PEORIA, Ill. ? Illinois State used a 16-5 second-half run to take control of a tie game and went on to post a 75-66 victory against Bradley Friday night at Robertson Memorial Field House and sweep the regular-season series from the Braves.  The Redbirds victory ended the Braves' season-long three-game win streak and also ended Bradley's six-game home win streak in the series.

Illinois State led 40-33 at the half and scored on its first possession of the second half, before senior Amy Peters scored seven points during a 9-0 Bradley run that pulled the Braves even at 42-42 with 15:56 to play.  The Redbirds countered with a 16-5 run that included four points each from Kenyatta Shelton and LaShawn Johnson to build an 11-point advantage (58-47) with 11:37 remaining. 

Bradley (11-16 overall, 7-9 MVC) would get as close as six points at one point and trailed 69-61 with 3:37 to play, but Tiffany Hudson's layup with 2:26 remaining pushed the Illinois State lead back to 10 points (71-61).  The Redbirds managed to maintain their double-digit lead, until an Ashley Chelleen three-point play with under 14 seconds left pulled the Braves to within six points (75-66).

Senior Erika Nelson led the Braves with a game-high 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting.  Nelson connected on 4-of-6 three-point attempts to push her season three-point total to 70 and joins Michelle Nason as the only players in school history with 70 made three-pointers in a season. 

Peters hit 5-of-7 shots and finished with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Chelleen had a double-double with 13 points and career-high 14 rebounds.  The trio combined to shoot 59.4 percent (19-for-32) from the floor, while the rest of the team was a combined 6-for-24 (25.0 percent).

Illinois State (18-8 overall, 11-4 MVC) had five players score in double figures, paced by Nicolle Lewis' 18 points.  Lewis hit 8-of-10 shots from the field and also had seven rebounds and three blocks to lead the Redbirds.  Senior guard Megan McCracken added 12 points, while Hudson (11 points), Shelton (10 points) and Kristi Cirone (10 points, six assists) were also in double figures.

Chelleen's career-high 14 boards helped the Braves outrebound Illinois State, the top rebounding team in the MVC, 36-32.  Turnovers helped lead to the Braves downfall, however, as Bradley committed 18 turnovers compared to just 11 for the Redbirds and BU had a season-low two steals on the evening.  Illinois State capitalized on the Braves turnovers, posting a 29-7 edge in points off turnovers and also made good use of its height, owning a 38-22 edge in points in the paint.

Illinois State's win was the first for the Redbirds at Robertson Memorial Field House since an 80-67 victory on Jan. 16, 2000, ending a six-game home win streak in the series for the Braves.  It also gave the Redbirds their first regular-season series sweep of the I-74 rivalry since the 1998-99 season. 

Bradley returns to action Sunday when the Braves face Indiana State at 1:05 p.m. (CST) in Terre Haute, Ind.