For Starters
Bradley (14-15 overall, 7-11 MVC) finished eighth in the regular-season Missouri Valley Conference standings and will face #9 seed Evansville Thursday at 5 p.m. in the opening round of the State Farm MVC Tournament in St. Charles, Mo.
The Braves swept the regular-season series from the Purple Aces and have won four consecutive games in the series since Evansville topped Bradley 84-81 in overtime in the semifinals of the 2009 tournament.
The winner of Thursday's game will advance to Friday's noon quarterfinal game against #1 seed Northern Iowa. Bradley has won three of its last five games heading into the conference tournament, rallying to top Indiana State 77-69 in the final game of the regular season
Evansville (8-21 overall, 3-15 MVC) has lost six straight games heading into Thursday's matchup after concluding the regular season with a 65-50 home loss to Wichita State in the final game played at Roberts Stadium. The Purple Aces won their neutral site game this season by topping Eastern Washington in Boulder, Colo., but are 3-11 away from home on the year.
About Evansville
Evansville (8-21 overall, 3-15 MVC) finished ninth in the regular-season Missouri Valley Conference standings with a 3-15 league record. The Purple Aces lost their final six games of the regular season. UE fell at Bradley 65-58 on Jan. 23 and the Braves posted a 66-59 victory in Evansville on Feb. 17 during the regular season.
UE returned seven of 12 letterwinners, including three starters from last year's team which finished 4-26 overall and was 10th in the MVC race with a 1-17 league record.
The Purple Aces lead the MVC in steals per game and force a league-best 19.8 turnovers per contest. Sophomore center Samantha Heck and junior guard Briyana Blair average a team-best 9.6 points per game. Heck is pulling down a team-high 5.0 rebounds per game, while Blair leads the Purple Aces in assists (2.8 apg) and steals (2.3 spg). Sophomore forward Meagan Collins is adding 8.6 points per game, while senior goard Stephanie Bamberger scores 7.3 points per outing.
About The Braves
Bradley (14-15 overall, 7-11 MVC) won three of five to close the regular season and went 6-6 in its last 12 league games after a 1-5 start to conference play. The Braves finished eighth in the Valley standings, two games out of sixth place.
The Braves posted a 7-4 non-conference record, which tied for the third most non-conference wins in program history and finishing with a winning home record for the fourth consecutive year.
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.
Senior Raisa Taylor is coming off a career-best 29 points against Indiana State in the final regular season game and leads the team in scoring at 12.7 points per game. She has scored in double figures in 26 of her last 34 games dating back to last season and leads the team in assists (3.4 per game). She ranks 11th in school history with 1,109 career points and needs 12 points to move into 10th on the all-time scoring chart.
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 second on the team in scoring at 12.5 points per outing this season and has reached double figures in 22 of her last 30 games.
Junior forward MacKenzie Westcott has heated up as of late, scoring 9.5 points and pulling down 6.1 rebounds per outing in Missouri Valley Conference play. Westcott has scored in double figures in five of the last nine games and is averaging 11.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 2.8 steals per game during that stretch.
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 148-171 (.464) at BU. The 2008-09 Rawlings Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year, Buscher owns a 191-209 (.478) 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 148 victories at BU and is 10th all-time in Missouri Valley Conference history in victories (overall) and Missouri Valley Conference games. 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.
Misty Murphy (Colorado State '98) is in her third season as head coach at Evansville and has a 27-67 (.287) record as the head coach of the Purple Aces. In her first season with the Purple Aces, she led her team on a late-season run which culminated in an MVC Tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance. In her ninth year as a collegiate head coach, she spent the three seasons prior to Evansville as an assistant coach at Rice, but had head coaching stops at Colorado State-Pueblo (2001-02 through 2004-05) and Sheridan College (1999-2000 and 2000-01). Murphy owns a 135-131 (.508) career coaching mark.
Evansville Series
Bradley holds a 20-15 lead in the all-time series with Evansville after sweeping the regular-season series from the Purple Aces. The Braves have won four consecutive games in the series since UE topped Bradley 84-81 in overtime in the semifinals of the 2009 MVC Tournament in the only meeting between the two teams in the conference tournament. The Braves have won six consecutive regular-season meetings with Evansville and boast an 8-3 record against the Purple Aces in the last 11 meetings. Bradley head coach Paula Buscher is 13-10 in her career against Evansville.
Last Week
Bradley split a pair of home games to wrap up the regular season, suffering a 71-63 loss to I-74 rival Illinois State before closing out the regular season with a 77-69 come-from-behind victory against Indiana State. Senior Raisa Taylor scored a career-high 29 points in the final home game of her career, breaking the school single-game record for free throws made by going 16-for-21 against the Sycamores. She finished with 29 points, seven rebounds, six assists and a career-high six steals in the victory.
MVC Tournament History
Bradley is 3-19 (.136) all-time in State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament after falling to eventual champion Northern Iowa in the quarterfinals last season. The Braves are 1-3 since the Valley Tournament moved to The Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo., and BU is 2-11 (.154) in neutral site games playing in the tournament.
Opening Round History
Since the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament has expanded to 10 teams in 2005-06, Bradley is 1-2 in opening round contests. The Braves fell to Missouri State 69-64 in the 7-10 game in 2006 in Springfield, Mo., and topped the Bears 65-56 in 2007 in Des Moines, Iowa, the very next season. BU lost to Southern Illinois (65-54) in 2009 in the first Valley tournament game played at The Family Arena. Bradley is the #8 seed for the sixth time in program history and is 0-5 in games played as the #8 seed. Four of BU's five games against the #8 seed came against #1 seeds when the tournament featured just eight squads.
Hoping History Repeats Itself
Senior guard Raisa Taylor owns a career 13.3 points per game average in the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament and the Braves' are hoping for a repeat from the team's lone senior from the last time Bradley faced Evansville in conference tournament. Taylor hit 6-of-9 shots against the Aces, in addition to making 11-of-17 free throw attempts and finished with 24 points, six rebounds, five assists and two blocks against UE. She enters Thursday's game against the Purple Aces needing just 13 points to pass Ashley Chelleen as BU's career scoring leader in Valley Tournament history and already holds Bradley career tournament records for free throws made (24) and attempted (36).
Coming Up Aces
Senior Raisa Taylor has scored in double figures in seven of nine career games against Evansville and is averaging 13.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.8 steals in her last six meetings with the Purple Aces. She is shooting 54.7 percent from the field in the last six games in the series and scored in double figures in five of the six contests. Taylor's 34 free throws made are a school record in the series with UE and her 112 career points against the Purple Aces is the fourth best total by a Brave. She needs four points to pass Heather Best for second place in career scoring against Evansville and her career 12.4 points per game average is the fourth-best scoring average in school history in the series.
Going Out With A Bang
Senior Raisa Taylor turned in arguably the best performance of her career in the final home game of her Bradley career Saturday to help Bradley rally for a 77-69 win against Indiana State. The Braves trailed 52-44 with 7:30 remaining when Taylor hit her first three-pointer since mid-January and went on to score 21 of her game-high 29 points to help Bradley rally for the win. After a 2-for-7 start from the free throw line, she made 14 consecutive free throws down the closing stretch and had a career-best six steals to go along with seven rebounds and six assists. She has made a habit of turning in strong performances on Senior Day during her career, averaging 16.3 points on 54 percent shooting and dishing out 3.3 assists per game in the final home game of the season.
Records Fall
In addition to setting the school record for free throws made (16) and attempted (21) in Saturday's victory against Indiana State, Raisa Taylor also became Bradley's career leader in free throws made against the Sycamores. Her 16 made free throws is tied for the 11th best single-game effort in MVC history and her 21 free throw attempts is the tied for the second most in league history. Taylor broke Shelli Braud's (1984-88) previous school record of 328 made free throws and enters the MVC Tournament with 343 career free throws made. The 20th player in MVC history with 500 career free throw attempts, Taylor is 16th in league history with 513 career trips to the charity stripe. The only player in program history with 300 points, 150 rebounds, 100 free throws, 100 assists, 20 blocks and 30 steals in a season, her 133 made free throws this season is the third best season total in school history and most by a Bradley player since 1988-89.
Coming On Strong
Junior MacKenzie Westcott has stepped up her game of late, averaging 11.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 2.8 steals per game over the last nine outings. Prior to the recent stretch, Westcott averaged 7.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 1.6 steals per game in the first 20 games of the season. The team leader in both blocked shots (32) and steals (56), she is averaging 5.7 steals per game in the last three games and has joined Heather Best and Eileen Yerkes as the only players in program history with 150 rebounds, 30 blocks and 50 steals in a season. Westcott is looking to join Best and Shelli Braud as the only players in program history to lead the team in both blocks and steals in the same year.
Ending The Season At Home
Bradley concluded the regular season at home for the fifth consecutive year and ninth time in head coach Paula Buscher's tenure on The Hilltop. Bradley is 5-3 in the final home game of the regular season over the last eight seasons.
Senior Night Revenge
Bradley got a bit of revenge on Senior Day against Indiana State after serving as the Sycamores' final home opponent each of the last years and three of the previous four seasons overall. Indiana State topped the Braves in each of those three meetings in Terre Haute, Ind., but senior Raisa Taylor scored a career-high 29 points to help BU rally for a 77-69 win against the Sycamores. Saturday's meeting marked the seventh time Indiana State had visited Peoria for Bradley's senior day festivities. The Braves are 3-4 against the Sycamores on Senior Day.
Game #400
Saturday's game against Indiana State marked Paula Buscher's 400th career game as a collegiate head coach. The game was her 319th career game at Bradley which ranks as the sixth most games coached in Missouri Valley Conference history. She has coached 33.3 percent of the 958 games played in program history.
Elite Company
Already the only player in program history with 300 points, 100 free throws, 150 rebounds, 100 assists, 20 blocks and 40 steals in a season, senior Raisa Taylor has a chance to join another elite group. She currently leads the team in scoring (12.7) and assists (3.4 apg), while ranking second in rebounding (6.3). She enters the MVC Tournament six rebounds behind Latasha Hollingshed for the team lead. Taylor has a strong chance to become the fifth player in program history to lead the team in both scoring and assists in the same season. If she can catch Hollingshed for the team lead in rebounding, she would join Tammy Van Oppen and Val Wancket as the only players in program history to pace the squad in scoring, rebounding and assists in the same year.
Repeat Scoring Champ?
Sophomore Katie Yohn slipped to second on the team in scoring at 12.5 points per game, but is just two-tenths of a point behind senior guard Raisa Taylor for the top average on the squad. Yohn is looking to become the first player since Sara Bailey to lead the team in scoring in back-to-back seasons. Bailey led BU in scoring in 2000-01, 2001-02 and 2002-03. Yohn would be the eighth player in program history to lead the team in scoring in two or more seasons and would join Connie Griffith as the only players in program history to pace Bradley in scoring both her freshman and sophomore seasons.
Game On
Senior guard Raisa Taylor moved into third in career games played at Bradley, passing Jen Brown last week after appearing in the 116th contest. The 28th player in program history to play in 100 games, Taylor has played in 117 games in her BU career and needs two games played to catch Kelly Krumwiede and Ashley Chelleen for the career record of 119 games played.
Making Them Count
Bradley has made a habit of getting to the free throw line, making 15.6 shots from the charity stripe this season. BU's season total of 453 made free throws is the third best season total in program history and most by Bradley since connecting on 479 free throws in 1987-88. In fact the 15.6 made free throws per game is the third best average in school history and the team's 73.2 team free throw percentage is the fourth best percentage in school history.
From Downtown
Sophomore Katie Yohn enters Thursday's game against Evansville tied with Jen Brown for sixth in career three-pointers at Bradley with 111 career trey's. Yohn's 54 triples this season are a school sophomore record and she is the first player in program history with 100 career three-pointers before the start of their junior season. She needs two more three-pointers to move into fifth place all-time at Bradley.
Making A Living At The Line
Raisa Taylor leads the Missouri Valley Conference in free throw attempts with 186 shots from the charity stripe this season and is second in made free throws in the Valley after connecting on 133 free throws. She is averaging a career-best 6.4 free throw attempts per game and her 186 attempts this season is tied for the second highest season total in school history. Her 133 makes from the line are the most since Carol Baresch had a school season-record 158 free throws in 1988-89 and rank as the third-best season total in program history.
Home, Sweet Home
Bradley closed out the regular-season with a season-long, three-game homestand and finished the year with a 7-6 mark at home. BU finished with a winning home record for the fourth consecutive season, marking the first time that has been accomplished since the Braves had eight consecutive years (1984-85 through 1991-92) with winning home records. Bradley is 37-16 (.658) at home since the start of the 2007-08 season, including a 24-12 (.667) home mark in conference play during that span.
Road Warriors
Bradley played a Missouri Valley Conference leading 14 road games during the regular-season and the Braves have played 16 of 29 games away from home this season. BU is the only team in the Missouri Valley Conference with six or more road wins in each of the last three years and is a combined 20-24 (.455) in true road games since the start of the 2008-09 season. Bradley's 20 road wins in that span is tied with Creighton for second in the Valley behind Illinois State's 28 road victories and BU's .455 road winning percentage is third in the league during that span.
Winning Ways
Senior Raisa Taylor will finish out her Bradley career as one of the winningest players in program history. BU's victory against Indiana State pushed the Braves' win total to 64 over the last four years, marking the most victories in a four-year period for BU since the 1982-83 squad finished off a four-year run with 72 victories. She finished out her career with a 36-36 record in Missouri Valley Conference play, marking the second consecutive year the senior class finished .500 in league play. Bradley's current junior class has helped the Braves to a 52-39 (.571) overall record and 30-24 (.556) league mark.
High Scoring Duo
Senior Raisa Taylor and sophomore Katie Yohn have carried the bulk of the scoring load for the Braves this season, combining for more than 37 percent of the team's points. The duo has totaled 707 points on the year and Bradley has two players with more than 300 points in the same season since 2006-07. In fact, BU has not had two players average in double figures in scoring since that 2006-07 season and a pair of Braves have not scored 12.0 points per game or more in the same season since 2004-05 when Dena Williams (13.3 ppg) and Genny Mueller (12.8 ppg) paced the team in scoring.
Pink Zone Game
Bradley's Feb. 12 home game against Creighton marked the eighth annual Pink Zone Game sponsored by Bradley with proceeds from the contest benefitting the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation. Bradley raised nearly $2,500 for the Komen Foundation during this year's event and nearly $55,000 over the eight years of the function. Head coach Paula Buscher donated $25 per BU three-pointer in each of the previous seven Pink Zone games. The Braves have made 53-of-135 (39.3 percent) three-point attempts in Pink Zone games and averaged 6.6 trey's per Pink Zone contest. BU is 6-2 in Pink Zone games all-time.
Heating Up
Junior MacKenzie Westcott scored in double figures in three consecutive games for the first time in her career after a 10-point effort against Drake (Feb. 10) and has had 10 or more points in five of the last nine games. Westcott finished the first half of conference play scoring 7.2 points per game in Valley play and had averaged 5.8 points over the last six games, but is averaged 11.8 points per game in the second half of the league schedule. She tossed in a then career-best 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting and also had 10 rebounds and three steals to help Bradley end Missouri State's eight-game home win streak. Westcott followed it up with a career-high 24 points against Wichita State, scoring 17 points in the second half to help fuel a BU rally attempt. She had a game-high 16 points last time out against Illinois State.
Taylor Nearing 10th On Scoring List
Senior guard Raisa Taylor is closing in on 10th on Bradley's career scoring list after tossing in a career-best 29 points Saturday against Indiana State, needing 12 points to pass Eileen Yerkes on the all-time scoring chart. Taylor pushed her career total over the 1,100-point mark and now has 1,109 career points. Yerkes finished her Bradley career in 1991-92 with 1,120 career points.
Second Half Team
Bradley has proven to be a second-half team during head coach Paula Buscher's tenure at BU, posting a better record in the second half of conference play than the first for the fifth time in the last six seasons. In Buscher's 11 years on The Hilltop, the Braves have been better the second time through the league eight times and matched the first-half record in two other seasons. Bradley is 35-64 (.354) under Buscher in the first half of Valley play, compared to a 49-50 (.495) mark in the second half.
Controlling The Boards
Bradley leads the Missouri Valley Conference in rebounding margin at +5.1 boards per game and the Braves have been outrebounded just five times in 2010-11. In fact, BU has matched or outrebounded their opponent in 72 of the last 91 games. Bradley is 46-26 (.639) during that stretch when controlling the glass, compared to a 6-13 (.316) record when the opponent has an edge on the glass.
Buscher Cracks Valley Top 10
Bradley head coach Paula Buscher moved into sole possession of 10th on the Missouri Valley Conference career wins list with BU's victory at Missouri State (Feb. 4), overtaking former Illinois State coach Robin Pingeton for 10th on the career chart. Buscher has 148 career victories as head coach of the Braves and her 84 career Missouri Valley Conference wins is also 10th on the Valley's career list. Buscher also passed Pingeton for 10th place in MVC victories with the win against the Lady Bears.
High Scoring Sophomore
Sophomore guard Katie Yohn is second on the team in scoring at 12.5 points per game and has a chance to become the first player to lead the team in scoring in back-to-back years since Sara Bailey led the squad each of her final three seasons (2000-01, 2001-02 & 2002-03). The first freshman to pace the team in scoring since Connie Griffith in 1977-78, Yohn is the eighth player in program history to score 600 career points before the start of their junior season. With at least one game remaining on the schedule, she is on pace to finish the season with 668 career points which would rank as the sixth-best career total by a BU player entering their junior season. Each of the seven previous players who have scored 600 or more points by the end of their sophomore season currently rank in the top seven in career scoring at BU. Yohn's 338 points is the seventh highest scoring total by a Bradley sophomore and most by a BU sophomore since Sara Bailey scored 521 in 2000-01. Yohn's 317 points as a freshman was the fifth best scoring total by a BU frosh.
Getting To The Stripe Is Key
Senior guard Raisa Taylor leads the Missouri Valley Conference in free throw attempts with 186 and her 133 makes from the charity stripe this season is more than all but five players in the Valley have attempted through games of March 9. Taylor is averaging 4.6 made free throws and a career-best 6.4 attempts per game. Bradley is 12-18 in her career when Taylor has two or less free throw attempts in a game, but is 45-26 (.634) when she goes to the line four or more times. In fact, BU owns a 19-10 (.655) record in the last 29 games in which Taylor has attempted four or more free throws.
Braves Get Home Win #250
Bradley's win against Wichita State in the Missouri Valley Conference home opener was the 250th home victory in program history. The Braves own a 253-185 (.578) all-time record in home games, which includes an 86-58 (.597) home mark under head coach Paula Buscher. The Braves are 37-16 (.698) at home since the start of the 2007-08 season.
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. Buscher is sixth in Valley history with 319 career games coached behind fifth-place DiCecco (344 games). Creighton head coach Jim Flannery is second among active Valley coaches with 284 games as head coach of the Bluejays.
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.
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.
Winning The Close Ones
Bradley's 74-65 loss at Illinois-Chicago (Dec. 21) ended a five-game win streak for the Braves in games decided by 10 points or less and the Braves now stand at 18-7 (.720) in their last 25 games in which the final margin was 10 points or fewer after last week's 77-69 win against Indiana State. BU is 20-10 (.667) in games decided by 10 points or less since the start of the 2009-10 season and 29-11 (.725) 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.
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.
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.
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 28-11 (.718) in "home" games since leaving Robertson Memorial Field House and own a 37-16 (.698) record in home contests since the start of the 2007-08 season.
Braves Among The Tops In The Valley
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). Over the last three season, the Braves boast a 30-24 (.556) mark in league play, marking the most conference wins in a three-year period in program history since the 1991-92 squad finished off a three-year stretch with a 32-22 (.593) mark. BU's 30-24 (.556) record over the last three seasons is tied with Missouri State for the fourth-best record in Valley play since the start of the 2008-09 season, behind only Illinois State (43-11), Creighton (39-14) and Northern Iowa (35-18).
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 10th in Missouri Valley Conference history with 148 wins.
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.
Up Next
The winner of Thursday's opening-round game between #8 Bradley and #9 Evansville will advance to Friday's noon quarterfinal matchup with regular-season Missouri Valley Conference champion and defending Valley Tournament champ Northern Iowa. The Panthers won both regular-season meetings against the Braves this season and UNI has won four consecutive games in the series. Northern Iowa defeated Bradley in last season's MVC Tournament quarterfinals in St. Charles, Mo. The teams have met in the MVC Tournament twice (2003 & 2010) with UNI winning both games.
