For Starters
Bradley will play the first of two exhibition games, Monday, Nov. 1, when Quincy visits Renaissance Coliseum for the first basketball game in the new facility. The Braves will also play an exhibition Saturday, Nov. 6 against defending NCAA Division III champion Washington (Mo.).
The Braves are coming off a 17-14 season, in which BU made the first postseason appearance in program history. Picked to finish sixth in the MVC's preseason poll, Bradley matched a school record for conference wins and league finish in 2009-10 after tying for third in the regular-season standings with a 12-6 Valley mark.
Monday's contest will mark the fifth time in the last six years Bradley will face Quincy in an exhibition game.
About Quincy
Quincy returns eight letterwinners, including two starters from last year's team which finished with a 20-9 overall record and was third in the North Division of the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
The Hawks were picked to finish third in their division of the GLVC again this year and have posted a 67-24 (.736) record over the last three seasons.
Senior forward Courtney Shuman is the top returning scorer for Quincy after leading the Hawks in both scoring (14.6 ppg) and rebounding (8.1 rpg) last year. Senior guard Stephanie Wagner averaged 9.3 points per game as a junior to also help lead Quincy which returns just two of its top seven scorers from the 2009-10 season.
About The Braves
Bradley returns nine of 12 letterwinners, including three starters from last year's team which tied the school records for conference wins and best league finish in addition to making the first postseason appearance in program history.
The Braves have their top two scorers back from the 2009-10 squad which finished with a 17-14 overall record and advanced to the second round of the inaugural Women's Basketball Invitational. Sophomore guard Katie Yohn started 19 games and led the team with a 10.2 points per game average. Senior Raisa Taylor was second on the team in scoring (9.7 ppg) and led the team in assists.
Junior center Leah Kassing shot a team-best 50.4 percent from the field and will seen an increased role in the middle this year. Fellow junior guard Hanna Muegge started 16 of 22 games before a season-ending injury and was shooting a Missouri Valley Conference-best 50 percent from three-point range in league games prior to her injury.
The Coaches
The dean of Missouri Valley Conference Women's Basketball coaches, Paula Buscher (Missouri State, '86) is in her 11th year at Bradley and has a record of 134-156 (.462) at BU. The 2008-09 Rawlings Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year, Buscher owns a 177-194 (.477) career record and is in her 14th year as a collegiate head coach. She is the all-time wins leader in program history with her 134 victories at BU and is 11th all-time in Missouri Valley Conference history in victories. Over the last two years she has led the team to a 23-13 (.639) conference record, marking the most conference wins in consecutive years for BU in program history. A longtime assistant coach at Nebraska-Omaha, Buscher coached Minnesota St.-Mankato during the 1997-98 season and returned to UNO as head coach for the 1998-99 and 1999-00 seasons, before coming to The Hilltop.
J.D. Gravina (William Jewell '00) is in his fourth year as head coach at Quincy and sixth overall as a collegiate head coach. Gravina has led the Hawks to a 67-24 (.736) record in his three years at the school and boasts an 88-57 (.607) career coaching mark. He led Quincy to NCAA Tournament appearances in each of his first two seasons.
Quincy Series
Bradley plays Quincy in an exhibition game for the second consecutive year and fifth time overall in the last six seasons Monday, Nov. 1 when the Hawks visit Renaissance Coliseum for a 7:05 p.m. contest. Bradley holds a 7-3 edge in the all-time series with the Hawks in regular season games and boasts a 4-0 advantage in exhibition contests between the two programs. Quincy won the last regular-season meeting with Bradley, topping the Braves 88-84 at Quincy on Feb. 14, 1983. The Braves have averaged 78.3 points per game in the four exhibition meetings with the Hawks and own an average margin of victory of +24.5 points in the four exhibition contests.
Exhibition History
Bradley has won 13 consecutive exhibition games dating back to the Braves trip to Western Europe in the summer of 2004 and boasts a perfect 12-0 record against college teams in exhibition play. BU is 19-6 in exhibition games under 10th-year head coach Paula Buscher, which includes a 3-2 record during the European exhibition tour.
Welcome To The Team
Bradley welcomes three freshmen to the team in 2010-11, adding 5-9 Kelsey Budd (Prairie du Sac, Wis./Sauk Prairie), 6-1 forward Kelly Frings (Milwaukee, Wis./Pius XI) and 6-3 center Alyson Spinas-Valainis (Davenport, Iowa/Assumption). Budd was a first-team all-state selection after averaging 20 points and five assists per game as a senior. Frings was conference player of the year and led the league in both scoring and rebounding each of her final two prep seasons. Believed to be the only player in Iowa to score 1,000 points and strikeout 1,000 batters during the high school basketball and softball careers, Spinas-Valainis was a two-time first-team all-state pick and two-time conference player of the year.
See You Next Year
In addition to welcoming three true freshmen to the roster, Bradley women's basketball head coach Paula Buscher added Wisconsin transfer Caitie O'Leary during the summer. O'Leary, who will have to sit out the 2010-11 season due to NCAA transfer rules, will have three years of eligibility remaining. A native of Janesville, Wis., O'Leary was the state scoring champ as a junior at Parker High School and was a three-time Big 8 Conference Player of the Year selection.
Postseason Success
Bradley made the first postseason appearance in program history in 2009-10, receiving a bid to the inaugural Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI). The Braves posted a 69-59 win against Louisville at Freedom Hall in the final home contest for any Louisville program in the historic venue. The Cardinals, which were a year removed from a national runner-up finish in the 2008-09 NCAA Tournament, were a combined 129-23 (.849) at Freedom Hall over the last 13 years in the facility. The win also snapped a 13-game losing streak for Bradley Athletics programs at Freedom Hall. The Bradley women lost their only other game in the building during the 1990-91 season and the Bradley men's basketball team had lost 12 consecutive games at Freedom Hall since edging the Cardinals 80-79 on Feb. 10, 1962.
Welcome Home
After calling Illinois Central College's Lorene Ramsey Gym home for each of the last two years, Bradley will return to campus for the 2010-11 season. The Braves will open their new $50-million, 4,200-seat facility Nov. 13 against WNIT participant Butler. The Renaissance Coliseum sits on the exact site of historic Robertson Memorial Field House which served as the Braves home until the building was razed following the 2007-08 season. Despite playing home games across the river in East Peoria, Bradley was an impressive 20-4 (.833) at Lorene Ramsey Gym over the last two seasons. Over the last three season, BU is 30-10 (.750) in home contests
Road Warriors
Bradley played a school record 17 road games in 2009-10 and matched a school record with eight road victories. The Braves are a combined 14-16 on the road over the last two seasons, marking the most road wins in back-to-back seasons in program history.
Winning Ways
Bradley finished the 2009-10 season with a 17-14 record, marking the first time the Braves had back-to-back winning seasons since the 1985-86 (16-12 overall) and 1986-87 (15-13 overall) campaigns. The Braves are 38-24 (.613) over the last two season, with the 38 wins ranking as the most wins in consecutive years since the 1980-81 and 1981-82 squads combined to go 38-16 (.704).
Braves Tie School Record For Conference Wins
Bradley matched a school record with 12 conference victories in 2009-10, while also matching the best league finish in school history (tied for third). BU's 23 Valley wins over the last years are the most in back-to-back seasons in school history and the Braves' 23-13 (.639) league mark over that time is third best in the conference during that stretch behind only Illinois State (31-5) and Creighton (27-9).
Senior Leadership
Raisa Taylor is the lone senior on the roster for Bradley in 2010-11 and has a chance to finish her career among the winningest players in program history. During her time on The Hilltop, the Braves own a 50-42 overall record and 29-25 league mark. Bradley has not finished a four-year period with a winning conference record since the 1992-93 senior class closed out their careers with a 36-34 mark. The only other class to post a winning league record was the 1991-92 senior class, which finished with a 38-34 conference record. Last year's senior class (Jenny Van Kirk & Renee Frericks) finished their careers with a 62-61 overall record, marking the most wins for BU during a four-year period since the 1982-83 team was 72-39. The junior class enters the year with a 38-24 overall record and 23-13 league mark.
Yohn Earns All-Valley Honors
Sophomore guard Katie Yohn was an honorable mention All-Missouri Valley Conference honoree in 2009-10 as a freshman and also earned a spot on The Valley's All-Freshman team after leading Bradley in scoring with a 10.2 points per game average. Yohn was the second freshman in program history to earn all-conference honors, joining Karin Nicholls who was an honorable mention All-Gateway Conference pick as a frosh in 1986-87. Yohn was a three-time MVC Newcomer of the Week honoree in 2009-10 and was the sixth Bradley player to be named to the MVC's All-Freshman squad under 11th-year head coach Paula Buscher.
Close Calls
Bradley has made a habit of pulling out close contests over the last two seasons. In 2009-10, the Braves had 15 games decided by 10 points or fewer and finished an impressive 11-4 (.733) in those contests. In fact, BU was 4-1 in games in which the final margin was five points or less. Over the last two years, Bradley is a combined 20-7 (.741) when the game is decided by 10 points or fewer.
Tough Opening Stretch
Bradley will open the 2010-11 season with four consecutive teams which advanced to the postseason in 2009-10. The Braves regular-season and arena-opening opponent Butler participated in the WNIT, while BU's first road contest of the year (Nov. 16) is against NCAA Tournament squad Iowa. WNIT participant Illinois visits Peoria Nov. 19 for a Friday night tilt and the Braves travel to Charleston, Ill., to face 2009-10 WNIT participant Eastern Illinois on Nov. 22. Three of Bradley's first four opponents won 20 or more games in 2009-10 and the four squads combined for an 85-50 (.630) record last year.
The Future Is Bright
Katie Yohn led Bradley in scoring in 2009-10, averaging a team-best 10.2 points per game as a true freshman. Yohn, who earned a spot on the Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman team, was the first freshman to lead BU in scoring since Connie Griffith paced the Braves with an 18.3 points per game average her freshman year in 1977-78. Griffith is the only player in program history to lead the team in scoring in each of her four seasons on The Hilltop. Yohn finished the year with 317 points, which ranks as the fifth-best total for a BU freshman and her 10.2 points per game is average is the best a Bradley frosh since Heather Best tossed in 12.6 points per game in 1995-96.
Buscher Breaks BU Win Mark
Head coach Paula Buscher enters her 11th year on The Hilltop as the all-time wins leader in program history. The dean of Missouri Valley Conference coaches, Buscher broke Lisa Boyer's school record of 123 victories on Jan. 15, 2010 with a 74-62 win against Northern Iowa. Buscher will break Boyer's hold as the longest tenured coach in program history this season, with her 11th on the bench in Peoria and starts the year 11th in Missouri Valley Conference history with 134 wins. She also holds the school record for Missouri Valley Conference wins with 77, which is good for 11th all-time in league history.
Schedule Notes
In addition to Bradley's first game on-campus since March of 2007, BU's non-conference schedule includes three games against teams from BCS conferences and the team's first regular-season international trip since 1989-90. Bradley's new $50-million Renaissance Coliseum will serve as home court for the Braves after playing off campus the last two seasons. BU will open the arena Saturday, Nov. 13 against Butler. Following the season-opener against the Bulldogs, Bradley will play back-to-back games against Big Ten Conference opponents (Nov. 16 at Iowa & Nov. 19 at home against Illinois). The Braves will spend Thanksgiving in Cancun, Mexico, taking part in the Cancun Thanksgiving Classic (Nov. 26 & 27). The trip to Cancun will be the third international trip for Bradley women's basketball and the first regular-season trip outside of the United States since playing in Aruba in 1989-90. The Braves' only other international trip was an exhibition tour through Western Europe during the summer of 2004.
Balanced Attack
Bradley utilized a balanced attack during the 2009-10 season with seven players averaging between 4.7 points and 10.2 points per game on the year. Bradley was one of three Valley schools without a player averaging at least three assists per outing, but the Braves had four individuals averaging 1.8 assists per game or better and BU ranked third in the league in assists per game as team (13.9). Bradley had 10 different individuals lead the team in scoring at least once.
Crashing The Boards
One of the reasons for Bradley's success over the past two seasons has been rebounding. The Braves have led the Missouri Valley Conference in rebounding each of the last two seasons. In 2008-09, BU led the league in rebounding with a 41.6 rebounds per game average, marking the first time Bradley led the conference in rebounding since 1990-91. The Braves led the Valley with a 41.2 rebounds per game average in 2009-10 and are the first team to lead the league in rebounding in back-to-back years since Northern Iowa in 1997-98 and again in 1998-99.
Active Leader
Senior Raisa Taylor heads into her final season on The Hilltop as Bradley's active career leader in points (740), rebounds (319) and assists (139). Taylor ranked second on the team in scoring as a junior with a 9.7 points per game average, while leading the team in assists. In addition, she ranked third on the team in rebounding at 4.8 boards per outing in 2009-10. She needs 260 points to become the 15th player in program history to score 1,000 career points. Taylor's 740 points are the most for a Bradley player entering their final season since Devyn Flanagan opened the 2007-08 season with 753 career points. Flanagan was the last BU player to top 1,000 points.
From Long Range
Sophomore Katie Yohn was one of the top outside scoring threats in the Missouri Valley Conference and her 57 three-pointers last year as a freshman is the second-best season total by a BU frosh in program history. Her 57 trey's in 2009-10 is the ninth-best season total in school history and ranks as the eighth-best total by a freshman in Missouri Valley Conference history.
Heating Up
Senior Raisa Taylor ended the 2009-10 season on a tear, averaging 16.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game over Bradley's last five games. She played a key role in Bradley's 69-59 win at Louisville in the opening round of the inaugural Women's Basketball Invitational, finishing with 21 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, three blocks and two steals. The 20-10-5 effort (points-rebounds-assists) was just the third 20-10-5 performance by a Bradley player since Tammy Van Oppen's triple-double on Dec. 31, 1996. Taylor enters the season as Bradley's active career leader in points, rebounds and assists.
Braves Picked Sixth In Preseason Valley Poll
For the second consecutive year Bradley was picked to finish sixth according to a vote of league coaches, sports information directors and media. Missouri State was the preseason favorite to win the regular-season league title after receiving 27 of 40 first-place votes. The Braves received 204 points in the poll and were 22 points behind fifth-place Wichita State. Bradley was 24 points ahead of seventh-place Drake in the preseason ranking. BU has finished higher than its predicted finish in each of the last four years and eight of the last 10 years overall under head coach Paula Buscher.
Up Next
Bradley will play the final of its two exhibition games Saturday, Nov. 6 against defending NCAA Division III champion Washington (Mo.). Saturday's contest will be the first meeting between the Braves and Bears, which are ranked #3 in the NCAA Division III preseason poll. Washington posted a 29-2 record last year en route to the fifth national championship in program history.
