Bradley University Athletics

Women's Basketball Announces Non-Conference Schedule

2015-16 Women's Basketball Schedule

BradleyBraves.com Women's Basketball 7/18/2015 4:00:00 PM

PEORIA, Ill. -- The first Big 12 team to visit campus in 12 years along with a road game at NCAA Sweet 16 team Iowa highlight the Bradley women's basketball non-conference schedule announced by head coach Michael Brooks Saturday.

The Braves will open the season outside the state of Illinois for the first time since 2003-04, with a road matchup at Detroit on Friday, Nov. 13. Bradley, which won the only previous matchup with the Titans in Columbus, Ohio, on Nov. 27, 2004, will make its first trip to the state of Michigan since Dec. 3, 2011 (Central Michigan).

The first back-to-back road games outside of Illinois to open a season since 2002-03 includes a Nov. 15 game at Bowling Green. The Braves travel to the Buckeye State for the second time in three years to wrap up the home-and-home series with the perennial Mid-American Conference power Falcons.

Oklahoma will be the first Big 12 team to visit Renaissance Coliseum, Nov. 22 for Bradley's home opener. The Sooners finished the 2014-15 season with a 21-12 record and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after finishing second in the Big 12 regular-season standings.

The second of four MAC schools on the non-conference slate is up next when Western Michigan visits Nov. 24. The Broncos are coming off a 20-13 season and WNIT appearance. This year's matchup marks the first time the squads have met since Bradley played in Kalamazoo, Mich., on Dec. 20, 1998.

The Braves host Eureka on Nov. 28 in the first regular-season matchup between the two since 1980-81 to conclude a three-game home stand.

Bradley opens the month of December at Chicago State (Dec. 2), before returning to Renaissance Coliseum for a two-game home stand.

A Dec. 5 home contest against Illinois-Chicago wraps up three straight games against in-state opponents and the Braves finish a stretch of five of six games at Renaissance Coliseum against first-time opponent Kent State on Dec. 8 in the final home game of the calendar year.

After a break for finals, Bradley travels to Iowa City, Iowa, for a Dec. 19 matchup against Iowa, which finished the 2014-15 season with a 26-8 record and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16.

Two days later, the Braves venture to DeKalb, Ill., for a Dec. 21 game at Northern Illinois and Bradley concludes the non-conference schedule at Saint Louis (Dec. 30). The Braves and Huskies will be playing for the 10th consecutive year, marking the longest active streak for a non-conference opponent. Bradley will finish the non-conference slate outside the state of Illinois for the first time since the team's last game at Saint Louis (2009-10) with this year's contest marking the 12th game in the series.

The Braves will play a pair of Great Lakes Valley Conference opponents in exhibition contests, facing McKendree College (Nov. 1) and Missouri-St. Louis (Nov. 7). First-year McKendree College coach Kari Kerkhoff was an assistant coach at Bradley from 2006-07 through 2011-12.

The 2015-16 Missouri Valley Conference schedule will be announced later this summer.

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