Women’s Basketball Hosts Upper Iowa In Saturday Exhibition

Barathwaj Rudraboina

Women's Basketball 11/2/2017 11:32:00 AM

PEORIA, Ill. -- Second-year Bradley women's basketball head coach Andrea Gorski and the 2017-18 Braves will have their only tune-up before opening the regular-season schedule next week, hosting Upper Iowa Saturday at 4 p.m. in an exhibition contest at Renaissance Coliseum.

Bradley takes to the court for its only exhibition game, looking to blend in six newcomers (including five freshmen) with a group of nine returning letterwinners which includes four of the team's top five scorers from 2016-17.

While no video streaming will be available for Saturday's exhibition game, BradleyBraves.com will provide live stats for the contest. The Braves Club Room will be open prior to the game for all Braves Club members at the Friend Level and higher.

The Braves will face a current member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference for the first time since an 85-73 regular-season victory over Augustana on Feb. 4, 1983 and will be putting a perfect 21-0 exhibition record in games against collegiate teams on the line Saturday afternoon.

One of five Missouri Valley Conference teams to return at least 70 percent of its scoring and 60 percent of its rebounding from last year, Bradley's returners combined for 42.4 points per game in 2016-17. The last time Bradley returned two players which scored 10 or more points per game the previous season was 2012-13, with senior guard Anneke Schlueter (10.5 ppg) and junior forward Vanessa Markert (10.3 ppg) the top returning scorers for the Braves. In fact, Bradley returns four players which scored eight points per contest or more, marking the first time for the Braves since 1993-94.

One of four seniors on the roster, guard Danielle Brewer was one of the team's top defenders last year and scored in double figures in seven of the last 10 games to close 2016-17. During that 10-game stretch, she was second on the team in scoring at 10.3 points per game while connecting on 15-of-30 (50 percent) of three-point attempts. The last time Bradley had four four-year seniors on the roster was 2011-12 (18-16 overall).

Sophomore forward Chelsea Brackmann earned MVC All-Freshman Team honors after averaging 8.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and over one block per game. Among returning players in the MVC, Brackmann was second in the league in rebounding (6.7 per game) and hauled down an impressive 8.2 boards per game in Valley play.

Saturday's contest will be the first outside competition at Bradley for six new Braves, which constitute the largest group of newcomers on The Hilltop since 2014-15. Five freshmen, including Peoria, Ill., native Jailynn Lawson, along with NJCAA All-American Shunseere Kent will push Bradley's returning letterwinners. Kent averaged 15.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game at East Georgia State last year and was named the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association Player of the Year last season.

Following Saturday's exhibition game, the Braves will open the 2017-18 regular-season schedule Friday, Nov. 10 against Nebraska-Omaha in a 7 p.m. contest at Renaissance Coliseum.

For season ticket information contact the Bradley Athletics Ticket office at (309) 677-2625 or email BradleyTicketOffice@bradley.edu

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