PEORIA, Ill. ? After shooting better than 45 percent from the field in a pair of close road losses last week, head coach Paula Buscher hoped a return to Robertson Memorial Field House might help the Braves end a three-game losing skid. Bradley struggled offensively, however, shooting 32.7 percent and committing 23 turnovers as Evansville handed the Braves a 71-50 loss Thursday night in Missouri Valley Conference women's basketball action.

The Braves (7-12 overall, 1-7 MVC) got off to a slow start offensively, making just 2-of-17 from the field to open the game and had just four points mid-way through the first half. Bradley made up for the lack of offensive output by forcing seven Evansville turnovers in the first eight minutes of the contest, but the Purple Aces went on a 13-0 run that included a pair of three-pointers by Robyn Jennings to give UE a 17-4 lead. Senior Rachel Merriman (Peoria, Ill./Notre Dame/Illinois Central) ended a nine-minute scoring drought for the Braves with a three-pointer from the top of the key with 7:30 remaining before the break.

Merriman's three-pointer helped spark a 14-5 BU run that pulled Bradley back to within four points (22-18) with just under four minutes remaining. Sophomore Skye Johnson (Olympia Fields, Ill./Marian Catholic) capped the Braves spurt with a three-pointer from the wing, highlighting a stretch in which BU connected on four of six field goal attempts. Evansville extended its lead back to nine points, but the Braves were able to pull back to within two points with under one minute left in the half and trailed 29-25 heading into the locker room.

Bradley trimmed the deficit to two points in the opening minutes of the second half (31-29), but Jennings had a three-point play to spark a 14-point Evansville run to push the Purple Aces lead to 45-29 with just under 15 minutes remaining. The Braves made just 4-of-17 from the field and committed 14 turnovers in the first 15 minutes of the second half as Evansville extended its lead to 64-36 with just under five minutes to play and cruised to the 71-50 win.

Johnson led the Braves in scoring with nine points on 3-of-8 shooting and also snagged a game-high four steals. Senior guard Devyn Flanagan (Riverton, Ill./Riverton) added six points, hitting a pair of three-pointers, to push her career point total over 900. Freshman Sonya Harris (Riverdale, Ill./Thornton) had a team-high seven rebounds and also added four blocked shots and five points off the bench for the Braves.

Evansville (12-7 overall, 6-2 MVC) extended its season-long win streak to six games with the victory. The Braves held Rebekah Parker, the Purple Aces leading scorer, to just six points, but Shannon Novosel picked up the scoring slack with 16 points. Robyn Jennings added a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Anaris Sickles hit 5-of-8 shots off the bench and finished with 12 points. Parker scored nine points below her season average, but had eight rebounds and a game-high seven assists.

Bradley continues its three-game Missouri Valley Conference Saturday against defending regular-season Valley champion Southern Illinois at 2:05 p.m. at Robertson Memorial Field House.