Women’s Basketball Closes Home Stand Saturday Against Milwaukee

Duane Zehr

Women's Basketball 11/27/2020 12:36:00 PM

PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley Women's Basketball closes out a season-opening, two-game home stand Saturday night, playing the first of back-to-back contests against Horizon League foes when the Braves host Milwaukee in a 6 p.m. game at Renaissance Coliseum.

An 84-70 victory over Kansas City Wednesday in which four Bradley players scored in double figures gave the Braves a season-opening victory for a school record fourth consecutive year. Milwaukee also opened its season with a win, topping Ball State 67-56 at home Wednesday night.

Saturday's game will be available on ESPN+, while BradleyBraves.com will provide links to live stats along with the WIRL 1290 AM radio broadcast.

Bradley will be trying to open a season with a 2-0 mark for the third time four years. Four of the last five times the Braves have started a season with consecutive home contests have resulted in the team opening the year with a 2-0 record.

Milwaukee holds a 3-1 edge in the all-time series after the Panthers pulled out a 116-112 double overtime win in Milwaukee on Dec. 4, 2012 in the last meeting between the two squads. Each of the four all-time meetings have been decided by four points or less with two going to overtime. Bradley's lone victory in the series was a 72-70 overtime triumph at Milwaukee on Dec. 1, 2010. The Panthers have won both previous games played in Peoria, including a 71-67 victory at Renaissance Coliseum (Nov. 28, 2011) in the last home game in the series for the Braves.

Bradley is 13-9 in its last 22 games against Horizon League foes, which includes a 7-3 mark under fifth-year head coach Andrea Gorski. Overall, the Braves are 30-12 against current Horizon League members. Bradley has won three consecutive contests against Horizon League squads since a home setback to Cleveland State on Dec. 19, 2017, which was the last non-conference home loss for the Braves.

Milwaukee's Brandi Bisping is certainly no stranger to Renaissance Coliseum. The Morton, Ill., native is the younger sister of former Bradley Women's Basketball letterwinner Brooke Bisping, who played for the Braves from 2009-10 through 2012-13. Brooke appeared in two games against Milwaukee (both overtime contests played in Milwaukee), collecting seven points, four rebounds and two assists in the double overtime thriller in the last matchup between the Braves and Panthers.

Senior Gabi Haack broke Bradley's career three-point field goal mark in Wednesday's season-opening victory against Kansas City. Haack, who topped Katie Yohn's (2009-13) previous school mark of 210 career triples, topped the mark with her fifth and final trey of the contest late in the third quarter vs. the Roos. She hit four second-half three-pointers, scoring 16 of her 19 points in the final 20 minutes. Haack now has 11 career outings in which she has made at least five three-pointers. Owning 211 career three-pointers, Haack currently sits 10 three-pointers from catching former National Player of the Year Jackie Stiles for 25th in MVC history in three-point makes.

Preseason Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year Lasha Petree lived up to the distinction in the season opener, scoring all of her 22 game-high points in the first half against Kansas City. Petree, who collected 15 points in the second quarter, matched her highest scoring half (22) as a Brave set Dec. 5, 2019 against North Dakota State and marked the third time in her career she scored at least 20 points in a single half. Sitting at 897 career points, she needs eight points to pass Leti Lerma for 26th on Bradley's career scoring list. Petree now owns 17 career outings with 20 or more points, which is tied for the eighth most in BU history and most by a Brave since Genny Mueller had 19 between 2001-02 and 2004-05.

Freshman Tete Danso was impressive in her first career outing as a Brave, collecting game highs of 11 rebounds and three steals to go with six points and a blocked shot. Danso's 11 rebounds were the most in a debut for a Bradley freshman dating back to the 1987-88 season when Val Wancket collected 12 boards in a victory against Saint Louis. Wancket finished her career with 788 career rebounds and held Bradley's career rebounding mark until the 2004-05 campaign.

Bradley will hit the road after Saturday's game, traveling to Dayton, Ohio, for a Dec. 2 contest at Wright State.

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