For Starters
Bradley returns to Renaissance Coliseum to host in-state Big Ten Conference foe Illinois in the second game of back-to-back contests against Big Ten opponents. The Braves fell 91-53 Tuesday at #22 Iowa in the home opener for the Hawkeyes.
Friday's home tilt is the last before BU opens a season-long four-game road swing Monday with a game at Eastern Illinois. Following the game against the Illini, the Braves will play eight of the next 10 games away from home.
Illinois is looking for its first win of the season after falling at home to Missouri Valley Conference foe Illinois State (69-62) in the season opener and dropping a 48-61 decision at South Carolina Monday.
About Illinois
Illinois travels down I-74 in search of its first victory of the 2010-11 season after opening the season with a home loss to Illinois State (69-62) and falling at South Carolina (48-61) in the team's road opener Monday.
The Illini returned seven of 12 letterwinners, including three starters from last year's team which finished 19-15 overall and advanced to the WNIT quarterfinals.
Headlining the returning group is 6-2 sophomore forward Karisma Penn who averaged 10.9 points and 5.5 rebounds last year. Penn is shooting 57.1 percent from the field this season and is averaging 16.5 ppg and 7.0 rpg.
Junior guard Lydia McCully adds 8.5 points and 3.5 assists per outing, while junior guard Eboni Mitchell is scoring 8.0 points per game. Redshirt freshman Amber Moore has been the top outside scoring threat for the Illini, connecting on five three-pointers and is adding 7.5 points per game.
Illinois has no seniors and a total of 10 players on it's roster, with only eight individuals seeing the court in the Illini's first two games this season.
About The Braves
Bradley returned nine of 12 letterwinners, including three starters from last year's team which tied the school records for conference wins and best league finish in addition to making the first postseason appearance in program history.
The Braves have their top two scorers back from the 2009-10 squad which finished with a 17-14 overall record and advanced to the second round of the inaugural Women's Basketball Invitational. Bradley's lone senior Raisa Taylor is averaging 15.5 points per game and is shooting 56 percent from the field after an 18-point effort Tuesday at #22 Iowa.
Sophomore guard Katie Yohn led BU in scoring last year as a freshman with a 10.2 points per game average and is adding 13.0 points per game in 2010-11, while junior Latasha Hollingshed is averaging 9.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
Junior guard Hanna Muegge has returned to the court after missing the final six games of the 2009-10 season and is 4-of-6 from beyond the three-point arc. Fellow junior MacKenzie Westcott has been the Braves leader on the glass, pulling down 10 boards in each of the first two games of the season.
The Coaches
The dean of Missouri Valley Conference Women's Basketball coaches, Paula Buscher (Missouri State, '86) is in her 11th year at Bradley and has a record of 135-157 (.462) at BU. The 2008-09 Rawlings Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year, Buscher owns a 178-195 (.477) career record and is in her 14th year as a collegiate head coach. She is the all-time wins leader in program history with her 134 victories at BU and is 11th all-time in Missouri Valley Conference history in victories. Over the last two years she has led the team to a 23-13 (.639) conference record, marking the most conference wins in consecutive years for BU in program history. 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.
Jolette Law (Iowa '90) is in her fourth year as head coach at Illinois and fourth overall as a collegiate head coach after a 12-year tenure as an assistant coach under Hall of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer at Rutgers. Law has led the Illini to a 49-53 (.480) record and two WNIT appearances in her three-plus seasons.
Illinois Series
Illinois holds a 9-2 lead in the all-time series with Bradley after posting a 67-45 victory against BU last year at Assembly Hall. The Braves are 0-4 all-time in the series in home games. Friday's game will be the Illini's first trip to Peoria since Dec. 21, 2006. The two teams played five times during the 1980's, but did not play for a 13-year span before the series was renewed in 2002-03. Friday's game will be the seventh meeting since 2002-03 with Illinois owning a 4-2 record over the last six contests in the series.
On The Air
Friday's game against Illinois is Bradley's lone game to be carried on 1470 AM WMBD. Ed Hammond (play-by-play) and Joe Stowell (analyst) will call the action from Renaissance Coliseum.
On The Tube
Friday's game is the first of four games which will be televised in the Peoria area during the 2010-11 season and will air on WTVP World (47.2 over the air, 218 Comcast, 121 Mediacom). Kurt Pegler (play-by-play) and Chad Kleine (analyst) will serve as on-air talent for Bradley's three WTVP television appearances.
Last Time Out
Bradley fell 91-53 at 22nd-ranked Iowa in the Braves first road game of the season and first contest against a ranked team since the 2004-05 season. BU committed 25 turnovers, which the Hawkeyes converted into 35 points and Bradley shot just 33.3 percent from the field, compared to 46 percent for Iowa. Senior Raisa Taylor had 18 points to lead the Braves, while Katie Yohn added 10 points. Iowa was 25-for-33 from the free throw line and had five players score in double figures, paced by Jaime Printy's 21 points.
Keeping It In State
Bradley has won seven consecutive home games against in-state non-conference opponents dating back to Illinois' last visit to Peoria to close out the 2006-07 non-conference schedule. The Braves are 9-2 at home against in-state non-conference foes since the start of the 2006-07 season and boast a 16-5 record (.762) in home non-conference games against teams from the Prairie State under 11th-year head coach Paula Buscher.
Back-To-Back Big Ten Foes
Friday's game against Illinois will mark Bradley's second consecutive game against a Big Ten Conference opponent. The Braves are playing a pair of games against Big Ten Conference teams in the same season for the first time since 2004-05 when Bradley played #10 Ohio State in Columbus and posted a 70-67 victory at Illinois. Bradley has not played consecutive games against Big Ten Conference opponents since 1989-90 when BU followed a game at Minnesota with a home contest against Illinois.
Getting To The Line
Senior Raisa Taylor has been able to get to the free throw line early and often so far this season, having attempted a Missouri Valley Conference-best 17 free throws through the first two games. Taylor has moved into a tie for 10th with Jenn Jolley in career free throw attempts and needs 14 made free throws to break into BU's career top 10. She is the first player to break into Bradley's career top 10 in free throw attempts since Sara Bailey in 2002-03.
Hitting The Road
After opening the season with two of the first three games at Renaissance Coliseum, Bradley hits the road for a season-long four-game road swing beginning Monday at Eastern Illinois. In fact, the Braves will play eight of the next 10 games away from home and have just two home games on the schedule during a 47-day span between Nov. 20 and Jan. 5.
Tough Opening Stretch
Friday's game against Illinois will be the third of four consecutive games to open the 2010-11 season against teams which advanced to the postseason in 2009-10. The Braves regular-season and Renaissance Coliseum-opening opponent Butler participated in the WNIT, while BU's first road contest of the year was against NCAA Tournament squad and 22nd-ranked Iowa. WNIT participant Illinois visits Peoria Nov. 19 for a Friday night tilt and the Braves travel to Charleston, Ill., to face 2009-10 WNIT participant Eastern Illinois on Nov. 22. Three of Bradley's first four opponents won 20 or more games in 2009-10 and the four squads combined for an 85-50 (.630) record last year.
Crashing The Boards
Junior MacKenzie Westcott has tied a career high with 10 rebounds in each of the first two games of the season and ranks among the Missouri Valley Conference leaders with a 10.0 rebounds per game average. Westcott pulled a total of 63 boards in 2009-10 as a sophomore and entered the season with a 2.6 career rebounds per game average.
Braves Open New Home
Bradley played its first game on campus since the end of the 2007-08 season, opening Renaissance Coliseum with a 77-63 victory against WNIT participant Butler. Renaissance Coliseum is the sixth different venue Bradley has called a home court and the Braves are 5-1 in their first games in a new home venue. BU played its first home game in 1975-76 in Haussler Hall with a victory. The next season, Bradley relocated across the street to Robertson Memorial Field House and opened the 1976-77 campaign with a win against Carl Sandburg. The Braves topped Northeastern Illinois in overtime at Carver Arena in 1984-85 in the first of 13 games Bradley has played in the downtown facility. During construction of Renaissance Coliseum, BU was a 67-60 winner against Loyola-Chicago in the 2008-09 season opener in the team's first game at Illinois Central College's Lorene Ramsey Gym. In addition to the games at ICC, Bradley played two games at area high schools during construction, beating Air Force at Richwoods High School during the 2008-09 season and suffering a 58-51 loss to Arkansas-Little Rock at Woodruff High School.
Muegge Returns
Junior guard Hanna Muegge returned to the lineup in the season opener after tearing both her ACL and MCL Feb. 25 at Illinois State last season and missing the final six games of the year. Muegge helped Bradley to an 11-5 record in her starts last year before missing the final six games of the season. She was shooting a Missouri Valley Conference best 50 percent from beyond the arc in conference play prior to her injury. She is 4-of-6 from three-point range this season and has made 13 of her last 22 three-point attempts (59 percent). In fact, over her last 10 games she is 18-for-31 (58 percent) from beyond the arc.
Getting Defensive
Bradley showed it can be stingy on the defensive end of the court, limiting Butler to just five first-half field goals and 14.3 percent shooting Saturday in the season opener. The Bulldogs managed 16 first-half points against the Braves, marking the lowest point total in a half for a Bradley opponent since Southern Illinois scored 16 points in the first half of a game at Lorene Ramsey Gym on Jan. 9, 2009. The 16 points is tied for the fifth lowest point total in a half for a BU foe since the start of the 1981-82 season.
Return To Campus
Bradley's season opener against Butler marked BU's first game on campus since the end of the 2007-08 season. Bradley's Renaissance Coliseum officially opened in August and the $50-million, 4,200-seat facility serves as home court for the Bradley women's basketball and volleyball teams. The Braves played home games at Illinois Central College's Lorene Ramsey Gym in East Peoria each of the last two seasons, while construction of Renaissance Coliseum was in progress. The facility was dedicated on Oct. 15 during Bradley's annual homecoming festivities.
Welcome To The Team
Bradley welcomes three freshmen to the team in 2010-11, adding 5-9 Kelsey Budd (Prairie du Sac, Wis./Sauk Prairie), 6-1 forward Kelly Frings (Milwaukee, Wis./Pius XI) and 6-3 center Alyson Spinas-Valainis (Davenport, Iowa/Assumption). Budd was a first-team all-state selection after averaging 20 points and five assists per game as a senior. Frings was conference player of the year and led the league in both scoring and rebounding each of her final two prep seasons. Believed to be the only player in Iowa to score 1,000 points and strikeout 1,000 batters during the high school basketball and softball careers, Spinas-Valainis was a two-time first-team all-state pick and two-time conference player of the year.
See You Next Year
In addition to welcoming three true freshmen to the roster, Bradley women's basketball head coach Paula Buscher added Wisconsin transfer Catie O'Leary during the summer. O'Leary, who will have to sit out the 2010-11 season due to NCAA transfer rules, will have three years of eligibility remaining. A native of Janesville, Wis., O'Leary was the state scoring champ as a junior at Parker High School and was a three-time Big 8 Conference Player of the Year selection.
Postseason Success
Bradley made the first postseason appearance in program history in 2009-10, receiving a bid to the inaugural Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI). The Braves posted a 69-59 win against Louisville at Freedom Hall in the final home contest for any Louisville program in the historic venue. The Cardinals, which were a year removed from a national runner-up finish in the 2008-09 NCAA Tournament, were a combined 129-23 (.849) at Freedom Hall over the last 13 years in the facility. The win also snapped a 13-game losing streak for Bradley Athletics programs at Freedom Hall. The Bradley women lost their only other game in the building during the 1990-91 season and the Bradley men's basketball team had lost 12 consecutive games at Freedom Hall since edging the Cardinals 80-79 on Feb. 10, 1962.
Welcome Home
After calling Illinois Central College's Lorene Ramsey Gym home for each of the last two years, Bradley will return to campus for the 2010-11 season. The Braves opened the new $50-million, 4,200-seat Renaissance Coliseum Nov. 13 against WNIT participant Butler. The facility sits on the exact site of historic Robertson Memorial Field House which served as the Braves home until the building was razed following the 2007-08 season. Despite playing home games across the river in East Peoria, Bradley was an impressive 20-4 (.833) at Lorene Ramsey Gym over the last two seasons. Since the start of the 2007-08 season, BU is 31-10 (.756) in home contests.
Road Warriors
Bradley played a school record 17 road games in 2009-10 and matched a school record with eight road victories. The Braves are a combined 14-17 on the road since the start of the 2009-09 season and Bradley's 14 combined road victories between the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons are the most road wins in back-to-back seasons in program history.
Winning Ways
Bradley finished the 2009-10 season with a 17-14 record, marking the first time the Braves had back-to-back winning seasons since the 1985-86 (16-12 overall) and 1986-87 (15-13 overall) campaigns. The Braves were 38-24 (.613) during the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons, with the 38 wins ranking as the most wins in consecutive years since the 1980-81 and 1981-82 squads combined to go 38-16 (.704).
Braves Tie School Record For Conference Wins
Bradley matched a school record with 12 conference victories in 2009-10, while also matching the best league finish in school history (tied for third). BU's 23 Valley wins over the last two years are the most in back-to-back seasons¬ in school history and the Braves' 23-13 (.639) league mark over that time is third best in the conference during that stretch behind only Illinois State (31-5) and Creighton (27-9).
Senior Leadership
Raisa Taylor is the lone senior on the roster for Bradley in 2010-11 and has a chance to finish her career among the winningest players in program history. During her time on The Hilltop, the Braves own a 51-43 overall record and 29-25 league mark. Bradley has not finished a four-year period with a winning conference record since the 1992-93 senior class closed out their careers with a 36-34 mark. The only other class to post a winning league record was the 1991-92 senior class, which finished with a 38-34 conference record. Last year's senior class (Jenny Van Kirk & Renee Frericks) finished their careers with a 62-61 overall record, marking the most wins for BU during a four-year period since the 1982-83 team was 72-39. Bradley's current junior class has helped the Braves to a 39-25 overall record and 23-13 league mark.
Yohn Earns All-Valley Honors
Sophomore guard Katie Yohn was an honorable mention All-Missouri Valley Conference honoree in 2009-10 as a freshman and also earned a spot on The Valley's All-Freshman team after leading Bradley in scoring with a 10.2 points per game average. Yohn was the second freshman in program history to earn all-conference honors, joining Karin Nicholls who was an honorable mention All-Gateway Conference pick as a frosh in 1986-87. Yohn was a three-time MVC Newcomer of the Week honoree in 2009-10 and was the sixth Bradley player to be named to the MVC's All-Freshman squad under 11th-year head coach Paula Buscher.
Close Calls
Bradley has made a habit of pulling out close contests over the last few seasons. In 2009-10, the Braves had 15 games decided by 10 points or fewer and finished an impressive 11-4 (.733) in those contests. In fact, BU was 4-1 in games in which the final margin was five points or less. Over the last two years, Bradley is a combined 20-7 (.741) when the game is decided by 10 points or fewer.
The Future Is Bright
Katie Yohn led Bradley in scoring in 2009-10, averaging a team-best 10.2 points per game as a true freshman. Yohn, who earned a spot on the Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman team, was the first freshman to lead BU in scoring since Connie Griffith paced the Braves with an 18.3 points per game average her freshman year in 1977-78. Griffith is the only player in program history to lead the team in scoring in each of her four seasons on The Hilltop. Yohn finished the year with 317 points, which ranks as the fifth-best total for a BU freshman and her 10.2 points per game is average is the best a Bradley frosh since Heather Best tossed in 12.6 points per game in 1995-96.
Buscher Breaks BU Win Mark
Head coach Paula Buscher is in her 11th year on The Hilltop and is the all-time wins leader in program history. The dean of Missouri Valley Conference coaches, Buscher broke Lisa Boyer's school record of 123 victories on Jan. 15, 2010 with a 74-62 win against Northern Iowa and also broke Boyer's hold as the longest tenured coach in program history this season, with her 11th on the bench in Peoria. Buscher is 11th in Missouri Valley Conference history with 135 wins and also ranks 11th in league history with a school-record 77 Missouri Valley Conference victories.
Battle Of The Boards
One of the reasons for Bradley's success over the past two seasons has been rebounding with the Braves leading the Missouri Valley Conference in rebounding each of the last two seasons. In 2008-09, BU led the league in rebounding with a 41.6 rebounds per game average, marking the first time Bradley led the conference in rebounding since 1990-91. The Braves led the Valley with a 41.2 rebounds per game average in 2009-10 and are the first team to lead the league in rebounding in back-to-back years since Northern Iowa in 1997-98 and again in 1998-99.
Taylor Moves Up List
Senior Raisa Taylor moved up one more spot on Bradley's career scoring list Tuesday at #22 Iowa, passing Tammy Van Oppen for 28th in school history. Bradley's active career scoring leader with 771 points, Taylor needs 15 points to move into 27th and is 29 points from climbing two spots on the career chart into 26th. Taylor also ranks as BU's active career leader in rebounds (330) and assists (146). She ranked second on the team in scoring as a junior with a 9.7 points per game average, while leading the team in assists. In addition, she ranked third on the team in rebounding at 4.8 boards per outing in 2009-10. She needs 229 points to become the 15th player in program history to score 1,000 career points. Taylor's 740 points to start the year were the most for a Bradley player entering their final season since Devyn Flanagan opened the 2007-08 season with 753 career points. Flanagan was the last BU player to top 1,000 points.
From Long Range
Sophomore Katie Yohn was one of the top outside scoring threats in the Missouri Valley Conference and her 57 three-pointers last year as a freshman is the second-best season total by a BU frosh in program history. Her 57 trey's in 2009-10 is the ninth-best season total in school history and ranks as the eighth-best total by a freshman in Missouri Valley Conference history.
Heating Up
Senior Raisa Taylor ended the 2009-10 season on a tear, averaging 16.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game over Bradley's last five games. She played a key role in Bradley's 69-59 win at Louisville in the opening round of the inaugural Women's Basketball Invitational, finishing with 21 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, three blocks and two steals. The 20-10-5 effort (points-rebounds-assists) was just the third 20-10-5 performance by a Bradley player since Tammy Van Oppen's triple-double on Dec. 31, 1996. Taylor enters the season as Bradley's active career leader in points, rebounds and assists. Over her last seven outings Taylor is averaging 16.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.
Braves Picked Sixth In Preseason Valley Poll
For the second consecutive year Bradley was picked to finish sixth according to a vote of league coaches, sports information directors and media. Missouri State was the preseason favorite to win the regular-season league title after receiving 27 of 40 first-place votes. The Braves received 204 points in the poll and were 22 points behind fifth-place Wichita State. Bradley was 24 points ahead of seventh-place Drake in the preseason ranking. BU has finished higher than its predicted finish in each of the last four years and eight of the last 10 years overall under head coach Paula Buscher.
Up Next
Bradley kicks off a season-long, four-game road swing Monday with a game at Eastern Illinois. The Braves have won each of the last two meetings with the Panthers and three of the last four overall against Eastern Illinois, but EIU holds a slim 17-16 lead in the all-time series. The Panthers hold an 11-6 lead in the all-time series in games played in Charleston, Ill. Bradley and EIU were once part of the Gateway Conference and BU is 3-2 against the Panthers since they joined the Ohio Valley Conference.
