PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley Women's Basketball will match a Renaissance Coliseum record with 15 home contests in 2018-19 with third-year head coach Andrea Gorski unveiling the non-conference schedule for the upcoming season.
Gorski and her squad have posted an improved overall record in three consecutive seasons and will look to build upon that success with the top three scorers returning from last year's team which was the first in program history to rank in the top three in the Missouri Valley Conference in both scoring offense and scoring defense.
The 2018-19 season gets underway Saturday, Nov. 10 with the Braves hosting Southeast Missouri State in the fourth meeting between the two teams. The three previous matchups in the series have all been played in the last six years and have been decided by five points or less.
A season-opening two-game home stand wraps up Sunday, Nov. 18 with NCAA Division II opponent Rockhurst visiting Renaissance Coliseum.
Bradley will make its first road trip of the season, venturing to the state of Florida for the first time since 2012-13 for the Florida Atlantic Tournament in Boca Raton, Fla., Nov. 23 & 24. The Braves open the two-day tournament against first-time opponent Delaware, which reached the WNIT last year to conclude a 19-13 season. A matchup with either Lafayette or tournament-host Florida Atlantic the next day wraps up the event and would be the first meeting with either program.
A season-long three-game home stand is slated to open Nov. 28 against in-state foe Eastern Illinois. The all-time series is knotted at 19-19 after Bradley posted a 15-point road win last season, with the Braves winning five of the last seven against the Panthers.
The first of two Horizon League opponents on the schedule visits Renaissance Coliseum Dec. 1 when Oakland makes the trip to Peoria. The Grizzlies are one of four first-time opponents on the schedule in 2018-19 after playing a total of four first-time opponents over the last three seasons.
Bradley's last outing before semester finals falls on Tuesday, Dec. 4, with a home contest against in-state foe Western Illinois concluding the three-game home stand. The Braves topped the Leathernecks 87-80 last year at Renaissance Coliseum during a 22-10 season for WIU which included a WNIT appearance. Bradley will face Western Illinois for the seventh time in the last nine seasons.
After a nine-day break for finals, the Braves will kick off a three-game road swing Friday, Dec. 14 at Nebraska-Omaha. Bradley posted a 69-56 victory over the Mavericks last season to kick off the 2017-18 season in the first meeting between the two programs.
A mid-week contest at Cleveland State, which is coming off a 19-11 campaign, falls before a Dec. 21 tilt at Purdue for the final non-conference road game of the season. The Boilermakers reached the third round of last season's WNIT in a 20-14 season and have won 20 or more games in seven of the last eight years. The Braves will face Purdue for the first time in 25 years and have not made the trek to West Lafayette, Ind., since the 1992-93 season.
The non-conference schedule concludes Friday, Dec. 28 with a home tilt against Chicago State. The Braves own a commanding 13-1 lead in the all-time series with the Cougars and the teams will be meeting for the third time in the last five years.
Bradley's lone exhibition game will be played Saturday, Nov. 3 against Quincy as part of a day-night doubleheader at Renaissance Coliseum with Bradley Volleyball. Quincy is coached by former Bradley Assistant Coach Jeni Garber, who is the daughter of Bradley Hall of Fame member Bob Garber.
The full 2018-19 Missouri Valley Conference schedule is expected to be announced in early September.
For season ticket information contact the Bradley Athletics Ticket office at (309) 677-2625 or email
BradleyTicketOffice@bradley.edu
