Braves Host #17/21 Missouri St. Sunday To Close Home Slate

Duane Zehr

Women's Basketball 2/28/2020 11:58:00 AM

PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley Women's Basketball has already put together one of the most successful seasons in program history and the Braves have a chance to add to that when they close out the 2019-20 home schedule by hosting league-leading and nationally ranked (#17/21) Missouri State Sunday afternoon at Renaissance Coliseum.

Sunday's 2 p.m. game between Bradley (20-6 overall, 11-4 MVC) and Missouri State (23-4 overall, 13-2 MVC) will mark the final home games for BU seniors Amber Bozeman, Chelsea Brackmann and Ryan Wilkins, who will be recognized prior to the game (approximately 1:45 p.m.).

Bradley picked up its 20th win of the season Thursday night with a 61-57 victory over Southern Illinois as the Braves reached the 20-win mark for the second consecutive year and fourth time in program history. Sunday's game marks just the second time a nationally ranked team will play at Renaissance Coliseum in the 10-year history of the facility with #17/24 Oklahoma (Nov. 22, 2015) the only other top-25 team to play in Peoria since the building opened in 2010-11. Bradley will be shooting for its first win against a nationally ranked opponent.

Missouri State had a nine-game win streak snapped Thursday at Illinois State, falling to the Redbirds 78-66. The Bears hold a one-game lead over second-place Drake, which plays at Loyola Friday, and have a two-game edge on third-place Bradley in the league standings.

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

Not only did Thursday's win secure the fourth 20-win season in program history, but it assured Bradley of no worse than the #4 seed for the upcoming Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. The Braves have locked up at least a tie for third in the standings, which would match the best finish in program history last done in 2009-10 and first accomplished in 1991-92 during head coach Andrea Gorski's senior year. Bradley needs one victory or a Northern Iowa loss to lock up the #3 seed for the Valley Tournament. Despite tying for third in the MVC standings twice, the Braves have never been higher than the #4 seed for the conference tournament.
Bradley improved to 12-0 at Renaissance Coliseum this season with Thursday's 61-57 victory over Southern Illinois, pushing its home win streak to 18 consecutive games. The 18-game home win streak is the fourth longest active streak in the nation and is longest in the MVC dating back to a 21-game home win streak by Drake between the 2015-16 and 2017-18 seasons. The 12 home wins ties the best season total in school history last done in 2018-19 (12-3). The Braves have four 12-win home seasons on record with both the 2008-09 (12-2) and 1981-82 (12-4) teams also reaching the mark. Bradley's 1979-80 team was the only squad to lose fewer than two home games, going 9-1 at home during a 20-9 campaign which was the first 20-win season in program history. BU's 24 home wins (24-3) over the last two years are more than the Braves had at Renaissance Coliseum in the four years prior to the 2018-19 season (22).
Thursday's four-point win over Southern Illinois was Bradley's fifth win this season in games decided by five points or less with the Braves now a perfect 5-0 in such contests in 2019-20. Three of Bradley's last five victories have had a final margin of five points or fewer and the team's five victories in games decided by five or less matches BU's total from the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons combined (5-7). The last time the Braves won as many as five games with a final margin of five points or less was 2013-14 (6). Bradley is 7-1 this season in games decided by 10 points or less with the lone loss last weekend at Northern Iowa (64-57).
Ranking among the top defensive teams in the MVC, Bradley is second in the Valley in scoring defensive in conference games at 62.3 points per contest. The Braves have held teams to below their scoring average entering the game in 10 of 14 Valley outings, with Bradley winning two of the four MVC games in which the opponent scored at least its average. In fact, only four league foes have reached the 70-point mark against BU with Northern Iowa (3) the only MVC team to allow fewer 70-point scoring efforts in league play. Bradley has held teams to 60.5 points per game in the 12 home games to date.
After a 20-10 season in 2018-19, Bradley has the first back-to-back 20-win campaigns in program history. The 40 victories over the last two years are the most in a two-year span for the Braves, surpassing the previous mark of 39 wins between the 1979-80 (20-9) and 1980-81 (19-8) campaigns. Bradley's 53 wins over the last three seasons is the team's best win total over a three-year stretch since 2008-09 through 2010-11 (53) and the 65 wins between the last four seasons is tops for the Braves dating back to 71 wins from 2008-09 to 2011-12.
Bradley has seen a steady increase in attendance during the 2019-20 season with the Braves averaging 1,061 fans per home contest. The Braves will finish the season with their best average attendance since 2013-14 (1,422) and need just 397 fans Sunday for the highest average attendance in Renaissance Coliseum history. The 2013-14 squad drew an average of 1,009 fans at Renaissance Coliseum (excludes game played at Carver Arena) and this year's attendance will rank as the team's best on-campus only average dating back to 2004-05.
With three regular-season games remaining on the schedule, Bradley sits one win short of matching the school record for both overall (21) and conference (12) wins. At 20-6 overall and 11-4 in MVC play, the Braves need one win to tie the school record for wins in a season set by the 2008-09 (21-10) team. Bradley has won a school-record 12 league games twice, going 12-6 in both the 2009-10 and 1989-90 seasons. The 2009-10 squad tied for third in the MVC standings, while the 1989-90 team, which was head coach Andrea Gorski's sophomore year, finished fourth with that 12-6 mark.
Sunday's home finale marks a rare March home game for the Braves, who will be playing a home contest in the month of March for the 12^th time in the 10-year history of Renaissance Coliseum. Bradley is 4-1 in its last five March home contests and owns a 7-4 record at Renaissance Coliseum in the month of March, including a first-round WBI victory over Tennessee Tech in 2011-12, which was the last time the Braves reached the postseason. Bradley has posted a 9-4 record in its last 13 March home games and is 13-6 since 2003-04 when playing at home during March.
The Braves have played just six home games in program history against top-25 teams with Missouri State representing three of those (2000-01, 1997-98 & 1991-92). Bradley will have at least three games against top-25 teams in the same season for the first time since 1997-98 (Nebraska & Missouri State twice).
Bradley is 7-3 on Senior Day over the last 10 seasons after a 71-59 win over Loyola to close the 2018-19 home schedule. The Braves have won the last two times it has faced Missouri State on its Senior Day (2009-10 & 2005-06) and own a 2-1 on Senior Day against the Bears with the lone loss in 1998-99. Bradley's senior class has been a part of 65 victories, which matches the most wins in a four-year stretch since the 2011-12 senior class was part of 71 victories.