PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley will welcome NCAA Division II foe Lindenwood to Renaissance Coliseum Thursday for BU's only exhibition game of the 2012-13 season. Thursday's exhibition game, which is slated to begin at 6:30 p.m. will be held in conjunction with the annual Spaghetti Supper.
The day's activities start with the Spaghetti Supper at 5 p.m. in the Renaissance Coliseum Basketball Performance Center with the women's basketball exhibition game to follow at 6:30 p.m. in the Renaissance Coliseum arena.
Ticket prices are $12 for adults, $6 for kids (12 and under) and $30 for a Family Pack and includes admission to both night's events. The Bradley men's basketball team will be available to mingle with the crowd throughout the Spaghetti Supper on Mitchell "JJ" Anderson Court in the Basketball Performance Center. Individual game tickets (excludes spaghetti supper) are $8 for adults and $4 for children and Bradley Faculty/Staff.
Bradley will be facing Lindenwood for the first time and the Braves boast a 15-0 all-time record in exhibition games played against NCAA Division II of III opponents. Picked sixth in the preseason Missouri Valley Conference poll, Bradley is coming off an 18-16 season and advanced to the second round of the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI) in 2011-12.
In its second year as an NCAA Division II member in 2012-13, Lindenwood finished the 2011-12 season with a 17-10 record. The former NAIA member is in its first year as a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MAIAA).
The Braves are 2-0 in exhibition games against MAIAA members, posting a pair of victories against Truman State. BU topped Truman State 83-35 at Carver Arena prior to the start of the 2008-09 regular season and also defeated the Bulldogs 56-42 at Robertson Memorial Field House on Nov. 1, 2006. Overall, Bradley has won 16 consecutive exhibition games dating back to the squad's trip to Western Europe in the summer of 2004.
In addition to live stats, BradleyBraves.com will provide a subscription video stream of Thursday's exhibition game, which will be the squad's lone contest before the Nov. 9 season opener against Central Michigan.
Bradley returned eight of 13 letterwinners, including three starters, from last year's team in addition to welcoming a redshirt freshman and four true freshmen. For the first time since 1996-97, the Braves return a pair of players which scored 300 or more points the previous year. Helping highlight a group which includes two of the top three scorers and four of the top six from last year are senior guard Katie Yohn (Elgin, Ill./St. Edward) and junior Catie O'Leary (Janesville, Wis./Parker/Wisconsin).
Yohn starts her final season on The Hilltop 16th in career scoring at Bradley (1,012 points) and needs 37 points to climb up four spots into 12th on the all-time scoring chart. She is two rebounds and four assists short of becoming the fourth player in school history with 1,000 points, 300 rebounds, 200 assists, 100 steals and 60 blocked shots.
O'Leary had a big impact in her first season of eligibility in 2011-12 after transferring from Wisconsin, finishing second on the team with 353 points scored. Already 11th in career scoring among players who transferred to BU, O'Leary's 353 points last year rank as the third-best point total by a transfer in their first season of eligibility on The Hilltop.
Season tickets are available at the Bradley Athletics Ticket Office (309) 677-2625 and are $75 for adults or $30 for children and Bradley Faculty/Staff.
