench Coming Up Big
Bradley has had at least one player come off the bench and score in double figures in 10 of 14 games this season. BU's reserves have accounted for 48 percent of the team's offense this season and the Braves' bench has been outscored by the opponent's counterparts in just two of 14 outings. Bradley's bench is averaging 30.8 points per game and boasts an average scoring margin of +13.8 per game compared to the opponents' reserves.
Pounding The Boards
After leading the league in rebounding in 2008-09 with a 41.5 rebounds per game average, Bradley is once again dominating the glass. The Braves lead the Missouri Valley Conference in rebounding (43.5 rpg) and boast a league-best +6.9 average rebounding margin. Bradley is looking to become the first team to lead the MVC in rebounding in back-to-back seasons since Northern Iowa in 1997-98 and again in 1998-99. Bradley has outrebounded 12 of 14 opponents this season and has matched our outrebounded its foe in 37 of the last 45 games.
Balanced Attack
Through 14 games, Bradley has had nine different players lead the squad in scoring after senior Renee Frericks scored a season-best 18 points against Evansville last week. Ten of Bradley's 12 players which have seen the floor have scored in double figures this season and seven players are averaging 5.3 points per game or more. A total of 12 players have seen action in at least 11 contests this season and nine players have started multiple games. In addition, 11 different players are averaging 12.8 minutes or more per outing.
Three-Game Homestand Coming To An End
Friday's game against Northern Iowa is the final game of a season-long three-game homestand for the Braves. Bradley is 3-2 at home this season and has won back-to-back home contests to open the homestand. BU will play five of the next seven games on the road before wrapping up the regular-season with four of the final six games on the schedule at home. Only Southern Illinois and Evansville have played fewer games than Bradley this season, with both playing four home games heading into this week's contests.
Five-Game Road Swing In The Books
The Braves recently completed the longest road swing since the 1993-94 season, playing five consecutive road games. The road swing marked the seventh in program history of five games or more and was the first since the 1977-78 to feature five true road games. Bradley finished with a 2-3 record on its five-game road swing and has now finished with two or more victories on six of its last seven stretches which featured five or more consecutive games away from home.
Climbing The Charts
Junior Sonya Harris pulled down her 500th career rebound at Wichita State (Jan. 2) and moved into 14th place on Bradley's career rebounding list against Evansville (Jan. 7) with three boards. Harris passed Heidi Nelson for 14th on the career list and needs 19 rebounds to pass Lora Weber for 13th place. Harris is the Braves active career leader in rebounding (519) and is second among active players in scoring with 551 career points.
From Long Range
Freshman Katie Yohn has connected on a team-leading 24 three-pointers and is the Braves top scorer at 9.5 points per outing. Yohn's 24 trey's is the fourth-best season total in school history and she is just 10 three-pointers from taking over second place among BU freshmen. Michelle Lund set the Bradley freshman record last season with 75 three-pointers.
Getting Defensive
After surrendering an average of 73.0 points per game in the first five games of the season, Bradley has limited its last eight opponents to 60.4 points per game and 34.9 percent shooting from the floor. The Braves limited Air Force to 29.3 percent shooting and the Falcons managed just 45 points against BU's defense, marking the second time Bradley held an opponent to less than 30 percent shooting. BU has not held two opponents to less than 30 percent shooting in the same season since 2002-03 and the 45 points by the Falcons are the fewest surrendered by the Braves since posting a 70-44 victory at Chicago State on Dec. 20, 2007.
Non-Conference Finale
Ending the non-conference schedule on a high note has been a habit for the Braves. Bradley has won its final non-conference game six of the last seven years and boasts an 8-2 record in the final non-conference game of the season under head coach Paula Buscher. In fact BU is 16-3 (.842) in the final non-league game of the season over the last 19 years and 21-6 (.778) overall since joining the Gateway Conference for the 1983-84 season.
Braves Rally For Win
The Braves rallied from a halftime deficit to post a win for the first time this season with a 72-66 win at Saint Louis to wrap up the non-conference schedule. Bradley, which is now 2-6 when trailing at the half, had lost 35 consecutive road games in which it trailed at the break. BU's last road win in a game in which it trailed at halftime, was a 72-69 victory at Missouri State on March 3, 2005.
Success Against The Mountain West
Bradley is 3-5 on the road this season, with two of three road wins coming on the home courts of Mountain West Conference foes after a 62-45 victory at Air Force (Dec. 19). The Braves have won four consecutive games against current members of the Mountain West Conference and own a 4-1 overall record against the league.
Tinkering With The Lineup
Sophomore Hanna Muegge became the 10th different player to start a game for the Braves this season, earning her first career start at Saint Louis on Dec. 29. Head coach Paula Buscher and the Braves have used a total of seven different starting lineups through the first 14 games of the season. The lineup of Hanna Muegge, Raisa Taylor, Katie Yohn, Jenny Van Kirk and Leah Kassing is the most used lineup (four times) and is also the only starting lineup to have more than one victory this season (2-2 record). Last time out against Evansville, the Braves had Van Kirk, Kassing, Muegge, Taylor and Renee Frericks on the floor to start the game.
Non-Conference Home Win Streak Snapped
Arkansas-Little Rock snapped Bradley's 10-game non-conference home win streak with a 58-51 victory against the Braves on Dec. 5 at Woodruff High School. The 10-game non-conference home win streak is the longest since Bradley joined the Gateway Conference for the 1983-84 season. The Braves still boast an eight-game home win streak against in-state non-conference foes. Bradley is 28-13 (.683) at home against non-conference opponents under 10th-year head coach Paula Buscher.
The Young And The Restless
All three freshmen have paced the Braves in scoring at least once and frosh Katie Yohn has led BU in scoring a team-best four times. Three of Bradley's top eight scorers are freshmen, led by Yohn's team-best 9.5 points per game scoring average. Olivia Allen has reached double figures three times and is adding 5.6 points per game, while Brooke Bisping is scoring 4.4 points per game. The Braves' freshmen class has combined for 29.6 percent of the team's scoring.
High Scoring Freshman
Freshman Katie Yohn scored a team-best 25 points to help lead Bradley to a victory at UNLV (Nov. 29). Yohn's 25 points is the most scored by a BU freshman since Raisa Taylor had 28 at Southern Illinois on Feb. 28, 2008 and is the second most points contributed by a freshman under head coach Paula Buscher. Judy Burns scored 25 or more points twice as a freshman in 1981-82. Since Burns' freshman season, only five different BU freshman have scored 25 or more points in a game.
Lund Takes Leave
Sophomore guard Michelle Lund has taken a leave of absence from the team citing personal reasons following Bradley's game at Illinois. Lund missed the Braves first exhibition game with the flu and sat out the season opener at Northern Illinois, before returning to the lineup and averaging 6.0 points per game in two appearances. She has missed the last 11 games.
In-State Opponents
Bradley opened the season with three consecutive games against in-state opponents, marking the second consecutive year the Braves started a season with three in-state foes. BU is 26-16 (.619) against in-state non-conference opponents under 10th-year head coach Paula Buscher, including a 10-4 (.714) mark since the start of the 2007-08 season. Bradley is 46-33 (.582) against in-state foes during Buscher's tenure, which includes a 21-18 combined mark against Illinois State and Southern Illinois.
Yohn Named MVC Newcomer of the Week
Freshman Katie Yohn was named the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week for the week of Nov. 16 after scoring in double figures in each of her first two games. She led the Braves in scoring in the first outing of her career, finishing with 16 points and a game-high five assists off the bench in the season opener at Northern Illinois. Yohn made her first career start Sunday against Illinois-Chicago and responded by making 6-of-10 shots. In addition to dishing out a game-high five assists, she contributed 13 points, five rebounds, one block and one steal as she helped the Braves to a 79-64 win against the Flames. Yohn averaged 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists over her first two games and is the first Bradley freshman to score in double figures in her first two games since Judy Burns in 1981-82.
Double Trouble
Junior Sonya Harris collected her team-leading third double-double of the year (13 points & 11 rebounds at Wichita State), pushing her career total to 17. Harris, who had eight double-doubles last year as a sophomore, is tied for fourth in school history with her 17 career double-doubles. She has the most double-doubles by a Bradley player since Dena Williams collected 19 from 2001-05. Harris nearly averaged a double-double in Missouri Valley Conference play in 2008-09, scoring 9.7 points per game while grabbing 10.1 boards per contest and is contributing 7.6 points and 9.6 rebounds per game this season.
Strong Debuts
Freshmen guards Katie Yohn and Olivia Allen both reached double figures in scoring in each of their first two games. Just the ninth and 10th freshman in school history to score 10 or more points in their debut, they joined Judy Burns as the only players to score in double figures in each of their first two outings as a Brave. Burns accomplished the feat during the 1981-82 season. Yohn leads the team in scoring at 9.6 points per game, while Allen is third on the team in scoring at 6.9 points per game. Yohn's 16 points in the season opener against NIU ranks as the third best scoring output by a freshman in their first game and Allen's 15 points vs. the Huskies is the fourth-highest point-total in a debut since 1981-82. Below is a chart detailing the top-10 scoring efforts by Bradley freshman in their debuts.
10 Or More Boards
Junior Sonya Harris is one of the top returning rebounders in the Missouri Valley Conference and she picked up where she left off in 2008-09, pulling down 9.6 boards per game this season. She has reached double digits in rebounds in 26 games in her two-plus seasons, including eight of 14 outings to open the 2009-10 slate. Her 26 career double-digit rebounding efforts is the fourth most in program history and just six short of Dena Williams' career mark of 32. Harris had 12 outings with 10 or more boards in 2008-09 and averaged better than 10 rebounds per game in Missouri Valley Conference play last year.
Home Away From Home
The Braves will once again call Illinois Central College's Lorene Ramsey Gym home as construction of a new on-campus facility continues and will be completed this spring. The Braves boasted an 11-2 record at Lorene Ramsey Gym last year and finished the season with a 12-2 home mark, including an 81-65 win against Air Force which was played at Richwoods High School. Bradley tied a school record with 12 home wins last season and the 12-2 home mark is the second-best home winning percentage in school history behind the 1979-80 squad's 10-1 home record. The Braves are an impressive 14-3 (.824) at Lorene Ramsey Gym including this season's 3-1 record in the facility.
Bradley Picked Sixth In MVC Poll
Bradley was picked to finish sixth in the preseason Missouri Valley Conference poll. The sixth-place selection is the highest the Braves have been picked since they were selected to finish sixth in 2002-03. Bradley has finished higher than its predicted finish in each of the last three years and seven of the last nine years under head coach Paula Buscher. The Braves were 36 points behind fifth-place Indiana State and 26 points ahead of seventh-place Missouri State.
Braves Break School Record For Wins In 08-09
Bradley is coming off arguably its most successful season since joining the Missouri Valley Conference, after posting a 21-10 record in 2008-09. The 21 victories were a school record and the Braves finished with just the second 20-win season in program history. Bradley's only other 20-win season came in 1979-80, when the Braves posted a 20-9 overall mark. Bradley's 21 victories last year were the most since playing a full NCAA Division I schedule. In addition, the Braves' 11 Missouri Valley Conference wins were the most since finishing 1991-92 with an 11-7 conference mark.
What's Back
Bradley returns 10 of 14 letterwinners, including three starters from last year's team which finished with a school-record 21 victories. The Braves, which feature five of the top eight scorers and three of the top four rebounders from 2008-09, have two returning players that averaged 8.8 points per game or better. Junior forward Sonya Harris was a Second-Team All-MVC selection after averaging 9.3 points and a team-best 8.5 rebounds per game. Harris led The Valley in blocked shots and was third in rebounding in the league, while capturing MVC All-Defensive Team honors in 2008-09. Junior forward Raisa Taylor started 12 games and averaged 8.8 points per contest.
Feeling Rejected
Junior Sonya Harris is currently 13th in Missouri Valley Conference history with 142 career blocked shots. Currently leading the Valley in blocked shots, she is averaging 2.1 rejections per outing this season. Last season she had a school-record 79 blocks and averaged 2.7 per tilt as a sophomore. Harris is currently third in school history in rejections, needing 11 blocked shots to overtake Heather Best for second place (9th in MVC history).
Lowe's Senior CLASS Award
Senior forward Jenny Van Kirk is one of 30 national candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as a NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - classroom, character, community and competition. Van Kirk joins former teammate Kelly Krumwiede as national candidates for the award. Van Kirk owns a 4.0 cumulative grade point average and was a second-team MVC Scholar-Athlete last year. She also was a Second-Team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V selection in addition to earning Division I-AAA Athletic Director's Scholar-Athlete honors.
On The Rebound
Junior Sonya Harris ranked third in the Missouri Valley Conference in rebounding last year, pulling down an average of 8.5 boards per game. Her 247 rebounds last season was the best season total by a Bradley player since Carrie Coffman had a school-record 302 boards in 1994-95 and is the most rebounds by an underclassmen in program history. This season she is pulling down an average of 9.6 boards per game and is on pace to finish the regular season with 270 rebounds. She needs 95 rebounds to join Roxanne Grabow as the only players in program history with two seasons with 230 rebounds or more.
