For Starters
Bradley (15-12 overall, 11-6 MVC) ended a two-game losing skid Thursday with a 58-55 victory against Wichita State. The Braves will face Missouri State Saturday in the final regular season game of the year.
In addition to being the last game for the Braves at Lorene Ramsey Gym, Saturday's contest will also mark the final home games for senior co-captains Renee Frericks and Jenny Van Kirk. Bradley is currently fourth in the Valley standings and has locked up a top four seed in next week's State Farm MVC Tournament. The Braves can finish as high as tied for second.
Missouri State (20-8 overall, 12-5 MVC) brings a three-game win streak into Saturday's contest after posting a 95-79 win at Northern Iowa Thursday. The Bears are tied with Creighton for second place in the standings at 12-5. Missouri State is 8-5 in road games this season, including 5-3 road record in conference games.
About Missouri State
Picked to finish seventh in the preseason Missouri Valley Conference poll, Missouri State is tied for second in the standings at 12-5 and the Bears have reached 20 wins for the first time since the 2004-05 season heading into Saturday's regular-season finale.
Missouri State returned eight of 11 letterwinners, including four starters from last year's squad which finished 10-20 overall and was seventh in the Valley with a 6-12 league mark.
Last year's MVC Freshman of the Year is making a case for MVC Player of the Year as a sophomore as Casey Garrison is leading the league in scoring at 19.8 points per game. She also leads the Valley in steals (2.8 spg) in addition to ranking sixth in the conference in rebounding (7.4 rpg) and second in assists (5.4 apg).
Sophomore Jaleshia Roberson is second in the Valley in three-point field goals per game (2.8) and is shooting 41.6 percent from beyond the arc. Roberson is seventh in the conference in scoring (14.4 ppg).
Freshman Christiana Shorter is second on the squad in rebounding at 6.2 boards per game and is tossing in 11.2 points per game.
Missouri State is the top scoring team in the Missouri Valley Conference at 77.4 points per game, nearly seven points better than any other team in the league. The Bears are second in field goal percentage (.443) and three-point percentage (.376). Missouri State also leads the Valley in steals (10.5 spg) and is forcing a league-best 19.2 turnovers per game.
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 9.1 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots per game on the season after reaching double figures in rebounds in 15 of the first 27 games. Harris leads the league in blocked shots and is second in rebounding.
Freshman Katie Yohn has led the team in scoring a team best nine times after her 14-point effort last Sunday at Indiana State and has started 15 contests. A versatile player with the ability to shoot from the outside or penetrate, she is the team's leading scorer at 10.0 points per game and her 49 three-pointers is the second-best total by a Bradley freshman. Yohn has averaged 10.6 points per game in conference play and has been named MVC Newcomer of the Week three times this year.
Junior Raisa Taylor leads the squad in assists (2.2 apg) and steals (1.5 spg) while scoring 8.7 points per tilt. Taylor had 19 points and 11 rebounds Thursday against Wichita State.
Senior co-captain Jenny Van Kirk is the only player to start all 27 games this season and is adding 6.9 points and 5.0 boards per game, while leading the team with a 1.59 assist-to-turnover ratio. Van Kirk is coming off the second double-double of her career after collecting 13 points and 11 rebounds against Wichita State Thursday.
Bradley picked up where it left off last year, outrebounding 22 of the first 27 opponents on the schedule by an average margin of +6.5. The Braves lead the Valley in both rebounding (41.3 rpg) and rebounding margin. BU is second in the MVC in field goal percentage defense (.370) and leads the league in blocked shots (5.0 bpg), while ranking fourth in the league in field goal percentage (.424).
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 132-154 (.462) 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 175-192 (.477) 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 132 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.
Nyla Milleson (Kansas State '85) is in her third season as head coach at Missouri State. She owns a 41-47 (.466) record as head coach of the Bears. Milleson was head coach at NCAA Division II member Drury University prior to Missouri State and owns a 226-83 (.731) record in her 10th year as a collegiate head coach.
Last Time Out
Bradley ended a two-game losing skid with a 58-55 victory against Wichita State Thursday. Junior Raisa Taylor collected 19 points and tied a career high with 11 rebounds, while senior Jenny Van Kirk added 13 points and a career-best 11 boards. Bradley led for almost the entire contest, but Wichita State used a 10-0 run to take a 52-51 lead with 1:45 remaining. Taylor put the Braves back in front with a pair of free throws and a Katie Yohn three-pointer with 1:07 to play gave BU a 56-52 lead. Taylor followed a Wichita State three-pointer with a driving layup with 24 seconds to seal the game for the Braves. Junior Sonya Harris finished with six points, nine rebounds and six blocked shots.
Missouri State Series
Bradley will end the regular season against Missouri State, marking the first time the two teams have met in the regular-season finale in 27 years of playing in the same conference. The Bears hold a 41-19 lead in the all-time series with the Braves after posting a 72-67 victory in the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both teams on New Year's Eve. Bradley has won two of the last three meetings overall, however, and five of the last eight. The Braves are 11-15 all-time in home games against the Lady Bears. BU is 8-13 against Missouri State under head coach Paula Buscher, which includes a 4-5 record in home games.
Senior Send Off
Saturday afternoon's game against Missouri State will mark the final home game for senior co-captains Renee Frericks and Jenny Van Kirk. The duo has helped Bradley to 60 victories over the last four years, marking the most wins in a four-year period since the 1983-84 senior class finished up a four-year run with a 61-48 record. Frericks was a second-team ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District V selection this year and ranks as the Braves active career leader with 95 career three-pointers. Van Kirk is a two-time Academic All-District V pick and was one of 30 national candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. She ranks as BU's active career leader in assists with 157.
Senior Night Unkind For Bradley
Bradley has not had a lot of success on senior day, going 12-22 (.353) in the final regular-season home game of the season. The Braves are 3-6 in the final home game of the regular season under head coach Paula Buscher. Bradley is 1-1 when playing Missouri State in the final home game of the season and the two teams will be closing out the regular season against each other for the first time in 27 years of conference membership.
Regular-Season Finale
Bradley wraps up the regular-season Saturday against Missouri State and looks to improve on a 14-20 record in the final regular-season game of the season. The Braves are 3-6 in the final game of the regular season under head coach Paula Buscher.
Seeding Scenarios
Bradley has locked up a top four seed for next week's State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, but the Braves possible seed is still to be decided heading into the final day of play in the regular season. The Braves can finish as high as a three-way tie with Creighton and Missouri State for second with a win Saturday against Missouri State and a Creighton loss to Indiana State or as low as fourth place outright. Bradley can be no higher than the #3 seed if Creighton defeats Indiana State and would be the #4 seed with a loss Saturday. The Braves have a chance at the #2 seed with a win and CU loss depending on the outcome of Saturday's other games and the MVC power rating system. Any tie breaker between Bradley and Missouri State cannot be decided until Saturday's 3:05 p.m. game between Wichita State and Northern Iowa is complete.
Happy Birthday To You
Junior Raisa Taylor celebrated her 21st birthday by posting a double-double Thursday to help lead Bradley to a 58-55 victory against Wichita State. Taylor collected 19 points and tied a career-high with 11 rebounds for her second double-double of the year and third of her career. She scored four points in the final 1:35 of the game, including the final basket of the contest with 24 seconds remaining.
The SWAT Team
Bradley matched a season high with 10 blocked shots Thursday against Wichita State. Junior Sonya Harris highlighted the block party with six swats against the Shockers, marking sixth time in her career she has recorded six or more blocks in a game. Bradley's 10 blocks as a team is tied for the seventh best single game total in program history. The Braves have notched a league-best 135 rejections on the year, which ranks second among Bradley season marks to last year's 185 blocks.
Last Game At The Lorene Ramsey Gym
Saturday's game against Missouri State will mark Bradley's final game at what has been the Braves "home-away-from-home" for the past two seasons. BU will return to campus next season as construction of a new Athletics Performance Center nears completion. Bradley has enjoyed a significant home court advantage at Illinois Central College's Lorene Ramsey Gym, going 19-4 (.826) at the facility over the last two years. The Braves are 20-5 (.800) at home over the past two seasons, which includes two games played at area high schools, and boast an impressive 29-10 (.744) mark at home since the start of the 2007-08 season.
Muegge To Miss Remainder Of Season
Sophomore guard Hanna Muegge will miss the remainder of the season after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee during the second half of the game at Illinois State (Feb. 25). Muegge also suffered a partial tear of the medial collateral ligament and a lateral bone bruise. After playing a total of 14 minutes in the first eight games of the season, she emerged as a started and had helped Bradley to an 11-5 record in her 16 games in the starting five. Muegge was fourth on the team in scoring in MVC games, averaging 6.9 points per outing and was shooting a league-best 50 percent (16-for-32) from three-point range in conference play.
The Future Is Bright
Freshman Katie Yohn leads the Braves in scoring at 10.0 points per game and has averaged 11.8 points per game over the last six outings. Her 270 points this season rank as the eighth most by a Bradley freshman and she is looking to become the first freshman to lead the team in scoring since Connie Griffith paced BU with an 18.3 ppg average as a frosh in 1977-78. Griffith is the only player in program history to lead the team in scoring in each of her four years as a Brave. Yohn also has a chance to become the first BU freshman to average 10 or more points since Heather Best averaged 12.6 points per game in 1995-96.
End Of The Road
Last Sunday's game at Indiana State marked the final road contest of the season for Bradley. The Braves have played Indiana State on the Sycamores' Senior Day each of the last two seasons and three of the last four years overall. Bradley finished the regular-season with a 7-8 road record, marking the most road games for BU since going 4-12 on the road in 1997-98. The Braves' seven road wins are the most since finishing the 2004-05 season with a 7-6 record in road contests and is one off the school season record.
On The Rebound
Junior Sonya Harris is second in the Missouri Valley Conference in rebounding this season at 10.0 boards per game after ranking third in the league in rebounding last year at 8.5 per tilt. Her 269 rebounds on the year is the fifth best season total in program history and is the highest rebound total for a Bradley player since Carrie Coffman had a school-record 302 boards in 1994-95. Harris joined Roxanne Grabow as the only players in program history to own two of the top 10 season rebounding totals in school history. Harris has moved into ninth place on Bradley's career rebounding list.
Cleaning The Glass
Junior Sonya Harris has reached double digits in rebounds in a school record 33 games in her near three seasons, including 15 of 27 outings to open the 2009-10 slate. She broke Dena Williams' school record for career double-digit rebounding efforts with 16 boards at Indiana State Feb. 28. Harris' 15 double-digit rebounding games this season is the second best season total in program history to Carrie Coffman's 19 in 1994-95.
From Downtown
Bradley ranks seventh in the MVC in three-point field goals per game at 5.5 per game, but the Braves 149 triples this season is the eighth best season total in school history. The 5.5 three-point baskets per game is the seventh-best average in school history. Bradley made 158 three-pointers last season and the Braves' two-year total of 307 trey's is the fifth-best in back-to-back years.
Filling It Up
Freshman Katie Yohn has had a knack for filling up the stat sheet, averaging 11.8 points, 2.5 assists, 0.8 blocks and 2.0 steals per game over the last six outings. The team's leading scorer at 10.0 points per game, she is second on the team in steals (33 - 1.3 spg) and blocks (18 - 0.7 bpg) and fourth in assists (51 - 2.0 apg). Yohn has joined Heather Best as the only freshman in program history with season totals of at least 200 points, 50 assists, 15 blocks and 30 steals.
How Sweep It Is
Bradley completed regular-season series sweeps of Creighton and Drake, giving the Braves sweeps of four series this season. In addition to picking up the first regular-season series sweep of the Bluejays in program history, Bradley is the first team to sweep Creighton and Drake in the same season since 2006-07. BU's four series sweep this season are the most since taking four regular-season series during the 2002-03 season.
Back-To-Back 10-4 Starts
Bradley got off to a 10-4 start to Missouri Valley Conference play, marking the second straight season the Braves opened league play with a 10-4 mark. The 10-4 start is just the third in program history. Bradley has finished fourth each of the previous two times the Braves opened conference action with a 10-4 record. Bradley is 22-13 (.629) in league play since the start of last season, marking the most conference wins in back-to-back years in program history.
11 League Wins
At 11-6 in Missouri Valley Conference play heading into Saturday's regular-season finale, Bradley has reached double figures in league wins in back-to-back years for the first time since 1985-86 (11-7) and 1986-87 (10-8). The Braves are guaranteed to finish with a winning record in league action, marking the sixth time in 27 years of conference membership BU had a winning mark in conference play.
Braves Sweep Valley Weekly Awards
Bradley swept the Missouri Valley Conference weekly awards for the week of Feb. 22, with junior Sonya Harris earning State Farm MVC Player of the Week honors for the first time in her career and freshman Katie Yohn taking home MVC Newcomer of the Week honors for the third time this season. Harris averaged 17.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.5 blocks and 1.5 steals while shooting 63.6 percent from the field in wins against Creighton and Drake. Yohn tossed in 13.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 3.0 steals per game in the victories. Bradley swept the awards for the first time since the Valley started giving out a newcomer of the week award for the 2003-04 season.
Pink Zone Game
Bradley's Feb. 21 home game against Drake marked the seventh annual Pink Zone Game sponsored by the Bradley women's basketball team with proceeds from the contest benefitting the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation. Bradley raised $7,000 for the Komen Foundation during this year's event and has brought in nearly $52,000 during the history of the event. Bradley is 6-1 in its Pink Zone game.
Career Night
Junior Sonya Harris turned in arguably the best outing of her career against Creighton (Feb. 19), finishing with career highs of 23 points and six assists to go along with 14 rebounds (10 offensive) and three blocked shots. Harris was 10-of-16 from the field against the Bluejays and is just the second player since Tammy Van Oppen's triple-double against Southern Illinois on Dec. 31, 1996 to collect 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a game. Devyn Flanagan also turned in a 20-10-5 performance at Missouri State on Jan. 25, 2007, tallying 25 points, 10 boards and five assists against the Bears.
Four-Game Road Win Streak
Northern Iowa snapped a four-game Missouri Valley Conference road win streak, topping the Braves 84-60 in Cedar Falls, Iowa on Feb. 13. 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. Bradley finished with a 4-5 in MVC road games, marking just the eighth time in 27 years of conference membership BU had four road league wins and in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history.
Feeling Rejected
Junior Sonya Harris collected six blocked shots Thursday against Wichita State to push her conference leading total to 56 on the year. Her 56 blocks rank as the third best season total in school history and she is currently eighth on the MVC's career blocked shot chart. Harris is the only player in program history
to record 50 or more blocks in back-to-back seasons and is now in second place on BU's career blocked shot list. She needs seven blocks to overtake Carla Bennett (Drake - 1999-03) for seventh in Valley history and is 28 blocks behind Williams for the BU career mark.
Braves Trump Aces
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 and the 2008-09 seasons, 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.
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 rank second in the MVC in field goal percentage defense (.370) and have held eight of the last 19 opponents to less than 33 percent shooting. In fact, during the last 19 games foes have combined to shoot 35.9 percent from the field and averaged just 60.9 points per game.
Balanced Attack
Bradley has utilized a balanced attack most of the season with seven players averaging between 4.9 points and 10.0 points per game on the year. The Braves are one of just four schools in the MVC without a player averaging at least three assists per outing, but rank second in the league in assists per game as team (14.1). Bradley has had 10 different players lead the team in scoring and has had a different leading scorer in six of the last eight games.
Braves Sweep Creighton-Drake Road 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.
Minnesota Connection
Bradley has used 11 different starting combinations on the year through 27 games. A player from the state of Minnesota has been in the starting lineup for each of the 27 games this season, but Bradley is an impressive 8-2 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 27 games this season and Wyoming, Minn., native Renee Frericks has helped Bradley to a 9-5 record in her starts; Bradley went 11-5 when sophomore guard Hanna Muegge (Hopkins, Minn.) was in the starting five before her season-ending injury.
Getting Defensive
Bradley held Creighton to a season-low 22.7 percent shooting in the first meeting in the regular-season series this year 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 132-154 (.462) as head coach of the Braves and is 11th in Missouri Valley Conference history with 132 victories. She has accounted for 132 of BU's 431 all-time wins or 30.6 percent. Buscher tied Lisa Boyer for most Missouri Valley Conference wins at BU with her 76th conference win against Wichita State on March 4.
Freshman Bomber
Freshman Katie Yohn has connected on a team-best 49 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 49 three-pointers is the second-best total by a BU freshman behind Lund's 75 three-pointers last season and is tied the 16th best total by a freshman in MVC history.
Hot Hands
Junior Sonya Harris is shooting 49.5 percent from the field, but is shooting an even more impressive 52.2 percent in Missouri Valley Conference play. Harris has been on a bit of a roll of late, shooting 59-for-103 (57.3 percent) over the last 12 contests and is averaging 11.1 points per game during that stretch.
Up Next
Bradley will head to St. Charles, Mo., for the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament March 11-14. The Braves can be seeded anywhere from second to fourth in the field and will open play Friday, March 12 at the Family Arena. For ticket information contact the Bradley Athletics Ticket Office at 309-677-2625.
Bench Coming Up Big
Bradley has had at least one player come off the bench and score in double figures in 17 of 27 games this season. BU's reserves have accounted for 42.9 percent of the team's offense this season and the Braves' bench has been outscored by the opponent's counterparts in just five of 27 outings. Bradley's bench is averaging 27.1 points per game and boasts an average scoring margin of +10.0 per game compared to the opponents' reserves.
Pounding The Boards
After leading the league in rebounding in 2008-09 with a 41.6 rebounds per game average, Bradley is once again dominating the glass. The Braves lead the Missouri Valley Conference in rebounding (41.3 rpg) and also boast a league-best +6.5 average rebounding margin on the year. 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 22 of 27 opponents this season and has matched our outrebounded its foe in 47 of the last 58 games.
Climbing The Charts
Junior Sonya Harris pulled down her 600th career rebound against Creighton on Feb. 19 and moved into Bradley's career top 10 in rebounding. Harris is second in the MVC in rebounding at 10.0 per game and passed former teammate Kelly Krumwiede for ninth on BU's rebounding chart with a 15-board effort at Illinois State on Jan. 28. She needs 18 rebounds to pass Heather Best for eighth place and is 27 boards from jumping into the top six all-time. Harris also ranks as Bradley's active career scoring leader with 690 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 4-10 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 7-8 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 nine times. Three of Bradley's top nine scorers are freshmen, with Yohn leading the squad with a 10.0 points per game average. Olivia Allen has reached double figures four times and is adding 3.4 points per game, while Brooke Bisping is also scoring 3.4 points per game. The Braves' freshmen class has combined for 26 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 24 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 47-35 (.573) against in-state foes during Buscher's tenure, which includes a 22-20 combined mark against Illinois State and Southern Illinois.
Yohn Earns MVC Newcomer of the Week Again
Freshman Katie Yohn has been selected as the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week three times this season. She joins Michelle Lund as the only three-time MVC Newcomer of the of the Week selection in program history and is one of three players in the conference to earn the honor three times or more this season. Stephany Neptune of Southern Illinois has earned the award three times while Missouri State's Christiana Shorter has won the award four times this year.
Double Trouble
Junior Sonya Harris collected her team-leading seventh double-double of the year at Indiana State (Feb. 28), finishing with 10 points and 16 rebounds. Harris now has 21 career double-doubles which is tied for the second best total in Bradley history and most since Carrie Coffman notched a school record 28 double-double efforts from 1991-95. 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 9.1 points and 10.0 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 10.0 points per game on the year, while Allen is adding 3.4 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.
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.
