DEKALB, Ill. ? Bradley had 12 steals and forced 29 turnovers, but couldn't overcome a poor shooting performance, falling 54-48 to Northern Illinois in the season opener Friday at night at the Convocation Center.

Senior Rachel Merriman (Peoria, Ill./Notre Dame/Illinois Central) scored a career-high 13 points and junior Kelly Krumwiede (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard West) added 11 points and nine rebounds in the loss. 

The Braves forced 16 first-half turnovers, but shot 37.5 percent in the half and trailed 26-25 at the break.  Northern Illinois shot 45.8 percent in the first half and outrebounded Bradley 19-13 in the first half.

Bradley went 0-for-6 with four turnovers to open the second half and fell behind 33-27 with 14:34 remaining.  The Braves cut the deficit to four points on several occasions and were trailing 44-39 with 5:32 to play when Northern Illinois used a 10-2 run to take a 54-41 lead.

Kylie York capped the run with back-to-back three-point baskets that pushed the NIU lead to 13 points with just over two minutes to play.  York's three-pointer with 2:19 to play would be the final points for the Huskies, but Bradley a late Braves run would fall short.

Merriman, who finished 8-for-8 from the free throw line, made a pair of free throws with 44 seconds and added another pair of free throws with 37 ticks on the clock.  Sophomore Skye Johnson (Olympia Fields, Ill./Marian Catholic) added a three-pointer at the buzzer as the Braves fell 54-48.

The Braves shot 31.9 percent from the field and connected on just 4-of-14 three-point attempts.  Bradley forced 29 NIU turnovers and owned a 22-11 in points off turnovers.

Northern Illinois pounded the glass, outrebounding the Braves 40-24.  The Huskies shot 46.7 percent from the field and were led in scoring by Aileen Rossouw's 14 points and six steals.  York hit 4-of-10 three-point attempts and finished with 12 points.

Bradley returns to action Tuesday when the Braves host Butler at 7:05 p.m. at Robertson Memorial Field House.