Women’s Basketball Continues Valley Road Swing

Duane Zehr

Women's Basketball 1/4/2018 11:45:00 AM

PEORIA, Ill. -- After winning its Missouri Valley Conference opener for the first time in nearly a decade, Bradley Women's Basketball continues a three-game Valley swing to start the league slate with games at Loyola (Friday) and at conference newcomer Valparaiso (Sunday).

Bradley heads into the weekend road swing with its best overall record (7-5 overall, 1-0 MVC) through 12 games since starting the 2011-12 campaign with a 9-3 record following a 62-42 victory at I-74 rival Illinois State Sunday to open the MVC schedule. The Braves are opening Valley play with a three-game road swing for the second consecutive year and third time in program history, taking on Loyola Friday in a 7 p.m. contest in Chicago before wrapping up the stretch Sunday at 3 p.m. with a game at Valparaiso.

Both games will be available on ESPN3 as part of the MVC media rights agreement with ESPN. The Valley On ESPN3 can be viewed through WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app. In addition, Ed Hammond will handle the radio broadcast on WIRL 1290 AM with links to the audio stream available at BradleyBraves.com

One of just four MVC teams with multiple road wins this season, Bradley wraps up a heavy road schedule this weekend in which the Braves will have played nine of 12 games away from home. BU follows up Sunday's outing at Valparaiso with six of the next eight at Renaissance Coliseum, starting with the Jan. 12 home matchup with Southern Illinois.

Bradley is looking for its first 2-0 start to Valley play since opening the 2008-09 league schedule with four consecutive victories. The Braves have just five previous starts to league play of 2-0 or better with only two of those coming in the last 27 years. Heading into the Loyola game, Bradley is 7-3 in its last 10 games against in-state foes, which includes a 4-1 mark against MVC teams from the Land of Lincoln.

The Braves hold a 22-15 advantage in the series with Loyola after winning three matchups with the Ramblers last year. The last three years have resulted in a sweep of the regular-season with Bradley winning both regular-season games in 2014-15 and 2016-17. The Braves are 8-9 on the road in the series, which includes a 4-2 mark in the last six trips to Chicago.

Bradley has won a game in Chicago each of the last three years after picking up two victories in the Windy City last year (at Illinois-Chicago and at Loyola). Chicago has been kind to the Braves over the years with BU boasting a 19-11 record (.633) inside Chicago city limits since the start of the 1983-84 season. Overall, the Braves are 29-18 (.617) all-time in games played in Chicago.

MVC newcomer Valparaiso and Bradley have played seven previous times with the Braves owning a 6-1 edge in the series. In fact, BU posted a 67-56 win at Valparaiso last season during the non-conference schedule. Bradley is 3-1 on the road vs. the Crusaders.

Bradley is coming off one of its strongest defensive performances of the year, holding Illinois State to just 42 points on 23.6 percent shooting. The 42 points were the fewest given up by the Braves in a road game since a 68-42 victory at Southern Illinois on Jan. 15, 2005. In addition the 23.6 percent shooting by the Redbirds is tied for the eighth lowest field goal percentage by a Bradley opponent in program history. Illinois State had an 0-for-18 shooting stretch in the game with the Braves holding the Redbirds without a field goal for 13:30 of game action.

Senior Anneke Schlueter was a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line in last year's game at Valparaiso, leading Bradley with 23 points and three steals in the win over the Crusaders.

Junior Shunseere Kent has scored in double figures in three of the last four games and has averaged 11.3 points on 47 percent shooting, including 5-of-9 (55.6 percent) from beyond the arc during that stretch. Kent, who had a team-high 15 points to help highlight the win at Illinois State, has added 2.8 assists and 2.0 steals per game over the last four outings.

Freshman Gabi Haack has also emerged as one of Bradley's top scorers, averaging 13.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game over the last four games. A starter in the last two contests, she has dished out 2.3 assists per game during this four-game span and her 13 three-pointers over the last four tilts are two more than any other Brave has on the entire season.

Following the weekend road trip, Bradley returns to Renaissance Coliseum to play host to Southern Illinois Friday, Jan. 12 in a 7 p.m. game.

Print Friendly Version