PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley got a combined seven points from leading scorers seniors Genny Mueller and Dena Williams, but the Braves received 14 points off the bench from sophomore Erika Nelson and 11 points from Ashley Chelleen to pull out a 57-55 come-from-behind victory Friday night against I-74 rival Illinois State at Robertson Memorial Field House.

Mueller scored seven points and Williams was held scoreless in the contest, but Nelson and the Bradley reserves helped the Braves rally from a double-digit first-half deficit to pull out the win and improve to 11-4 overall, 4-2 in the Valley.

Bradley struggled from the field early hitting just two of its first 17 shots (11.8 percent) as the Redbirds jumped out to a 24-13 lead with just over seven minutes remaining in the first half. The Braves managed to stay in the game because of Illinois State turnovers, however, as the Redbirds turned the ball over on each of its first five possessions and 15 times total in the first half.

Nelson scored all 10 of her first-half points in the final 8:53 of the period, as Bradley hit nine of its final 17 shots of the half to go into the locker room trailing 31-28 at the break.

The teams traded the lead several times in the second half, before the Braves used an 8-0 run to take a six-point lead with 4:36 to play. Chelleen had a pair of baskets and a blocked shot during the run that put Bradley up 55-49.

Katie Donovan had a layup and Jaci McCormack nailed a three-pointer with 1:51 remaining to cut Bradley's lead to 55-54. Both teams missed shots on the following possessions before Chelleen hauled down a rebound and was fouled with 1:16 to play. Chelleen split the free throws to push the Braves advantage to 56-54.

McCormack drove into the lane on the following Illinois State possession when she was fouled with 54.1 seconds to play. She split the free throws to once again make it a one-point game at 56-55. Bradley missed a jumper with the shot clock winding down on their ensuing possession, but Nelson came up with a steal in the lane with 10 seconds to play and sophomore Jen Brown was fouled with 9.1 seconds on the clock. Brown split a pair of free throw attempts and McCormack's jumper at the buzzer fell short as the Braves extended their win streak to three games with the 57-55 win.

Nelson tied a career-high with 14 points off the bench, hitting 6-of-9 shots to go along with three assists and two steals. Chelleen added a season-best 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting while also snagging six boards and blocking two shots.

Brown was the only other Brave in double figures, chipping in 13 points and game highs of five assists and three steals. Senior Amy Fuller added eight points, five rebounds and a career-high four assists.

The Braves shot just 35.8 percent from the field, but committed a season-low 11 turnovers. Bradley shot 39.4 percent from the field in the second half, after shooting just 32.4 percent in the first half. The Braves also outrebounded Illinois State in the second half 25-19, after the Redbirds dominated the glass in the opening half 21-12.

Illinois State (5-10 overall, 2-4 MVC) had two players in double figures as Donovan and McCormack tied for team-high honors with 12 points.

Bradley closes out a two-game Valley homestand Sunday at 2:05 against Indiana State at Robertson Memorial Field House.