Women’s Basketball Hosts Omaha Friday In Season Opener

Duane Zehr, Bradley University ITPS

Women's Basketball 11/8/2017 11:30:00 AM

PEORIA, Ill. -- For the first time in four years Bradley Women's Basketball will open a season at home, kicking off the 2017-18 regular season Friday with a 7 p.m. game against Omaha at Renaissance Coliseum.

Friday's opener against Omaha (16-15 overall, 8-8 Summit in 2016-17) is the first of a two-game home stand to open the schedule for the Braves, in addition to the first of two games this season against Summit League opponents. Bradley and Omaha have never met in the regular season, but the two squads played a pre-season exhibition prior to the Mavericks transitioning to NCAA Division I status. The Braves topped the Mavericks 75-67 on Nov. 1, 2003 at Robertson Memorial Field House in that exhibition matchup.

The season opener will be available on ESPN3 as part of the MVC media rights agreement with ESPN. The Valley On ESPN3 can be viewed through WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app. In addition, Ed Hammond will handle the radio broadcast on WIRL 1290 AM with links to the audio stream available at BradleyBraves.com

Bradley has only played two current members of the Summit League, splitting a home-and-home series with Denver during the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons in addition to a long-standing series with in-state foe Western Illinois, which the Braves lead 25-14. Overall, Bradley is 26-15 against current members of the Summit League, including an impressive 15-3 home mark.

While Bradley has split the last four season openers, the Braves are 24-18 (.571) overall in season-opening contests all-time and have had a great deal of success when opening a season at home. In fact, Bradley has posted a 7-1 record the last eight times in which the Braves started a season at home and is 18-6 (.750) all-time when the first game of the season is played in Peoria.

In Bradley's only exhibition game of the season, the Braves hit seven first-quarter three-pointers to race out to a 29-8 lead just 10 minutes into Saturday's 79-40 victory over Upper Iowa. Bradley shot 51 percent from the field in the convincing victory, while knocking down 13 three-pointers. Newcomers combined for 42 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists and seven steals in the win as the freshman guard combo of Jailynn Lawson (15 points & 5 assists) and Gabi Haack (12 points on four three-pointers) helped pace the Braves.

In addition to the newcomers, junior Vanessa Markert and sophomore Chelsea Brackmann combined to tally 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting, 12 rebounds, two assists, five blocks and one steal in the exhibition outing. Markert had eight points, six boards and three blocks in 20 minutes of action. Brackmann was the top scorer among Bradley's returning players with nine points to go with six rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal in 16 minutes off the bench.

Senior guards Danielle Brewer and Anneke Schlueter help headline a Bradley roster which features six upperclassmen among the squad's nine returning letterwinners. Brewer, who had two points and three assists in Saturday's exhibition game, averaged 9.6 points per game and shot 45 percent from three-point range in the final 14 games of 2016-17 after missing time early in the season due to injury.

Schlueter is Bradley's active career scoring leader with her 780 career points ranking 35th in school history. She scored 12.3 points per game in non-conference play last year and starts the year sixth in school history with 120 career three-pointers.

Following Friday's season opener, the Braves will host NCAA Division II foe Lincoln (Mo.) Wednesday, Nov. 15 (7 p.m.) to wrap up a two-game home stand.

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