Bradley BRAD 4-7

UIC UIC 3-8

Bradley BRAD

4-7

Final

Dec. 22, 2016

UIC UIC

3-8

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	3	4	F
Bradley BRAD	13	21	17	14	65
UIC UIC	6	19	13	18	56

Box Score

Bob Hunt - Photographer

Braves Top UIC 65-56 To Close Non-Conference Slate

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | 12/22/2016 4:19:00 PM

CHICAGO, Ill. – Senior Leti Lerma (Muscatine, Iowa/Muscatine) turned in her third double-double of the year with 19 points and 11 boards to help lead Bradley to a 65-56 road win at Illinois-Chicago Thursday in the final non-conference game of the year for the Braves.

Bradley (4-7 overall) turned in one of its best defensive efforts of the year holding UIC to 26.2 percent shooting and the 56 points matched the lowest point total of the year for an opponent. The Braves countered by shooting 43.4 percent from the field and led by as many as 22 points in the fourth quarter before a late run by the Flames trimmed the final margin to 65-56.

"I was pleased with our defensive effort today," said first-year head coach Andrea Gorski. "Leti provided a big spark for the team and we did job of controlling play until late. It's nice to pick up a couple road wins heading into conference."

The Braves opened the game with a 9-2 run and limited UIC (3-8 overall) to 19 percent shooting in the first quarter en route to a 13-6 lead 10 minutes into the contest. Freshman Ryan Wilkins (Kansas City, Mo./St. Teresa's Academy) scored seven of her eight points in the second quarter to help Bradley push the lead to 34-25 at the break.

UIC scored the first two points of the third quarter at the free throw line, but Lerma started a 12-0 Bradley run with a three-point play. Sophomore Vanessa Markert (Mt. Sterling, Ill./Brown County) had hoops on the next three possessions by the Braves and Lerma capped the run with another three-point play as Bradley extended the advantage to 46-27. UIC scored nine of its 13 third quarter points at the free throw line with the Braves holding the Flames to 2-for-14 shooting in the period.

Bradley took a 51-38 lead into the fourth quarter and did not allow a UIC field goal until the 4:18 mark. The Braves capitalized on the offensive struggles by the Flames and scored the first nine points of the stanza to go in front 60-38.

A Lerma jumper with 3:42 left gave Bradley a 63-41 cushion before UIC heated up late. After opening the second half 3-for-28 from the field, including 1-for-14 in the fourth, the Flames connected on 6-of-7 in the final 3:22 of action to cut the final margin to nine (65-56).

Lerma tallied her third double-double of the year with a season-best 19 points and 11 rebounds as she passed Kelly Krumwiede for 10^th on Bradley's career rebounding list. Junior Anneke Schlueter (Ulm, Germany/Max-Weber-Schule) joined her in double figures with 10 points for her ninth consecutive outing with 10 or more points. Wilkins and Markert both added eight points each to help pace the Braves offensively.

Brittany Byrd led UIC with 16 points off the bench and was one of three Flames to score in double figures.

Bradley won consecutive non-conference road games for the first time since the 2012-13 campaign and the last time the Braves closed out the non-conference portion of the schedule with a road win was 2009-10.

Bradley will open Missouri Valley Conference play Sunday, Jan. 1 with a 2 p.m. game at I-74 rival Illinois State.

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