For Starters
Bradley (8-6 overall, 1-2 MVC) won its first Missouri Valley Conference game of the year, topping Wichita State 68-49 in the Braves first home Valley game at Renaissance Coliseum Thursday.
The victory against the Shockers snapped a three-game losing streak for BU and was Bradley's third consecutive home win. The Braves have won three consecutive conference games dating back to last season and own a five-game MVC home win streak after the win against Wichita State.
Saturday's game against preseason Missouri Valley Conference favorite is BU's final home game before playing five of the next seven games on the road.
Missouri State (11-4 overall, 2-1 MVC) is coming off an 80-69 loss at Northern Iowa Thursday, but the Bears have won three of the last four and eighth of their last 10 heading into Saturday's game at Renaissance Coliseum.
About Missouri State
Missouri State (11-4 overall, 2-1 MVC) is playing its sixth road game in less than a month Saturday when the Bears visit Renaissance Coliseum. Missouri State is tied with Northern Iowa for the most road wins in the Valley this season with four and sports a 4-2 road record, despite dropping two of its last three away from home. The Bears have won three of their last four and eight of 10 overall.
Selected as the preseason conference favorite, Missouri State returned 10 of 13 letterwinners; including four starters from last year's squad which finished 22-11 overall and tied Bradley for third in the Valley standings with a 12-6 league record.
Leading one of the most high-powered offenses in the MVC is defending MVC Player of the Year Casey Garrison. The junior guard is scoring 16.6 points per game and dishes out 3.3 assists per contest. Junior guard Jasmine Malone is adding 12.1 points per game, while sophomore forward is scoring 11.5 points per game and is shooting 55 percent from the field. Shorter also ranks among the league leaders in rebounding at 8.2 boards per game. Junior college transfer Tia Mays leads the MVC in blocks at 3.3 per game and is pulling down 7.1 rebounds per tilt.
About The Braves
Bradley (8-6 overall, 1-2 MVC) posted a 7-4 non-conference record and is coming off a 68-49 win against Wichita State to snap a three-game losing skid.
BU returned nine of 12 letterwinners, including three starters from last year's team which tied the school records for conference wins (12-6) and best league finish (tied for third) in addition to making the first postseason appearance in program history.
The Braves have their top two scorers back from the 2009-10 squad which finished with a 17-14 overall record and advanced to the second round of the inaugural Women's Basketball Invitational. Bradley's lone senior Raisa Taylor is averaging 13.2 points per game and is shooting 50 percent from the field. Taylor has scored in double figures in 15 of her last 19 games dating back to last season and leads the team in assists (3.4 per game).
Sophomore guard Katie Yohn returned to the court Nov. 26 after missing two games due to a concussion and earned all-tournament honors at the Cancun Thanksgiving Classic.
Bradley's leading scorer as a freshman in 2009-10 with a 10.2 points per game average, Yohn is scoring 12.8 points per outing this season and has reached double figures in 11 of her last 15 outings.
Junior forward Latasha Hollingshed is tied for second in The Valley in rebounding at 8.2 boards per game and is adding 8.4 points per tilt. Junior MacKenzie Westcott is averaging 9.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game over the last five games and has season averages of 7.6 ppg and 6.5 rpg. Nine players are averaging 11 or more minutes per game for the Braves.
The Coaches
The dean of Missouri Valley Conference Women's Basketball coaches, Paula Buscher (Missouri State, '86) is in her 11th year at Bradley and has a record of 142-162 (.467) at BU. The 2008-09 Rawlings Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year, Buscher owns a 185-200 (.481) career record and is in her 14th year as a collegiate head coach. She is the all-time wins leader in program history with her 141 victories at BU and is 11th all-time in Missouri Valley Conference history in victories. During the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons, she led BU to a 23-13 (.639) conference record, marking the most conference wins in consecutive years for BU in program history. A longtime assistant coach at Nebraska-Omaha, Buscher coached Minnesota St.-Mankato during the 1997-98 season and returned to UNO as head coach for the 1998-99 and 1999-00 seasons, before coming to The Hilltop.
Nyla Milleson (Kansas State '85) is in her fourth season as head coach at Missouri State and owns a 54-54 (.500) 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 239-90 (.726) record in her 11th year as a collegiate head coach.
Missouri State Series
The Braves close out a two-game homestand Saturday against preseason Missouri Valley Conference favorite Missouri State. Bradley has won three of the last four meetings against Missouri State heading into Saturday's game at Renaissance Coliseum, but the Bears own a 41-20 lead in the all-time series. The Braves are 12-15 in home games and BU has won four of the last five home contests against Missouri State. Ten of the last 11 games in the series have been decided by 10 points or less, including four games in which the final margin was five points or fewer. The Braves are 6-3 in the last nine games against Missouri State and boast an 8-5 record in the last 13 games vs. the Bears.
Last Time Out
Bradley ended a three-game losing skid with a convincing 68-49 win against Wichita State in the Missouri Valley Conference home opener for the Braves. Junior Leah Kassing hit 5-of-7 shots and had 12 points and eight rebounds to help lead BU to the victory. Freshman Kelsey Budd scored Bradley's first nine points and was the only other Brave to reach double figures, finishing with 11 points. Bradley limited Wichita State to 29.7 percent shooting and outrebounded the Shockers 46-31. The Braves led by as many as 15 points in the first half and pushed the lead to as many as 23 in the closing minutes.
Opening Strong
Bradley posted a convincing 68-49 victory against Wichita State in the first Missouri Valley Conference game played at Renaissance Coliseum. A strong performance in the team's Valley home opener is no fluke, however, as the Braves have posted their largest margin of victory for the year in each of the last two MVC home openers. In 2008-09, BU topped Southern Illinois 73-49 in the first conference home game of the year. Last season, the Braves posted a 75-46 victory against Evansville in the first Valley home contest of the year. Bradley's 19-point victory against the Shockers is the largest margin of victory this season for BU.
Kassing Coming Into Her Own
Junior Leah Kassing is coming off a season-high, 12-point effort Thursday against Wichita State, marking the first time she has led the team in scoring since netting a career-best 16 points against Arkansas-Little Rock on Dec. 5, 2009. Kassing got off to a bit of a slow start to the year, averaging 3.0 points and 1.9 rebounds per game over the first eight contests. In the last six games, however, she is shooting 57.5 percent (19-for-33) and averaging 7.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
Getting To The Line Is Key
Senior guard Raisa Taylor has made more free throws this season than all but five players in the Missouri Valley Conference have attempted through games of Jan. 6 and her 90 free throw attempts is seven better than the next player in the league. Taylor is averaging 4.7 made free throws and a career-best 6.4 attempts per game. Bradley is 12-13 in her career when Taylor has two or less free throw attempts per game, but is 39-22 (.639) when she goes to the line four or more times. In fact, BU owns a 13-6 (.684) record in the last 19 games in which Taylor has attempted four or more free throws.
Braves Get Home Win #250
Thursday's win against Wichita State in the Missouri Valley Conference home opener was the 250th home victory in program history. The Braves own a 250-180 (.581) all-time record in home games, which includes an 83-53 (.610) home mark under head coach Paula Buscher. The Braves are 34-11 (.756) at home since the start of the 2007-08 season.
Taylor Poised To Move Up Scoring List
Senior guard Raisa Taylor enters Saturday's game against Missouri State tied with Ashley Chelleen for 16th on Bradley's career scoring list at 925 points and will take over sole possession of 16th place with her next point. Bradley's lone senior leads the team in scoring at 13.2 points per game and currently needs 56 points to pass Andrea McAllister for 15th on the career chart. Taylor is 75 points from becoming the 15th player in program history to score 1,000 career points.
Hitting The Road
Following Saturday's home game against Missouri State, Bradley kicks off a stretch in which the Braves will play five of the next seven games on the road. To date, Bradley has played a league low five home games and the team's seven road games is tied for the most in the league. Counting the two neutral site games in Cancun, Mexico, the Braves have played a league-high nine games away from home.
On The Rebound
The Braves have led the Missouri Valley Conference in rebounding each of the last two seasons and BU has apparently picked up where it left off in 2009-10. Bradley is third in the Valley in rebounds per game (40.9 per game), but leads the conference in rebounding margin this season at +6.6 boards per game. The Braves have matched or outrebounded their opponent in all but one game this season with then 22nd-ranked Iowa being the only team to outboard BU this season. Bradley has matched or outrebounded its opponent in 61 of the last 76 games and is 41-20 (.672) in those 61 contests compared to a 5-10 record when the opponent has an edge on the glass.
Reaching The Century Mark
Last week's game at I-74 rival Illinois State was senior Raisa Taylor's 100th game in a Bradley uniform. She is the 28th player in program history to reach 100 games played and enters Saturday's game against Missouri State needing one point to take over sole possession of 16th on Bradley's career scoring list. Taylor has played in 102 games at BU and needs 17 games to tie Kelly Krumwiede and Ashley Chelleen for the most games played in program history at 119. The Braves have a minimum of 16 games remaining in the season including the opening round of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
Stepping Up
Junior MacKenzie Westcott has played a much bigger role this season, starting 13 of 14 games this season and already has a career-high for points with Saturday's game against Missouri State marking the halfway point of the regular season. In addition, Westcott already has career highs for assists (33), blocks (14) and steals (23), while needing three rebounds to surpass her previous season-best total. She is fourth on the team in scoring (7.6 ppg), second in rebounding (6.5 rpg), third in assists (2.4 apg) and leads the team in steals (1.6). Over her last five games she is averaging 9.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.2 blocks and 2.2 steals per game. During that stretch she is shooting 45.7 percent from the field compared to 39.7 percent in the first nine games of the year and is 13-for-18 (72.2 percent) from the line in the last five outings after attempting just 12 free throws in the first nine contests of the season.
MVC Openers
Bradley opened Missouri Valley Conference play on the road for the fifth consecutive year and kicked off league action away from home for the ninth time in the last 11 seasons overall. The Braves are 9-19 (.321) all-time in Valley openers, including a 4-13 (.235) mark when opening league play on the road. Bradley has played Illinois State in its conference opener a total of five times and is now 1-4 in those contests.
Rare New Year's Day Game
Last Saturday's game at Indiana State was just the third time Bradley had played a game on New Year's Day and just the second road game on the first day of the New Year in program history. The Braves are 0-3 on New Year's Day after the road loss to the Sycamores. Bradley is 0-2 when playing on the road on New Year's Day with both setbacks coming at the hands of Indiana State in Terre Haute, Ind.
Non-Conference Success
Bradley finished the non-conference portion of the schedule with a 7-4 record, marking the second time in the last three years the Braves posted a winning record in non-league action. BU finished the 2008-09 season tying a school record with nine wins (9-2 overall). This year's seven non-conference victories is tied for the third best win total in school history. Bradley has finished with a winning record each of the three previous times the Braves won seven or more non-conference contests.
Game No. 300 And Counting
Bradley's game against Northern Illinois (Dec. 18) was BU head coach Paula Buscher's 300th game on the BU bench. Only five other coaches in the history of the Missouri Valley Conference have been on their team's respective bench for 300 games or more and the last coach to reach the 300-game mark was Northern Iowa's Tony DiCecco during the 2005-06 season.
On The Mark
Bradley shot a blistering 61.7 percent from the field against Saint Louis (Dec. 4) to down the Billikens 81-64. SLU entered the game giving up just 56 points per game, but Bradley raced out to a 45-35 halftime lead after shooting 69.6 percent in the opening half and finished the game with the third-best field goal percentage in program history. The 61.7 percent shooting is the best by a Bradley squad since shooting 64.9 percent (37-for-57) at Western Illinois on Feb. 22, 1986.
Cleaning The Glass
Junior Latasha Hollingshed snagged a career-high 20 rebounds in Bradley's overtime win at Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Dec. 1), marking the most boards by a Bradley player since Carrie Coffman had 22 at Wichita State on Feb. 9, 1995. Hollingshed's 20 rebounds is tied for the fifth-best total in program history and her nine offensive boards against the Panthers is tied for the eighth-best single game effort in school history. Hollingshed who averaged just 9.0 minutes and 2.2 rebounds per game last year, is averaging 8.4 points and is tied for second in the Missouri Valley Conference with an 8.2 rebounds per game average.
Overtime Wins
Bradley improved to 19-17 all-time in overtime games with the 72-70 overtime victory at Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Dec. 1. The Braves own an 8-5 record in overtime road contests and BU is now 7-4 in overtime contests under head coach Paula Buscher. Bradley has won three of its last four overtime road tilts and is 5-0 in overtime contests against non-conference opponents during Buscher's coaching tenure.
Close Calls
Bradley's 74-65 loss at Illinois-Chicago ended a five-game win streak for the Braves in games decided by 10 points or less and the Braves fell to 14-2 (.875) in their last 16 games in which the final margin was 10 points or fewer. BU is 16-5 (.762) in games decided by 10 points or less since the start of the 2009-10 season and 25-6 (.806) in those contests since the beginning of the 2008-09 campaign.
Happy Homecoming
Freshman Kelly Frings had a happy homecoming as the Milwaukee, Wis., native helped Bradley pull out a 72-70 overtime victory at Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Frings scored seven of her season-high 10 points after halftime to help the Braves to the victory. With BU trailing by four and less than 90 seconds left in the overtime, she had a basket with 1:13 to play and made a pair of free throws with 51.7 seconds remaining to tie the game at 70-70.
Big Road Swing
Bradley posted a 3-1 record on its season-long, four-game road swing, picking up wins at Eastern Illinois (77-72) and at Wisconsin-Milwaukee (72-70 in overtime) in addition to splitting a pair of neutral site contests in Cancun, Mexico against William & Mary (won 65-62) and Arizona (lost 59-82). The four-game road swing marked the 23rd time in program history Bradley played four or more consecutive games away from home. The Braves finished with a winning record on a road swing of four or more games for the eighth time. Bradley has finished a season with a winning record in four of the previous six seasons BU had a winning mark on a road swing of four or more games.
Yohn Named To All-Tournament Team
Sophomore guard Katie Yohn made her return to the court in the opening game of the Cancun Thanksgiving Classic against William & Mary after missing the previous two games due to a concussion. Yohn went on to earn all-tournament honors at the event, averaging 12.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 block and 3.5 steals per game. She came off the bench in both contests, collecting 11 points and trying a career-high with five steals against William & Mary, before capping the week with team highs of 14 points, three assists, two blocks and two steals against Arizona.
Getting To The Line
Senior Raisa Taylor has been able to get to the free throw line early and often so far this season, leading the Missouri Valley Conference with 81 free throw attempts as of Jan. 6. Last season Taylor averaged 4.2 free throw attempts per game, but is averaging 6.4 attempts per game in 2010-11. Her 417 career free throw attempts is the fourth best career total in program history and her 276 made free throws is tied with Heather Best for the fifth best total in school history. Taylor needs 24 made free throws to move into the top three in school history in makes and is 43 attempts from taking over third place on the career chart.
International Trip
Bradley's trip to Cancun, Mexico, for the Cancun Thanksgiving Classic marked the third international trip in program history for Bradley. The Braves last trip out of the country was in the summer of 2004 when BU made an exhibition tour through Western Europe. The only regular-season trip out of the United States was in 1989-90 when BU opened the season with three games in the Aruba Sunshine Classic. The Braves are 4-6 in games played outside the United States after going 0-3 on the trip to Aruba and 3-2 during the European exhibition tour.
Braves Open New Home
Bradley played its first game on campus since the end of the 2007-08 season, opening Renaissance Coliseum with a 77-63 victory against WNIT participant Butler on Nov. 13. Renaissance Coliseum is the sixth different venue Bradley has called a home court and the Braves are 5-1 in their first games in a new home venue. BU played its first home game in 1975-76 in Haussler Hall, picking up a victory. The next season, Bradley relocated across the street to Robertson Memorial Field House and opened the 1976-77 campaign with a win against Carl Sandburg. The Braves topped Northeastern Illinois in overtime at Carver Arena in 1984-85 in the first of 13 games Bradley has played in the downtown facility. During construction of Renaissance Coliseum, BU was a 67-60 winner against Loyola-Chicago in the 2008-09 season opener in the team's first game at Illinois Central College's Lorene Ramsey Gym. In addition to the games at ICC, Bradley played two games at area high schools during construction, beating Air Force at Richwoods High School during the 2008-09 season and suffering a 58-51 loss to Arkansas-Little Rock at Woodruff High School.
Muegge Misses Last Two Non-Conference Games
Junior guard Hanna Muegge missed the last two non-conference games due to injury, but returned to the floor for Bradley's first three Missouri Valley Conference games and is coming off her highest scoring effort in over a month after scoring five points in the second half of the victory against Wichita State on Jan. 6. Muegge started each of the first nine games before having to sit. She has come off the bench in each of the last three games, but has helped the Braves to a 17-8 record in her 25 career starts and has been one of the top outside shooters in the Missouri Valley Conference over the last two seasons. Dating back to last year, Muegge has made 19 of her last 45 three-point attempts (42.2 percent) and is 24-for-54 (44.4 percent) from beyond the arc over her last 20 games.
Return To Campus
Bradley's season opener against Butler marked BU's first game on campus since the end of the 2007-08 season. Bradley's Renaissance Coliseum officially opened in August and the $50-million, 4,200-seat facility serves as home court for the Bradley women's basketball and volleyball teams. The Braves played home games at Illinois Central College's Lorene Ramsey Gym in East Peoria each of the last two seasons, while construction of Renaissance Coliseum was in progress. The facility was dedicated on Oct. 15 during Bradley's annual homecoming festivities.
See You Next Year
In addition to welcoming three true freshmen to the roster, Bradley women's basketball head coach Paula Buscher added Wisconsin transfer Catie O'Leary during the summer. O'Leary, who will have to sit out the 2010-11 season due to NCAA transfer rules, will have three years of eligibility remaining. A native of Janesville, Wis., O'Leary was the state scoring champ as a junior at Parker High School and was a three-time Big 8 Conference Player of the Year selection.
Postseason Success
Bradley made the first postseason appearance in program history in 2009-10, receiving a bid to the inaugural Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI). The Braves posted a 69-59 win against Louisville at Freedom Hall in the final home contest for any Louisville program in the historic venue. The Cardinals, which were a year removed from a national runner-up finish in the 2008-09 NCAA Tournament, were a combined 129-23 (.849) at Freedom Hall over the last 13 years in the facility. The win also snapped a 13-game losing streak for Bradley Athletics programs at Freedom Hall. The Bradley women lost their only other game in the building during the 1990-91 season and the Bradley men's basketball team had lost 12 consecutive games at Freedom Hall since edging the Cardinals 80-79 on Feb. 10, 1962.
Welcome Home
After calling Illinois Central College's Lorene Ramsey Gym home for each of the last two years, Bradley returned to campus for the 2010-11 season. The Braves opened the new $50-million, 4,200-seat Renaissance Coliseum Nov. 13 against WNIT participant Butler with a 77-63 victory. The facility sits on the exact site of historic Robertson Memorial Field House which served as the Braves home until the building was razed following the 2007-08 season. Despite playing home games across the river in East Peoria, Bradley was an impressive 20-4 (.833) at Lorene Ramsey Gym over the last two seasons. The Braves are 25-6 (.806) in "home" games since leaving Robertson Memorial Field House and own a 34-11 (.755) record in home contests since the start of the 2007-08 season.
Road Warriors
Bradley played a school record 17 road games in 2009-10 and matched a school record with eight road victories. The Braves are a combined 17-20 on the road since the start of the 2009-10 season and Bradley's 14 combined road victories between the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons are the most road wins in back-to-back seasons in program history.
Winning Ways
Bradley finished the 2009-10 season with a 17-14 record, marking the first time the Braves had back-to-back winning seasons since the 1985-86 (16-12 overall) and 1986-87 (15-13 overall) campaigns. The Braves were 38-24 (.613) during the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons, with the 38 wins ranking as the most wins in consecutive years since the 1980-81 and 1981-82 squads combined to go 38-16 (.704).
Braves Tie School Record For Conference Wins
Bradley matched a school record with 12 conference victories in 2009-10, while also matching the best league finish in school history (tied for third). BU's 23 Valley wins during the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons are the most in back-to-back seasons in school history and the Braves are 24-15 (.615) in league play over the last two-plus seasons. The 24-15 record is the third best mark in The Valley since the start of the 2008-09 season, behind only Illinois State (33-5) and Creighton (29-9).
Senior Leadership
Raisa Taylor is the lone senior on the roster for Bradley in 2010-11 and has a chance to finish her career among the winningest players in program history. During her time on The Hilltop, the Braves own a 58-48 (.547) overall record and 30-27 league mark. Bradley has not finished a four-year period with a winning conference record since the 1992-93 senior class closed out their careers with a 36-34 mark. The only other class to post a winning league record was the 1991-92 senior class, which finished with a 38-34 conference record. Last year's senior class (Jenny Van Kirk & Renee Frericks) finished their careers with a 62-61 overall record, marking the most wins for BU during a four-year period since the 1982-83 team was 72-39. Bradley's current junior class has helped the Braves to a 46-30 (.605) overall record and 24-15 league mark.
Buscher Breaks BU Win Mark
Head coach Paula Buscher is in her 11th year on The Hilltop and is the all-time wins leader in program history. The dean of Missouri Valley Conference coaches, Buscher broke Lisa Boyer's school record of 123 victories on Jan. 15, 2010 with a 74-62 win against Northern Iowa and also broke Boyer's hold as the longest tenured coach in program history this season, with her 11th on the bench in Peoria. Buscher is 11th in Missouri Valley Conference history with 142 wins and also ranks 11th in league history with a school-record 78 Missouri Valley Conference victories, needing three of each to pass former Illinois State Robin Pingeton for 10th place on both lists (144 overall wins & 80 MVC victories).
From Long Range
Sophomore Katie Yohn is one of the top outside scoring threats in the Missouri Valley Conference and her 57 three-pointers last year as a freshman is the second-best season total by a BU frosh in program history. This season she ranks among the league leaders with 2.3 three-pointers per game and her 27 triples is the eighth best season total by a Bradley sophomore. Her 57 trey's in 2009-10 is the ninth-best season total in school history and ranks as the eighth-best total by a freshman in Missouri Valley Conference history. She is Bradley's active career leader in three-pointers, having connected on 84 as a Brave.
Braves Picked Sixth In Preseason Valley Poll
For the second consecutive year Bradley was picked to finish sixth according to a vote of league coaches, sports information directors and media. Missouri State was the preseason favorite to win the regular-season league title after receiving 27 of 40 first-place votes. The Braves received 204 points in the poll and were 22 points behind fifth-place Wichita State. Bradley was 24 points ahead of seventh-place Drake in the preseason ranking. BU has finished higher than its predicted finish in each of the last four years and eight of the last 10 years overall under head coach Paula Buscher.
Up Next
Bradley kicks off a stretch in which the Braves will play five of the next seven games on the road Thursday with a game at Drake. The Bulldogs own a 43-14 lead in the all-time series, but BU has won each of the last three meetings against Drake and five of the last eight overall. The Braves are 5-22 in road games against the Bulldogs and the teams have split the last four meetings in Des Moines. Each of the last three games between the two teams have been decided by eight points or less and 11 of the last 13 contests in the series have featured a final margin of eight points or fewer.
