PEORIA, Ill. -- After playing 10 of the last 14 games away from home and opening the Missouri Valley Conference schedule with five of the first seven games on the road, the Bradley women's basketball team returns to Renaissance Coliseum Friday to open a two-game home stand with a 7 p.m. game against pre-season league favorite Indiana State.
Bradley (4-14 overall, 1-6 MVC) is tied for the fewest home games in the Valley this season, playing just seven of 18 games at home. The Braves will play five of the next seven at Renaissance Coliseum, however, and seven of the last 11 regular-season contests at home.
Indiana State (11-7 overall, 6-1 MVC) is second in the conference standings after suffering an 83-63 home loss to league-leader Wichita State Monday in Terre Haute, Ind. The Sycamores have won eight of their last 10 after a 3-5 start to the year. Indiana State averages a league-best 10.1 steals per game and forces a conference-high 19.6 turnovers per contest.
Bradley All-Access subscribers will be able to view the game at BradleyBraves.com, which will also provide links to live stats and an audio stream.
Sunday's matchup features one of the Valley's most balanced offensive attacks against one of the top defensive units. Bradley is the only team in MVC to boast four individuals scoring in double figures and five players averaging 9.0 points per game or better. Indiana State is second in the MVC in scoring defense at 61.9 points per game and the Sycamores surrender a league-low 58.3 points per game in conference action.
Senior Kelsey Budd (Prairie du Sac, Wis./Sauk Prairie) moved into a tie for 10th in career assists at Bradley with Shelli Braud and is just 10 assists short of reaching 300 in her career. The fifth player in program history with 800 career points, 275 assists, 275 rebounds and 125 steals, Budd is 13 assists from moving into ninth in school history.
Fellow senior Catie O'Leary (Janesville, Wis./Parker/Wisconsin) came off the bench for the first time this season Sunday at Drake and grabbed her 500th career rebound. O'Leary is third in the MVC in rebounding at 8.2 boards per outing and is averaging 13.6 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in Missouri Valley Conference play.
Sophomore Fantasia Vine (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North) is coming off another solid outing after scoring a team-high 20 points at Drake and has scored in double figures in four consecutive games. Vine is shooting 45 percent from three-point range against league opponents and averaging 14.6 points per game in Valley play. She has averaged 17.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists, while shooting 50 percent (7-for-14) from three-point range and 49 percent from the field over the last four games after breaking her nose against Missouri State on Jan. 10.
Junior Michelle Young (Woodbury, Minn./Woodbury) has made a Missouri Valley Conference leading 90 free throws this season, which ranks as the third best total by a Bradley junior. She is 10 made free throws from the 13th season in school history with 100 made free throws and Young is three free throw attempts away from the highest season total at BU since Raisa Taylor had 193 attempts in 2010-11.
The Braves close out a two-game home stand Sunday with a noon game against I-74 rival Illinois State at Renaissance Coliseum. Sunday's game against the Redbirds will be televised on WTVP World (Channel 47.2).
