PEORIA, Ill. -- The Bradley women's basketball team closes out a season-long, four game home stand Saturday with a 2 p.m. game against Wichita State at Renaissance Coliseum. The Braves look to rebound from Thursday's 79-70 home loss to preseason Missouri Valley Conference favorite Missouri State and are hoping to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time this season.
Bradley (9-4 overall, 0-1 MVC) will play on New Year's Eve for the first time since 2009-10 and Saturday's contest against the Shockers is BU's first home game on the final day of the calendar year since 2005-06. The Braves are 3-3 all time on New Year's Eve, but will be looking to snap a three-game losing skid in New Year's Eve tilts. BU's last win on New Year's Eve was a 69-66 overtime home victory against Southern Illinois on Dec. 31, 1996.
Braves Club members are invited to a pre-game party beginning at noon in the Renaissance Coliseum Braves Club Room. The pre-game party will feature free appetizers and drinks for all Braves Club members in addition to free admission to the 2 p.m. game against the Shockers.
Saturday's game wraps up Bradley's longest home stand since playing five straight home games in 2005-06 and is the Braves final game at Renaissance Coliseum before playing five of seven games in the month of January on the road. Currently 2-1 on the home stand, BU has a chance to post a winning record on a home stand of four games or more for the first time since 1996-97.
Wichita State (7-5 overall, 1-0 MVC) has won four consecutive games after last night's 67-40 victory at Northern Iowa and Saturday's game will be the final contest of a six-game road swing for the Shockers. Bradley and Wichita State have split the regular season series each of the last six years, with the home teams boasting identical 5-1 records in that time.
Senior Leah Kassing (Mt. Sterling, Ill./Brown County) led the Braves with 19 points and 12 rebounds in Thursday's setback to Missouri State, recording her third consecutive double-double. Kassing is the first BU player with three straight double-doubles since Monica Rogers in November 2008 and is averaging 13.2 points and 10.0 rebounds per outing over the last six games.
Junior Katie Yohn (Elgin, Ill./St. Edward) is averaging a team-best 14.1 points per game over the last eight contests, despite leading the team in scoring just once during that stretch. Yohn, who moved into 20th on BU's career scoring chart Thursday with a 16-point effort against the Lady Bears, has scored in double figures in eight straight games.
BradleyBraves.com will feature video (subscription) and audio (free) streams in addition to live stats with an interactive live chat for Saturday's matchup with Wichita State.
The Braves face Southern Illinois (Thursday) in the first conference road game of the year. The 7 p.m. contest from SIU Arena will be broadcast in the Peoria area on WIRL 1290 AM.
