Bradley Women’s Basketball Opens Practice

Duane Zehr

Women's Basketball 9/30/2018 6:00:00 PM

PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley Women's Basketball held its first official practice of the 2018-19 season Sunday afternoon at Renaissance in preparation for the 44th season of intercollegiate competition for the Braves.

Just the second coach in program history to lead the squad to an improved record in their first two seasons on the Bradley bench, third-year head coach Andrea Gorski will look to become the first Bradley Women's Basketball Coach to post improved marks in each of the first three seasons on the BU bench. The Braves have had a higher win total in three consecutive seasons heading into the 2018-19 campaign.

Highlighting a roster which includes six newcomers (five freshmen & one junior college transfer) is Bradley's top three scorers and top four rebounders from a 2017-18 team which led the Missouri Valley Conference in rebounding. The last time the Braves returned their top three scorers from the previous season was 2006-07.

In fact, last year's BU team was the first in program history to rank among the top three in the MVC in both scoring offense and scoring defense in the same season. Overall, seven of the top nine in scoring are back from a Braves team which averaged the fewest turnovers in program history.

Just the third freshman in school history to lead the team in scoring, sophomore guard Gabi Haack was one of two freshmen in the nation to collect 300 points, 180 rebounds and hit 68 or more three-pointers. Haack averaged a team-best 10.5 points per game (11.3 in MVC play), while pulling down the second-most rebounds by a Bradley freshman in addition to connecting on the fifth-most three-pointers in Bradley history.

One of two seniors and the only four-year letterwinner on the roster for the Braves, forward Vanessa Markert is one of the most experienced post players in the MVC and enters the 2018-19 campaign as Bradley's active career scoring leader with 698 points. Markert, who was second on the team in scoring in 2017-18 at 9.5 points per outing, had a late season surge which saw her average 15.0 ppg over the final eight contests of 2017-18 on 53 percent shooting.

Fellow senior Shunseere Kent ranked third on the team in scoring at 8.6 points per outing to become Bradley's first junior college transfer to score at least 8.0 points per game since Rasheeda Love averaged 8.3 points per tilt as a senior in 2002-03. Kent scored in double figures 13 times last year as a junior, including a season-best 22 points in the MVC quarterfinals against Missouri State.

Bradley will have three weeks of practice before the annual Red-White Scrimmage which will be held Saturday, Oct. 13 at 2 p.m. at Renaissance Coliseum.

Prior to the Oct. 13 Red-White Scrimmage, fans will have their first chance to meet the 2018-19 Braves at the Bradley Basketball Spaghetti Supper presented by Avanti's, which will be held Thursday, Oct. 4 at the ITOO Hall. Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Bradley Athletics Ticket office. Advance purchases are $18 for adults, $15 for Braves Club members and $8 for youth (4-14). Children three years of age and under are free. Tickets purchased at the door will be $20.

The Braves play their lone exhibition game of the year Saturday, Nov. 3 against Quincy (2:30 p.m.) and will open the 2018-19 regular season Saturday, Nov. 10 with a 7 p.m. home contest against Southeast Missouri State.

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

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