PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley Women's Basketball will open the 2015-16 Missouri Valley Conference schedule at home and will play seven of the first 11 league games at Renaissance Coliseum with Tuesday's announcement by the league office of the Valley regular-season schedule.
The Braves will open MVC play at home for the second straight year, hosting Loyola Sunday, Jan. 3 in the conference opener for both squads. The Jan. 3 start to Valley play is the latest for Bradley since the 2012-13 season.
The first road game on the league slate is Friday, Jan. 8 at Southern Illinois followed by a Jan. 10 contest at Evansville.
Bradley returns home to host Missouri State (Jan. 15) and defending MVC regular-season and tournament champion Wichita State (Jan. 17).
The busiest January for the Braves since 2004-05 with nine games on the schedule continues Jan. 22 with a game at I-74 rival Illinois State. Bradley also makes its annual trek to Terre Haute, Ind., Jan. 24 for a matchup with Indiana State.
A season-long four-game home stand kicks off Jan. 29 against Drake and continues Jan. 31 against Northern Iowa to wrap up the first half of the Valley slate. The four-game MVC home stand is the longest for the Braves since wrapping up the 1993-94 regular-season schedule with six consecutive conference home games.
A Feb. 5 home tilt against Evansville opens up the second half of the league schedule and starts the first February with eight games for Bradley since 2007-08.
The four-game home stand concludes on Super Bowl Sunday against Southern Illinois (Feb. 7).
After playing 16 of 20 games in the state of Illinois, the Braves will have consecutive out-of-state contests for the first time since the first two games of the season with matchups at Wichita State (Feb. 12) and at Missouri State (Feb. 14).
The final home stand of the season begins Feb. 19 vs. Indiana State and wraps up Feb. 21 against Illinois State. The Redbirds visit Renaissance Coliseum to conclude the home schedule for the second straight year, with this year's contest marking the earliest the regular-season home slate has concluded since 1998-99.
For the first time since 2011-12, Bradley has no regular-season home games in the month of March. The Braves will play the final three Valley games on the road for the first time since 1994-95, opening the final road swing Feb. 26 at Northern Iowa.
After a Feb. 28 contest at Drake, Bradley finishes off the regular-season March 5 at Loyola.
Bradley plays the first of two exhibition games Sunday, Nov. 1 against McKendree and will open the regular season Friday, Nov. 13 at Detroit.
Bradley Women's Basketball season tickets are $70 for adults and $30 for children (14 and under) or children are free with Little Braves Club membership. For more information contact the Bradley Athletics Ticket Office at (309) 677-2625.
