For Starters
Bradley (12-10 overall, 8-4 MVC) looks to rebound from a 60-84 loss to Northern Iowa to wrap up a three-game Missouri Valley Conference road swing. The Braves play four of the final six regular-season games at home beginning with Friday's contest against preseason Valley favorite Creighton. Bradley is 8-2 in its last 10 games, including a 4-1 mark at home, but is 2-2 in its last four overall.
BU enters this weeks' action alone in fourth place, one game behind Missouri State for third place in the standings. Bradley is 5-3 at home on the year.
Creighton (15-7 overall, 10-3 MVC) has won three in a road and five of its last six since the Braves posted a 63-57 win against the Bluejays in Omaha on Jan. 22. The Bluejays are currently second in the MVC standings, one-and-a-half games behind league leading Illinois State and full game up on third-place Missouri State. Creighton has not won four consecutive games this season. The Bluejays are 6-4 in road games, including a 5-1 road record in conference play.
On The Tube
Friday's game is the third of four Bradley women's basketball games televised in the Peoria area. The game against the Bluejays will be carried on WTVP Channel 47 with Kurt Pegler (play-by-play) and Chad Kleine (analyst) calling the action from Lorene Ramsey Gym.
About Creighton
The preseason favorite to win the Missouri Valley Conference, Creighton is 15-7 overall and off to a 10-3 start to Valley play. The Bluejays returned seven of 11 letterwinners, including four starters from last year's team which finished 22-12 overall and advanced to the second round of the WNIT. Creighton was second in the MVC at 14-4 in 2008-09.
The Bluejays lead the MVC in scoring defense, surrendering a league low 57.4 points per game and rank second in scoring margin (+7.4 ppg). Creighton also averages a league-best 7.3 three-pointers per contest and is shooting 34.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Junior guard/forward Sam Schuett leads the team in scoring (13.0 ppg) and rebounding (7.9), while shooting a team-best 41.1 percent from three-point range.
Senior Megan Neuvirth was the preseason pick for Valley Player of the Year and is second in scoring (12.8 ppg) and rebounding (7.1 rpg) for the Bluejays. The 2008-09 MVC Defensive Player of the Year, Neuvirth missed Saturday's home game against Evansville with an injury.
Junior guard Kelsey Woodard is adding 10.7 points per game and is averaging nearly two three-pointers per outing. Junior center Kellie Nelson is shooting 52.7 percent from the field, while scoring 10.4 points per tilt.
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 8.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots per game on the season after reaching double figures in rebounds in 12 of the first 22 games. Harris is second in the league in both rebounding and blocked shots.
Freshman Katie Yohn has led the team in scoring in six of her first 22 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 39 three-pointers is the second-best total by a Bradley freshman. Yohn has averaged 10.1 points per game in conference play and has been named MVC Newcomer of the Week twice.
Junior Raisa Taylor is shooting a team-best 48.9percent from the field and is second in scoring at 8.7 per tilt. She is averaging 9.7 ppg over the last nine contests and 10.1 ppg over the last 14 games.
Senior co-captain Jenny Van Kirk is the only player to start all 22 games this season and is adding 6.7 points and 4.8 boards per game, while leading the team with a 1.44 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Bradley picked up where it left off last year, outrebounding 18 of the first 22 opponents on the schedule by an average margin of +6.2. The Braves lead the Valley in rebounding (42.3 rpg) and are second in rebounding margin. BU also leads the MVC in field goal percentage defense (.366) and blocked shots (4.7 bpg), while ranking fourth in the league in field goal percentage (.429).
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 129-152 (.459) 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 172-190 (.475) 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.
Jim Flanery (Creighton '87) is in his eighth season as head coach at his alma mater and as a collegiate head coach. Flanery has led the Bluejays to a 146-99 (.596) record in that time. Creighton has advanced to the postseason in five of his seven seasons as head coach including a WNIT title (2004). The Bluejays have finished first or second in the Valley in four of his seven seasons.
Last Time Out
Northern Iowa hit a season-best 12 three-pointers, including eight in the first half to top Bradley 84-60 Saturday in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Sophomore MacKenzie Westcott tied a career and season-high with 15 points off the bench and senior Jenny Van Kirk added 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, but UNI had five players score in double figures. The Braves committed 22 turnovers and were outrebounded 39-26. Six different UNI players hit three-pointers in the contest as the two teams split the regular-season series.
Creighton Series
Bradley opens two-game home stand 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.
Home Cooking
Bradley has played a league low eight home games to date, going 5-3 in home contests. The Braves conclude the regular-season with four of their final six games at Lorene Ramsey Gym. Bradley is 16-4 (.800) at Lorene Ramsey Gym over the last two seasons.
Familiar Territory
Bradley is 8-4 in Missouri Valley Conference play, marking the second straight season the Braves have opened league play with an 8-4 mark through 12 games. The 8-4 start is just the fifth in program history and the back-to-back 8-4 starts are the first since 1989-90 and 1990-91. Bradley has finished tied for fifth or better each of the previous four times the Braves opened conference action with an 8-4 record or better. In fact Bradley ended the year in fourth place in the conference in four of the five seasons BU opened with an 8-4 record.
On The Mark
Senior Jenny Van Kirk opened the season 6-for-25 from three-point range, but has connected on 5-of-6 three-point attempts over the last three games. The senior co-captain is 11-for-19 from the field (57.9 percent) over her last three outings after shooting 46.2 percent from the field to start the season.
Battle Of The Boards
Northern Iowa outrebounded Bradley 39-26 Saturday to end a five-game streak in which the Braves had more rebounds than their opponent. UNI's advantage on the boards marked just the fourth time this season Bradley did not have an edge on the glass and was the largest rebounding margin by an opponent since Evansville was +13 on Feb. 7, 2009.
Pink Zone Game
Sunday's home game against Drake will mark the seventh annual Pink Zone Game sponsored by Bradley with proceeds from the contest benefitting the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation. Bradley raised nearly $6,000 for the Komen Foundation during last year's event and nearly $45,000 over the previous six years of the event. Head coach Paula Buscher has donated $25 per BU three-pointer in each of the previous six Pink Zone games. The Braves have made 43-of-99 (43.4 percent) three-point attempts in Pink Zone games and Bradley has gone 5-1 in those contests. For information on how to participate in the Coaches' Challenge please call (309) 677-3617.
Four-Game Road Win Streak
Northern Iowa snapped a four-game Missouri Valley Conference road win streak Saturday, topping the Braves 84-60 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. 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 4-3 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 had one block Saturday at Northern Iowa to push her season total to a team-best 43 on the year. Harris has joined Dena Williams as the only players in program history to record 40 or more blocks in back-to-back seasons and is now second place on BU's career blocked shot list passing Heather Best. Harris' 43 rejections this season is the seventh best season total in school history and she is 10th in MVC history with 156 career block.
Road Warriors
Bradley is currently 7-6 on the road this season with just two road games remaining on the slate. 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.
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 (.366) and have held eight of the last 14 opponents to less than 33 percent shooting. In fact, during the last 14 games foes have combined to shoot 34.9 percent from the field and averaged just 60.4 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 20.7 minutes over the last 14 games while helping Bradley to a 10-4 record in that stretch. Muegge has started each of the last 13 games and is averaging 6.1 points per contest, while shooting 40.7 percent (11-for-27) from three-point range over the last 14 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 (14.4) 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 have 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) earlier this season. 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 22 games this season, but Bradley is an impressive 7-2 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 22 games this season and Wyoming, Minn., native Renee Frericks has helped Bradley to a 7-4 record in her starts; Bradley is 9-4 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 129-152 (.459) 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 39 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 39 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 51-of-101 (50.5 percent) shots from the field over the last 14 games and averaging a team-best 10.1 points per game during that stretch. Taylor is 59-of-116 (50.9 percent) over the last 17 games and is a combined 46-for-87 (.529) in BU's 13 road games. Junior Sonya Harris is 35-for-57 (61.4 percent) and averaging 10.7 points per game over the last seven contests.
Up Next
Bradley concludes the two-game home stand Sunday with its annual Pink Zone game against Drake. The Bulldogs hold a 43-13 lead in the all-time series after the Braves' 61-58 victory in Des Moines earlier this season. Bradley has won the last two meetings with Drake and the Braves are 4-3 in the last seven meetings. Drake is 18-8 all-time in Peoria in the series. Bradley is 5-17 against the Bulldogs under head coach Paula Buscher, including a 3-6 record in home games.
Bench Coming Up Big
Bradley has had at least one player come off the bench and score in double figures in 16 of 22 games this season. BU's reserves have accounted for 46.4 percent of the team's offense this season and the Braves' bench has been outscored by the opponent's counterparts in just four of 22 outings. Bradley's bench is averaging 29.5 points per game and boasts an average scoring margin of +12.0 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 (41.5 rpg) and ranks second in the league in rebounding margin at +6.2 per game. 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 22 opponents this season and has matched our outrebounded its foe in 43 of the last 53 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 9.5 per game and is currently 11th all-time at BU with 593 career boards. She needs eight rebounds to move into Bradley's career top 10 and is 24 rebounds from overtaking former teammate Kelly Krumwiede for ninth on BU's all-time list. Harris also ranks as Bradley's active career scoring leader with 632 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 2-8 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 7-6 on the road this season, with two of the seven 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 4.0 points per game, while Brooke Bisping is scoring 3.8 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 8.5 points and 9.5 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 4.0 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 9.5 boards per game this season. She has reached double digits in rebounds in 30 games in her two-plus seasons, including 12 of 22 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 9.5 boards per game and is on pace to finish the regular season with 266 rebounds. She needs 21 rebounds to become the fourth player in program history with two seasons of 230 rebounds or more.
