For Starters
Bradley (6-3 overall) plays its first game after finals at home Saturday against Northern Illinois before kicking off a three-game road swing next week. The Braves bring a three-game win streak into the contest with the Huskies and have won five of the last six overall.
BU is playing the second of four consecutive games against teams from the state of Illinois and Saturday's contest is the final non-conference home game on the slate for Bradley.
NIU (5-5 overall) is wrapping up a season-long, five-game road swing Saturday. The Huskies have played eight road games and a total of nine games away from home to open the season. Northern Illinois has lost back-to-back games and dropped three of four heading into Saturday's contest.
About Northern Illinois
Northern Illinois (5-5 overall) wraps up a season-long, five-game road swing and concludes a season-opening stretch in which the Huskies will have played 10 off 11 games to open the season away from home. NIU is 3-5 in road games this season and 4-5 away from home, including a 66-60 neutral site victory against George Washington.
The Huskies returned seven of 10 letterwinners, including three starters from last year's squad which finished 10-19 overall and was fifth in the West Division of the Mid-American Conference (4-12). Bradley and NIU have one common opponent to date in Western Illinois, with both teams picking up road wins in Macomb against the Leathernecks. Saturday's game is Northern Illinois' seventh game against a team from the state of Illinois this season.
Senior guard Marke Freeman is NIU's leading scorer at 16.5 points per game and is shooting a blistering 51.4 percent from three-point range. Senior center Ebony Ellis is the Huskies leading rebounder (7.8 rpg) and is scoring 10.9 points per game, while sophomore transfer Kim Davis is scoring 8.6 points per outing and grabbing 5.7 boards per game. Junior Courtney Shelton dishes out 3.7 assists per game and is shooting 45.8 percent from beyond the three-point arc.
About The Braves
Bradley (6-3 overall) 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 14.0 points per game and is shooting 58.6 percent from the field. Taylor has scored in double figures in 12 of her last 14 games dating back to last season.
Sophomore guard Katie Yohn returned to the court Nov. 26 after missing two games due to a concussion and earned all-tournament honors at the Cancun Thanksgiving Classic.
Bradley's leading scorer as a freshman in 2009-10 with a 10.2 points per game average, Yohn is scoring 13.6 points per outing this season and has reached double figures in nine of her last 10 outings.
Junior forward Latasha Hollingshed leads The Valley in rebounding at 10.4 boards per game and is adding 8.9 points per tilt.
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 140-159 (.468) at BU. The 2008-09 Rawlings Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year, Buscher owns a 183-197 (.482) 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 140 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.
Kathi Bennett (Wisconsin-Green Bay '86) is in her first season as head coach at Northern Illinois after spending the previous two years as an assistant coach at Wisconsin. The former head coach at Evansville (1996-2000) and Indiana (2000-05), Bennett is 5-5 as head coach at NIU and owns a 301-183 (.622) career coaching record in 18 years as a collegiate head coach.
Series History
Bradley returns to the court after having a week and a half off for finals Saturday when the Braves welcome Northern Illinois to Renaissance Coliseum in the final non-conference home game of the season. NIU holds a 7-4 lead in the all-time series after posting an 86-73 win against Bradley last year in the season opener in DeKalb, Ill., and the Huskies have won three of the last four meetings overall. The series is tied 3-3 in games played in Peoria with Bradley winning three of its four last home games in the series. The Braves are 2-4 vs. Northern Illinois under head coach Paula Buscher, with both victories coming in home contests.
Last Time Out
Senior Raisa Taylor matched a season-high with 22 points to help power Bradley to a 62-55 win against Western Illinois in the team's final game before finals. The Braves led by as many as nine points in the first half before the Leathernecks pulled to within two points midway through the second half. Taylor scored 14 of BU's final 18 points and had 18 of her game-high 22 points in the second half to help Bradley hold off WIU. Junior Leah Kassing had seven points and a season-high nine rebounds off the bench.
Braves Win Third Straight
Last Tuesday's victory at Western Illinois not only gave Bradley a season-long, three-game win streak, but also gave the Braves their fifth victory in their last six games. BU picked up its third consecutive road win, marking Bradley's first three-game, road win streak in non-conference play since winning six straight non-conference road games between the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons. Bradley is 8-5 in its last 13 road games and is 17-17 in true road games since the start of the 2008-09 season. The Braves are 3-1 on the road this season and tied with Northern Iowa for the most road victories in the MVC.
Busy Stretch Comes To An End
Bradley had played a Missouri Valley Conference-leading nine games following last Tuesday's game at Western Illinois and the Braves' six victories are currently tied for the second most wins in the league heading into this week's action. The game against the Leathernecks ended the busiest stretch of the season, as the Braves played their ninth game in a 25-day span. BU will have had 10 days between games when Bradley plays Northern Illinois Saturday, marking the biggest gap between contests for Bradley since having an 11-day gap between games in December of 2007. From Dec. 8 through Jan. 5 (a span of 29 days) Bradley will play a total of four games, including just one home contest (Saturday against NIU).
Against the MAC
Bradley owns a 14-14 overall record against current members of the Mid-American Conference. The Braves have faced seven of the current 12 MAC members and have claimed three of the last four games overall against Mid-American Conference schools. BU is 4-5 against MAC schools under head coach Paula Buscher.
Game No. 300
Saturday's home game against Northern Illinois will be Bradley head coach Paula Buscher's 300th game on the BU bench. Only five other coaches in the history of the Missouri Valley Conference have been on their team's respective bench for 300 games or more and the last coach to reach the 300-game mark was Northern Iowa's Tony DiCecco during the 2005-06 season.
Yohn's Streak Ends
Sophomore guard Katie Yohn had scored in double figures in each of her first six games of the year and had scored 10 or more points in nine consecutive games dating back to a seven-point effort against Missouri State in the final home game of the 2009-10 season. Yohn was held to just five shots last week against Western Illinois and finished with six points and a career-high six rebounds to go along with two assists, two blocks and one steal. Over her last 10 games, Yohn is averaging 11.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.5 steals per game.
Home Sweet Home
Saturday's home game against Northern Illinois is Bradley's final non-conference home game of the season. Since joining the Gateway Conference for the 1983-84 season, the Braves are 20-7 (.741) in the final non-conference home game of the year. Bradley is 23-6 (.793) at home since the start of the 2008-09 season and the Braves boast a 32-11 (.744) home record since the start of the 2007-08 campaign.
Land Of Lincoln Tour Continues
Bradley will play the second of four consecutive games against teams from the state of Illinois Saturday when Northern Illinois visits Renaissance Coliseum for a 7:05 p.m. game. The Braves are 2-1 this season against teams from the state of Illinois and BU is 12-5 (.706) against non-conference teams from the Land of Lincoln since the start of the 2007-08 season. Bradley is 28-17 (.622) against in-state non-conference opponents under head coach Paula Buscher, which includes a 17-6 (.739) home record against in-state non-conference foes.
On The Mark
Bradley shot a blistering 61.7 percent from the field against Saint Louis (Dec. 4) to down the Billikens 81-64. SLU entered the game giving up just 56 points per game, but Bradley raced out to a 45-35 halftime lead after shooting 69.6 percent in the opening half and finished the game with the third-best field goal percentage in program history. The 61.7 percent shooting is the best by a Bradley squad since shooting 64.9 percent (37-for-57) at Western Illinois on Feb. 22, 1986.
Cleaning The Glass
Junior Latasha Hollingshed snagged a career-high 20 rebounds in Bradley's overtime win at Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Dec. 1), marking the most boards by a Bradley player since Carrie Coffman had 22 at Wichita State on Feb. 9, 1995. Hollingshed's 20 rebounds is tied for the fifth-best total in program history and her nine offensive boards against the Panthers is tied for the eighth-best single game effort in school history. Hollingshed who averaged just 9.0 minutes and 2.2 rebounds per game last year, is averaging 8.9 points and a Missouri Valley Conference leading 10.4 boards per game. In her six starts she is averaging 8.9 points and 11.6 rebounds per game.
Overtime Wins
Bradley improved to 19-17 all-time in overtime games with the 72-70 overtime victory at Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Dec. 1. The Braves own an 8-5 record in overtime road contests and BU is now 7-4 in overtime contests under head coach Paula Buscher. Bradley has won three of its last four overtime road tilts and is 5-0 in overtime contests against non-conference opponents during Buscher's coaching tenure.
Close Calls
Bradley's two-point victory at Wisconsin-Milwaukee was the Braves seventh consecutive win in games decided by five points or fewer and BU improved to an impressive 13-1 in its last 14 games decided by 10 points or less with a 62-55 win at Western Illinois. The Braves are 15-4 (.789) in games in which the final margin is 10 points or fewer since the start of the 2009-10 season and 24-7 (.774) in those contests since the beginning of the 2008-09 campaign.
Happy Homecoming
Freshman Kelly Frings had a happy homecoming as the Milwaukee, Wis., native helped Bradley pull out a 72-70 overtime victory at Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Frings scored seven of her season-high 10 points after halftime to help the Braves to the victory. With BU trailing by four and less than 90 seconds left in the overtime, she had a basket with 1:13 to play and made a pair of free throws with 51.7 seconds remaining to tie the game at 70-70.
Big Road Swing
Bradley posted a 3-1 record on its season-long, four-game road swing, picking up wins at Eastern Illinois (77-72) and at Wisconsin-Milwaukee (72-70 in overtime) in addition to splitting a pair of neutral site contests in Cancun, Mexico against William & Mary (won 65-62) and Arizona (lost 59-82). The four-game road swing marked the 23rd time in program history Bradley played four or more consecutive games away from home. The Braves finished with a winning record on a road swing of four or more games for the eighth time. Bradley has finished a season with a winning record in four of the previous six seasons BU had a winning mark on a road swing of four or more games.
Yohn Named To All-Tournament Team
Sophomore guard Katie Yohn made her return to the court in the opening game of the Cancun Thanksgiving Classic against William & Mary after missing the previous two games due to a concussion. Yohn went on to earn all-tournament honors at the event, averaging 12.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 block and 3.5 steals per game. She came off the bench in both contests, collecting 11 points and trying a career-high with five steals against William & Mary, before capping the week with team highs of 14 points, three assists, two blocks and two steals against Arizona.
Climbing The Scoring Chart
Senior guard Raisa Taylor is poised to move up another spot on Bradley's all-time scoring list, needing 15 points to pass Amy Peters for 18th in school history after a 22-point effort last week at Western Illinois. Bradley's leading scorer with a 14.0 points per game average this season, Taylor is 55 points from passing Jenn Jolley for 17th in school history.
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 59 free throws through the nine games. Last season Taylor averaged 4.2 free throw attempts per game, but is averaging 6.6 attempts per game in 2010-11. Her 386 career free throw attempts is the fourth best career total in program history and her 253 made free throws is tied for the eighth best total in school history. Taylor needs 12 made free throws to move into sixth and 24 makes from overtaking Heather Best for fifth on the career chart.
International Trip
Bradley's trip to Cancun, Mexico, for the Cancun Thanksgiving Classic marked the third international trip in program history for Bradley. The Braves last trip out of the country was in the summer of 2004 when BU made an exhibition tour through Western Europe. The only regular-season trip out of the United States was in 1989-90 when BU opened the season with three games in the Aruba Sunshine Classic. The Braves are 4-6 in games played outside the United States after going 0-3 on the trip to Aruba and 3-2 during the European exhibition tour.
Filling Up The Stat Sheet
Senior Raisa Taylor enters this week's action tied for fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring (14.0 ppg) and fourth in the league in assists per game (3.7). In addition, Taylor is second in The Valley in field goal percentage, shooting a team-best 58.6 percent from the field. Over her last 14 games, Taylor is averaging 15.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game dating back to her last five contests in 2009-10. The lone senior on the roster for Bradley, she is averaging nearly seven free throw attempts per game during that same 14-game stretch. Taylor is the Braves' active career leader in scoring, rebounding and assists.
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 on Nov. 13. 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, picking up 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 and Bradley is 17-8 in her 25 career starts. She was shooting a Missouri Valley Conference best 50 percent from beyond the arc in conference play prior to her injury. Dating back to last season, Muegge has made 19 of her last 43 three-point attempts (44.2 percent) and is 24-for-52 (46.2 percent) from beyond the arc over her last 17 games.
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.
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 returned 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 with a 77-63 victory. 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 32-11 (.744) 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 17-17 on the road since the start of the 2009-10 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 56-45 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 44-27 overall record and 23-13 league mark.
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 140 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. BU is currently third in the MVC in rebounding (39.8 rpg), but the Braves rank second in The Valley in rebounding margin (+6.4).
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. She is Bradley's active career leader in three-pointers, having connected on 72 as a Brave.
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 closes out the non-conference schedule Tuesday, Dec. 21 at Illinois-Chicago. The Braves own a 13-4 lead in the all-time series with the Flames and have won two of the last three meetings overall. BU is 4-3 in road games in the series, but UIC has won each of the last two meetings in Chicago. Bradley is 6-2 against Illinois-Chicago under head coach Paula Buscher, including a 2-2 mark at the UIC Pavilion. The two teams have split the last four meetings overall, but Bradley has claimed seven of the last nine in the series since the start of the 1995-96 season.
