A little break for the Christmas holiday did almost as much as a big win just before it for Illinois State basketball coach
Jenny Yopp and her team which is headed into conference play at 4:05 p.m. Saturday vs. Bradley at Redbird Arena.
We needed a break, and the players came back from it with even more enthusiasm, said Yopp, whose 2-7 Redbirds take-on the surprising 5-3 Bradley Braves in the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both teams. The (60-56) win at Valparaiso (Dec. 22) built confidence for our team and the break energized us.
At the end of November, Yopp said her teams priority was to be a better team in a month. She believes that goal has been accomplished.
We are so much better in so many ways, said Yopp, whose team stopped a six-game losing streak with the win at Valpo. We have so much individual and team improvement that one of our challenges as a coaching staff is continuing to put the right combination of players on the floor.
Two of the Redbirds who have been a continuing part of those right combinations are freshman
Jaci McCormack , whose 17 points per game over the past three games have raised her scoring average to 11.1, and freshman
Sharon Blade , who continues to lead the team in scoring (12.1) and rebounding (5.8).
Against the Braves, the Redbirds have distinct advantages in size and depth. Bradleys tallest starter is 5-11 Marti Davis and coach Paula Buscher, a former Redbird assistant, has been down to as few as seven players this season while Yopps team has received a boost to its front-court depth with the return of 6-foot-4 junior
Kristi Larson from foot injuries. The Birds regularly use 10 or 11 players for significant minutes.
But the Braves already have overcome all kinds of odds this season. The death of sophomore center Lynn Pastucha in October, and the departure of No. 2 scorer Sarah Sommer prior to the start of the season made a thin squad thinner. The Braves put together a four-game winning streak as sophomore guard Sara Bailey has averaged 20 points per game and senior Jenn Jolleyone of the Valleys best all-around playershas moved to a post and given BU leadership.
BU has a flexible style utilizing the perimeter skills of all five starters. Yoppwho suffered through her own short roster problems in her first year at ISU--salutes the work of Buscher, the Braves first-year head coach who was an assistant on Jill Hutchisons staff at ISU in the late 1980s.
We give Bradley a ton of credit and have tremendous respect for what they have done, said Yopp. Coach Buscher has adjusted her style to the talent available. Players like Bailey and Jolley are perimeter players who also can post-up with great skills. They challenge the defense.
Both the Braves and Redbirds face challenges in the Missouri Valley. A year ago, they tied for ninth place in the league, both missing the State Farm-Missouri Valley Conference Tournament for the second year in a row.
Starting their 18th league season, Bradley and Illinois State are meeting for the sixth time in a conference opener. ISU has won four of the first five.
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