PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley women's basketball head coach Paula Buscher and her team will take the court for their lone exhibition game of the year Saturday, welcoming NCAA Division III national runner up Washington (Mo.) to Renaissance Coliseum for a 2 p.m. game.
The Braves and Bears met last season in BU's final exhibition game, with Bradley topping Washington 66-53 on Nov. 6, 2010. Saturday's contest will be the only exhibition game for both squads.
Senior MacKenzie Westcott (Williamsburg, Iowa/Williamsburg) had 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting to go along with eight rebounds, two assists and two steals to lead the Braves in last season's exhibition game against Washington. Fellow senior Leah Kassing (Mt. Sterling, Ill./Brown County) added 12 points, nine boards and three blocked shots in 20 minutes off the bench in last year's contest.
Washington went on to post to a 25-6 overall record last year before falling to Amherst in the NCAA Division III national championship game in March. The Bears return two starters and a total of 10 players which saw action from last year's squad. Junior forward Kristin Anda is one of five players who averaged better than five points per game in 2010-11, tossing in 7.6 points per contest last year as a sophomore.
Bradley's 2011-12 roster features 10 of 11 letterwinners, including four starters, from last year's squad which posted a 15-16 overall record and had a 7-6 home mark in the team's first year back on campus. Headlining the group is junior guard Katie Yohn (Elgin, Ill./St. Edward), who earned honorable mention All-Missouri Valley Conference honors for the second consecutive year after averaging 12.4 points per game.
Live stats featuring an interactive live chat will be available for Saturday's exhibition game, in addition to a free audio stream at BradleyBraves.com
Season tickets for the 2011-12 women's basketball campaign are $75 for adults and $30 for children or Bradley faculty and staff. For more information or to purchase tickets contact the Bradley Athletics Ticket Office at (309) 677-2625.
The Braves open the regular season, Saturday, Nov. 12 against Northern Colorado (2 p.m.) at Renaissance Coliseum. A free youth clinic for girls (eighth grade or younger) and boys (sixth grade or younger) will be held following the season-opener vs. Northern Colorado. Registration is required by Wednesday, Nov. 9 and can be made by emailing the child's name, age and daytime phone number to busportsmarketing@bradley.edu
