Braves Host UMSL Saturday In Exhibition Contest

Missouri Valley Conference

Women's Basketball 11/4/2016 9:05:00 AM

PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley women's basketball will play its only exhibition game of 2016-17 when the Braves host Missouri-St. Louis in a 2 p.m. contest Saturday at Renaissance Coliseum before opening the regular-season schedule next Friday (Nov. 11) at Kent State.

Saturday's matchup between Bradley and UMSL will mark the second consecutive year the two squads will square off in an exhibition after the Braves posted a 78-65 victory over the Tritons last season. Bradley will face a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference in an exhibition game for the 11th time in the last 13 seasons.

The Braves have won 21 consecutive exhibition games dating back to the team's trip to Western Europe in August 2004 and own a perfect 20-0 mark against collegiate teams in exhibition outings.

BradleyBraves.com will provide links to live stats for the contest.

One of six teams in the Missouri Valley Conference to return at least 50 percent of its scoring and over 40 percent of the squad's rebounding from the previous season, the Braves have just one senior on the roster in forward Leti Lerma (Muscatine, Iowa/Muscatine).

Lerma was arguably Bradley's most consistent player down the stretch in 2015-16, averaging 9.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.8 steals over the final 12 games. She is the fifth player in program history to enter their senior year with at least 500 career points and 500 rebounds, joining a list which includes two Bradley Hall of Fame members Val Wancket (1987-91) and Karin Nicholls (1986-90) along with Kelly Krumwiede (2005-09) and all-time leading rebounder Dena Williams (2001-05).

Junior guard Anneke Schlueter (Ulm, Germany/Max-Weber-Schule) paced the Braves in scoring last year 9.5 points per game and was the ninth player in school history to lead the team in scoring as an underclassman. Schlueter hit a team-best 52 three-pointers for just the fourth season of 50 or more three-pointers by an underclassman on the Hilltop.

Fellow junior Danielle Brewer (Coatesville, Ind.) is one of three returning starters for Bradley after appearing in the starting lineup in 25 contests as a sophomore. Brewer averaged 6.0 points per game in Valley play last year.

In addition to featuring a roster with eight returning letterwinners from last year, first-year Bradley head coach Andrea Gorski will mix in five newcomers; four freshman and Saint Louis transfer Briana Gray (Milwaukee, Wis./Nicolet/Saint Louis).

Bradley held opponents to 61.5 points per outing last year to rank fourth in the Valley in scoring defense. The 61.5 points per game was Bradley's best season scoring defense since 1978-79 (55.7 ppg) and the Braves held Valley foes to a program best 60.6 points per tilt in 2015-16.

Season tickets are available at the Bradley Athletics Ticket Office. For more information call (309) 677-2625 or email BradleyTicketOffice@bradley.edu

Single game tickets are also available and all children enrolled in the Little Braves Club receive free admission to all Bradley Women's Basketball home contests throughout the 2016-17 season.

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