TOLEDO, Ohio -- Senior Monica Rogers made four free throws and had a steal in the final 46 seconds of the game to help the Bradley women's basketball team close out a 73-65 road win at Toledo Monday.
Bradley (8-2 overall) led by as many as 16 points in the second half, but Toledo (4-7 overall) put on a press midway through the second half and was able to claw back into the contest. Freshman Michelle Lund (Sioux City, Iowa/Bishop Heelan) connected on her third three-pointer of the game with 7:36 to play to give BU a 61-48 lead.
The Braves would not make another shot from the field until Rogers made a jumper in the lane with 2:39 remaining, but Bradley was able to keep the Rockets at bay from the free throw line and led 69-60 following a pair of MacKenzie Westcott (Williamsburg, Iowa/Williamsburg) free throws with 1:28 to go.
Toledo's Naama Shafir hit a three-pointer to cut the BU lead to 69-63 and a Rockets steal and layup pulled UT to within four points (69-65) with just over 50 seconds on the clock. Rogers made a pair of free throws and pulled down a defensive rebound after a Toledo miss. With the Braves holding a 71-65 edge, Rogers made another pair of free throws with 36 seconds left and came away with a steal on the next Rockets' possession to help seal the 73-65 win.
Bradley held Toledo to 1-for-13 to open the game and limited the Rockets to 34 percent shooting on the night. With the score tied at 17-17, junior guard Skye Johnson (Olympia Fields, Ill./Marian Catholic) sparked a 16-4 Bradley run with a three-pointer to help BU to a 33-21 lead. Toledo's Melissa Goodall scored six consecutive points to cut the Braves lead to 33-27, but Bradley scored the final three points of the half to take a 36-27 lead into the locker room.
Lund connected on 3-for-4 from beyond the arc and led Bradley in scoring with 13 points to lead five Braves in double figures. Sophomore Sonya Harris (Riverdale, Ill./Thornton) hit 6-of-12 shots and finished with 12 points off the bench, while senior Asseer Itiavkase (Paducah, Ky./Tilghman/John A. Logan) added a career-high 11 points and six rebounds. The duo of Harris and Itiavkase combined for 23 of Bradley's 27 bench points and helped BU to a 27-10 advantage in bench scoring.
Johnson hit 4-of-5 from the field and added five assists and two steals to go along with her 10 points. Rogers scored all 10 of her points in the second half and also had seven rebounds, one assist, one blocked shot and one steal.
The Braves shot 45.5 percent from the field and made 5-of-9 from beyond the arc. Bradley outrebounded its opponent for the 10th time in as many games, holding a 38-30 edge on the glass and made 75 percent (18-for-24) of its free throw attempts.
Goodall led Toledo with a season high 18 points, making 8-of-9 free throw attempts. Tanika Mays added 15 points and team highs of eight rebounds, four assists and five steals to help pace the Rockets. Jessica Williams was the only other UT player in double figures with 11 points. Bradley held Toledo leading scorer Naama Shafir to seven points and forced Shafir into seven turnovers.
Bradley returns to action Sunday, Dec. 28 when the Braves play host to Air Force at 5:05 p.m. at Richwoods High School. Admission for the game against the Falcons is free.