The Braves (8-6 overall, 1-2 MVC) turned in one of their best defensive efforts of the season Thursday, limiting Wichita State to 29.7 percent shooting while owning a 46-31 rebounding advantage in the 68-49 victory against the Shockers. 

Junior Leah Kassing (Mt. Sterling, Ill./Brown County) scored a season-best 12 points and also had eight rebounds in 14 minutes to help highlight the victory for BU.  Freshman Kelsey Budd (Prairie du Sac, Wis./Sauk Prairie) scored Bradley's first nine points and was the only other Brave in double figures, finishing with 11 points. 

The Braves and Bears have met 61 times with Missouri State holding a 41-20 lead in the all-time series after the two teams split the regular-season series last year.  Bradley is 12-15 at home against MSU and the Braves have claimed four of the last five home games in the series.  BU has won three of the last four games against the Bears and is 6-3 in the last nine meetings with Missouri State.  Ten of the last 11 games in the series have been decided by 10 points or less, with four of those games featuring a final margin of five points or fewer. 

Missouri State (11-4 overall, 2-1 MVC) suffered its first conference loss of the season Thursday at Northern Iowa, falling to the Panthers 80-69 in Cedar Falls, Iowa.  The Bears are playing their sixth road game in less than a month and bring a 4-2 record away from home into Saturday's tilt.  Despite the heavy road schedule, which has included five of the last seven on the road, Missouri State is 3-1 in its last four and has won eight of its last 10 after a 3-2 start to the season. 

Defending MVC Player of the Year Casey Garrison leads Missouri State in scoring with a 16.6 points-per-game average and is dishing out 3.3 assists per contest.  The Bears are tied with Northern Iowa for third in the Valley standings with a 2-1 league record.

Kassing is averaging 8.0 and 5.0 rebounds per game, while shooting 63 percent from the field in Bradley's three conference games.  Over her last six games she is tossing in 7.2 points and grabbing nearly six boards per contest.  Senior Raisa Taylor (Decatur, Ill./Eisenhower) enters Saturday's game tied with Ashley Chelleen for 16th on Bradley's career scoring list with 925 points.  Taylor, who leads the league in free throw attempts at 6.4 per game, needs 56 points to move into 15th on Bradley scoring chart. 

Sophomore Katie Yohn (Elgin, Ill./St. Edward) is adding 12.8 points per outing and had a career-high seven rebounds Thursday against the Shockers.

In addition to snapping a three-game losing streak, Thursday's victory was the 250th home win in program history and was the Braves' fifth consecutive home conference victory.  Bradley has won three consecutive home games and boasts a 4-1 record at Renaissance Coliseum heading into Saturday's matchup with Missouri State. 

Live stats for Saturday's game will be available at www.BradleyBraves.com and video (subscription) and audio (free) streams will also be available at the Live Event Schedule link on the Bradley Athletics website.  The game will be televised in the Springfield, Mo., area on KCZ-Ozarks CW

Season tickets for the 2010-11 women's basketball campaign are $75 for the general public and $30 for Bradley faculty and staff at the Renaissance Coliseum ticket office (1601 W. Main Street).  Individual tickets are $8 for adults and $4 for children (K-12) and Bradley faculty and staff.  For more information please call (309) 677-2625.  Free parking is available for all Bradley women's basketball home games at the Main Street Parking Deck located just west of Renaissance Coliseum at the corners of Main Street & Maplewood.