For Starters
Bradley (12-9 overall, 8-3 MVC) is coming off back-to-back road wins and owns a four-game road win streak heading into Saturday's matchup with Northern Iowa. The Braves have won eight of their last nine and 10 of the last 13 overall after opening the season 2-6. Saturday's game ends a three-game MVC road swing for BU.
The Braves are currently tied with Missouri State for third-place in the Valley standings at 8-3 prior to Friday's games. Northern Iowa is fifth in the league race at 6-5.
Northern Iowa (10-12 overall, 6-5 MVC) brings a three-game win streak into Saturday's contest after posting a 71-52 win at Evansville Sunday. The Panthers opened MVC play the same way Bradley did, with losses at Wichita State and Missouri State, but have gone 6-3 since that time. UNI is opening a season-long three-game homestand and owns a 5-3 record at the McLeod Center this year.
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 fourth in the standings at 6-5, UNI is 6-3 over its last nine games and has gone 10-8 since an 0-4 start to the year.
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 (15.0 ppg) and assists (2.8 apg). Kalin is tossing in 17.2 points per game in Valley play, while shooting 40 percent from three-point range.
Junior center Lizzie Boeck is adding 10.7 points per game, while shooting 48.7 percent from the field. Senior forward Kim Wypiszynski is scoring 9.7 points per game. Junior Erin Brocka leads the Panthers in rebounding (7.6 rpg), which includes 9.1 boards per game in Missouri Valley Conference play.
UNI is fourth in the MVC in scoring at 67.3 points per game and has averaged 78.0 points per game in its four home conference tilts. The Panthers rank second in the Valley in free throw percentage (.790) and also rank fourth in rebounding margin (+2.1).
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 8.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots per game on the young season after reaching double figures in rebounds in 12 of the first 21 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 six of her first 21 games and has started 10 contests. A versatile player with the ability to shoot from the outside or penetrate, she is the team's leading scorer at 9.5 points per game and her 38 three-pointers is the second-best total by a Bradley freshman. Yohn has averaged 10.0 points per game in conference play and has been named MVC Newcomer of the Week twice.
Junior Raisa Taylor is shooting a team-best 49.6 percent from the field and is second in scoring at 9.0 per tilt. She is averaging 10.6 ppg over the last eight contests and 10.8 ppg over the last 13 games.
Senior co-captain Jenny Van Kirk is the only player to start all 21 games this season and is adding 6.3 points and 4.9 boards per game, while leading the team with a 1.48 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Bradley picked up where it left off last year, outrebounding 18 of the first 21 opponents on the schedule by an average margin of +7.1. The Braves lead the Valley in both rebounding (42.3 rpg) and rebounding margin. BU also leads the MVC in field goal percentage defense (.363) and blocked shots (4.8 bpg), while ranking fourth in the league in field goal percentage (.428).
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 129-151 (.461) 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 172-189 (.476) career record and is in her 13th year as a collegiate head coach. She is the all-time wins leader in program history with her 129 victories at BU and is 11th all-time in Missouri Valley Conference history in victories. 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 opened a three-game Missouri Valley Conference road swing with a pair of victories, topping Evansville (68-58) before posting a 60-45 win at Southern Illinois. Senior Jenny Van Kirk had 14 points, eight boards, five assists and two steals to help Bradley to the win at Evansville. Sophomore Hanna Muegge scored 14 second-half points, including 10 consecutive points, and finished with a game-high 17 points in the win at SIU. Junior Sonya Harris added 16 points and nine rebounds as Bradley improved to 4-2 on the road in Missouri Valley Conference play.
Northern Iowa Series
Bradley closes out a three-game Missouri Valley Conference road swing with a 3:05 p.m. game at Northern Iowa Saturday in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The Braves hold a 33-21 lead in the all-time series with the Panthers after posting a 74-62 victory against UNI earlier this season at Lorene Ramsey Gym and BU has won three of the last four overall. Northern Iowa holds a 14-12 lead in games played in Cedar Falls, including each of the last five. Bradley is 8-12 against the Panthers under head coach Paula Buscher and 1-8 in road games in the series.
Braves Equal Best Start At 8-3
Bradley picked up a pair of road wins to push its Missouri Valley Conference record to 8-3 on the year. The 8-3 start to the Valley slate is the first since the 1990-91 season and equals the best start to conference play through 11 games in program history. The Braves have two previous starts to league action of 8-3, including the 1990-91 squad which tied for fifth with a 9-9 conference record. the 1989-90 team started the Gateway Conference slate with an 8-3 mark en route to a school-record 12 conference victories (12-6) and a fourth-place finish.
Four-Game Road Win Streak
After an 0-2 start to Missouri Valley Conference play, Bradley has won eight of its last nine games including four consecutive road games. The four-game MVC road win streak is the longest for the Braves since the 1991-92 team won its last five conference road games to finish 11-7 in league action. Currently 4-2 in MVC road games, Bradley has four conference road wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history and just the eighth time in 27 years of conference membership.
Feeling Rejected
Junior Sonya Harris recorded three blocked shots last week to push her season total to a Missouri Valley Conference best 42 on the year. Harris joined Dena Williams as the only players in program history to record 40 or more blocks in back-to-back seasons and moved into second place on BU's career blocked shot list passing Heather Best. Harris' 42 rejections this season is tied for the seventh best season total in school history and she moved into 10th in MVC history with her 155th career block.
Road Warriors
Bradley improved to 7-5 on the road this season with a pair of road victories last week. The seven road wins are the most for the Braves since finishing the 2004-05 season with a 7-6 record in road contests.
Sweeps Week
Bradley posted a 68-58 victory at Evansville to sweep the regular-season series with the Purple Aces. The sweep marked the 12th time in 16 years the two teams have been members of the Valley together one team was able to sweep the regular-season series. The win gave Bradley back-to-back sweeps of the regular-season series, however, ending a seven-year run in which the teams alternated sweeps. Between the 2002-03 season and the 2008-09, the squads alternated sweeps with BU taking the series in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009. Evansville took both regular-season meetings in 2004, 2006 and 2008.
Academic Honors
Seniors Jenny Van Kirk and Renee Frericks were both named ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District V selections, with Van Kirk earning the distinction for the second consecutive year. Van Kirk is the second repeat selection in program history after earning first-team All-District V honors this year. Enrolled in Bradley's Individualized Major Program, Van Kirk owns a 4.0 cumulative grade point average. Frericks earned second-team All-District V honors to give Bradley two Academic All-District selections in the same year for the first time in program history. A mathematics secondary education major, Frericks owns a 3.92 cumulative grade point average.
Big Turnaround
Bradley is 22-11 (.667) in its last 33 regular-season Missouri Valley Conference games dating back towards the end of the 2007-08 season. The Braves had gone 10-23 (.303) in the 33 regular-season conference games prior to the recent run.
Senior Success
Seniors Jenny Van Kirk and Renee Frericks have been a part of 57 Bradley victories in their near four years on The Hilltop. The 57 wins are the most for a Bradley squad in a four-year period since the 1991-92 senior class finished up a four-year run with a 57-53 record. The duo has also been a part of 32 Missouri Valley Conference wins, marking the most victories during a four-year period since the 1992-93 squad finished up a four-year stretch with 36 conference wins.
A January To Remember
Bradley finished the month of January with an impressive 6-2 record (.750). The Braves had not posted a winning record in the first month of a new year since going 5-4 in 1996-97 and the six victories were the most in the month of January since the 1989-90 squad went 8-2 to kick off the year 1990.
Six-Game Valley Win Streak Snapped
Bradley opened Missouri Valley Conference play with back-to-back road losses, but rattled off six consecutive victories before the home loss to Illinois State on Jan. 31. The six-game Valley win streak is tied for the longest in program history, matching last season's six-game win streak. I-74 rival Illinois State ended both six-game win streaks, posting an 82-61 win against the Braves last year at Redbird Arena.
More About Win Streaks
The Braves had a season-long six-game win streak snapped against I-74 rival Illinois State on Jan. 31. The six-game win streak is tied for the fifth longest in program history and is the fourth streak of six or more wins under head coach Paula Buscher. The Braves had win streaks of seven and six games in 2008-09 en route to a program record 21 victories.
Defense Making the Difference
Defense has been the main reason for Bradley's success in Missouri Valley Conference play. The Braves lead the MVC in field goal percentage defense (.363) and have held eight of the last 13 opponents to less than 33 percent shooting. In fact, during the last 13 games foes have combined to shoot 34.2 percent from the field and averaged just 58.5 points per game.
Big Impact
Sophomore Hanna Muegge did not appear in three of the first seven games and played a total of 14 minutes in the first eight contests, but has averaged 21.7 minutes over the last 13 games while helping Bradley to a 10-3 record in that stretch. Muegge has started each of the last 12 games and is averaging 6.5 points per contest, while shooting 40.7 percent (11-for-27) from three-point range over the last 13 contests.
Balanced Attack
Bradley is the only team in the Missouri Valley Conference without a player averaging in double figures in scoring and is one of just four schools without a player averaging at least three assists per outing, thanks in part to a balanced attack. BU is second in the league in assists per game as a team (14.5) and has had 11 different players reach double figures at least once this season. The Braves have had a different leading scorer in five of the last six games and a total of 10 different players led the team in scoring at least once this season.
Braves Sweep Creighton-Drake Swing
Bradley ended a two-game road losing skid with victories at Creighton (63-57) and at Drake (61-58). The Braves swept the Creighton-Drake road swing for the first time in program history, marking just the 11th time a road team has won regular-season games at Creighton and Drake in the same season. The road sweep was the first since Illinois State and Indiana State both accomplished the feat the final weekend of the regular-season in 2006-07.
Flair For the Dramatic
For the second time in as many meetings Bradley needed a buzzer beater to help defeat Drake on Jan. 24 when Sonya Harris hit the first three-pointer of her career with a 30-foot buzzer-beating shot to give the Braves a 61-58 victory at the Knapp Center. Senior Renee Frericks provided the big shot in last year's 87-80 double overtime victory at Lorene Ramsey Gym as she connected on a 25-foot buzzer beater to tie the game at 74-74 and force a second overtime.
Minnesota Connection
Bradley has used seven different starting combinations on the year. A player from the state of Minnesota has been in the starting lineup for each of the 21 games this season, but Bradley is an impressive 7-1 on the year when all three Gopher State natives are in the starting five. While Waconia, Minn., native Jenny Van Kirk is the only player on the roster to start all 21 games this season and Wyoming, Minn., native Renee Frericks has helped Bradley to a 7-3 record in her starts; Bradley is 9-3 when sophomore guard Hanna Muegge (Hopkins, Minn.) is in the starting lineup.
Getting Defensive
Bradley held Creighton to a season-low 22.7 percent shooting as the Braves posted a 63-57 road victory against the Bluejays. The 22.7 percent shooting by the Bluejays is the lowest by a Missouri Valley Conference opponent and is tied for the third best defensive effort by the Braves. Creighton's shooting percentage was the lowest for a BU opponent since holding Texas Southern to a school record 20.6 percent shooting on Dec. 5, 1992.
Buscher Breaks BU Win Mark
Head coach Paula Buscher became the all-time wins leader in program history with BU's 74-62 victory against Northern Iowa on Jan. 15, picking up her 124th win as head coach of the Braves. She entered the game against UNI with an identical record to Boyer's 123-150 (.451) mark as head coach of the Braves. Buscher is 129-151 (.461) as head coach of the Braves and is 11th in Missouri Valley Conference history with 129 victories. She and Boyer have accounted for 252 of BU's 428 all-time wins or 58.9 percent.
Freshman Bomber
Freshman Katie Yohn has connected on a team-best 38 three-pointers this season and has hit six three-pointers in a game on two occasions. She is just the seventh player in program history with two outings with six trey's or more in the same season and joins Michelle Lund as the only freshmen in program history to accomplish the feat. Yohn's 38 three-pointers is the second-best total by a BU freshman behind Lund's 75 three-pointers last season.
Hot Hands
Junior Raisa Taylor has had a hot hand as of late, connecting on 50-of-97 (51.5 percent) shots from the field over the last 13 games and averaging a team-best 10.8 points per game during that stretch. Taylor is 58-of-112 (51.8 percent) over the last 16 games and is a combined 45-for-83 (.542) in BU's 12 road games. Junior Sonya Harris is 30-for-47 (63.8 percent) and averaging 10.7 points per game over the last six contests.
Up Next
Bradley returns home for a brief two-game home stand beginning Friday against preseason conference favorite Creighton. The Bluejays hold a 32-7 lead in the all-time series, but Bradley has won three of the last four meetings and the two squads have split the last eight games in the series overall. The Braves are 3-17 all-time in home games in the series. Bradley is 4-15 against Creighton under head coach Paula Buscher, including a 2-7 in home games.
Bench Coming Up Big
Bradley has had at least one player come off the bench and score in double figures in 15 of 21 games this season. BU's reserves have accounted for 46.2 percent of the team's offense this season and the Braves' bench has been outscored by the opponent's counterparts in just three of 21 outings. Bradley's bench is averaging 29.5 points per game and boasts an average scoring margin of +13.0 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 (42.3 rpg) and also leads the league with a +7.1 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. BU has outrebounded 18 of 21 opponents this season and has matched our outrebounded its foe in 43 of the last 52 games.
Climbing The Charts
Junior Sonya Harris pulled down her 500th career rebound at Wichita State (Jan. 2) and is closing in on Bradley's career top 10 in rebounding. Harris is second in the MVC in rebounding at 9.6 per game and is currently 11th all-time at BU with 585 career boards. She needs 16 rebounds to move into Bradley's career top 10 and is 32 rebounds from overtaking former teammate Kelly Krumwiede for ninth on BU's all-time list. Harris is second among active players in scoring with 621 career points.
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 2-7 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 prior to the win against the Billikens, was a 72-69 victory at Missouri State on March 3, 2005.
Success Against The Mountain West
Bradley is 5-5 on the road this season, with two of the five 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.
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 six times. Three of Bradley's top nine scorers are freshmen, with Yohn leading the squad with a 9.5 points per game average. Olivia Allen has reached double figures four times and is adding 4.1 points per game, while Brooke Bisping is scoring 4.0 points per game. The Braves' freshmen class has combined for 27 percent of the team's scoring this season.
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' freshmen season, only five different BU freshmen 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 18 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 47-34 (.580) against in-state foes during Buscher's tenure, which includes a 22-19 combined mark against Illinois State and Southern Illinois.
Yohn Earns MVC Newcomer of the Week Again
Freshman Katie Yohn earned MVC Newcomer of the Week honors for the second time this season after scoring a game-high 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting against Northern Iowa (Jan. 15). One of three players to earn the award multiple times this season, she also earned the distinction on Nov. 16 after scoring in double figures in each of her first two games. 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. She leads the team in scoring at 9.8 points per game.
Double Trouble
Junior Sonya Harris collected her team-leading fifth double-double of the year against Illinois State, finishing with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Harris now has 19 career double-doubles which is tied for the third best total in Bradley history. She collected eight double-doubles last year as a sophomore after nearly averaging a double-double in Missouri Valley Conference play in 2008-09 (9.7 ppg & 10.1 rpg). This season Harris is averaging 8.4 points and 9.6 boards per outing.
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 is scoring 9.5 points per game on the year, while Allen is adding 4.1 per outing. 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 30 games in her two-plus seasons, including 12 of 21 outings to open the 2009-10 slate. Her 30 career double-digit rebounding efforts is tied for the second most in program history and just two 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 16-4 (.800) at Lorene Ramsey Gym including this season's 5-2 record in the facility. BU is 26-10 (.722) at home since the start of the 2007-08 season.
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.
Lowe's Senior CLASS Award
Senior forward Jenny Van Kirk was 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, who was a candidate last season, as the only players in program history to serve as national candidates for the honor. Van Kirk owns a 4.0 cumulative grade point average and was a second-team MVC Scholar-Athlete last year. She is a two-time 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 268 rebounds. She needs 29 rebounds to become the fourth player in program history with two seasons of 230 rebounds or more.
