PEORIA, Ill. -- The Bradley women's basketball team will make its return to campus Saturday when the Braves open the 2010-11 season against Butler in a 2:05 p.m. game in the first regular-season on-campus game since the end of the 2007-08 season. The game will be the Braves first regular-season contest in Bradley's new $50-million, 4,200-seat Renaissance Coliseum, which was dedicated on Oct. 15.
Helping highlight what will already be a historic day as the Braves officially open their new home, former Bradley women's basketball standout Heather Best will be inducted into the Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame at halftime of the game against Butler.
Bradley returned nine of 12 letterwinners, including three starters from last year's team which tied the school record for conference wins (12-6) and matched the best conference finish (tied for third) in program history. The 2009-10 Braves went on to make the first postseason appearance in program history, advancing to the second round of the inaugural Women's Basketball Invitational and finished the year with a 17-14 overall record.
Saturday's game is the first of four consecutive games against teams which advanced to the postseason last year and Bradley will be opening a season at home for the fifth time in the last seven years. The Braves are 20-15 all-time in season openers and own a 25-10 record in home openers.
The first of three Horizon League teams on the schedule, Butler holds a 4-1 lead in the all-time series with the Braves and has won three consecutive meetings in the series since Bradley topped the Bulldogs 72-65 in the 2002-03 season opener at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Butler returned 10 of 13 letterwinners, including four starters from it's 2009-10 squad which finished with a 23-10 record and advanced to the WNIT for the second consecutive season. The Bulldogs finished second in the Horizon League with a 14-4 conference record.
The Braves went 2-0 in exhibition play and are coming off a 66-53 exhibition victory against defending NCAA Division III national champion Washington (Mo.) Saturday at Renaissance Coliseum. Bradley posted a 90-80 victory against Quincy on Nov. 1 in the squad's first exhibition game.
Live Stats for all Bradley home games will be available at the Live Stats tab located at the top of the Bradley Athletics homepage (www.BradleyBraves.com). A free audio stream of WIRL's radio broadcast along with a subscription video stream will be available at the Live Event Schedule link located below the Bradley All Access login on the Bradley homepage.
Season tickets for the 2010-11 women's basketball campaign are $75 for the general public and $30 for Bradley faculty and staff at the Renaissance Coliseum ticket office (1601 W. Main Street). Individual tickets are $8 for adults and $4 for children (K-12) and Bradley faculty and staff. For more information please call (309) 677-2625. Free parking is available for all Bradley women's basketball home games at the Main Street Parking Deck located just west of Renaissance Coliseum at the corners of Main Street & Maplewood.
