CHICAGO, Ill. -- Bradley scored the first 11 points of the game and never looked back as the Braves led by double digits most of the game en route to a 71-53 victory against Illinois in non-conference women's basketball action Saturday at the United Center. Sophomore Sonya Harris (Riverdale, Ill./Thornton) scored a career and game high 18 points to lead the Braves.
BU (6-1 overall) hit it's first five shots from the field and opened the game by connecting on 12 of 18 shots as the Braves raced out to an early double-digit lead. Bradley led 18-9 when junior guard Skye Johnson (Olympia Fields, Ill./Marian Catholic) highlighted a 13-5 BU spurt with five points, two assists, a steal and a block as the Braves extended their lead to 31-14 midway through the first half.
Illinois (3-5 overall) had a chance to make a run when the Braves scored just two points over a near seven and a half minute span. The Illini scored just six points during the BU drought, however, as the Bradley lead was trimmed to 35-23. Senior Monica Rogers (Forsyth, Ill./St. Teresa/Hampton) scored five of her nine first-half points in the final 1:47 of the half to help BU to a 40-27 lead at the break.
Bradley scored the first points of the second half, but Lydia McCully scored six consecutive points to pull the Illini to within nine points (42-33) with just under 18 minutes to play. BU responded with six consecutive points to extend the lead to 48-33 with 15 minutes remaining and the Braves would later push the advantage to 20 points on back-to-back baskets by Skye Johnson and a pair of Raisa Taylor free throws midway through the second half. Harris scored six of her game-high 18 points in the final 8:40 of play to help Bradley to the 71-53 win.
Harris hit 8-of-13 shots and finished with a career-best 18 points in 20 minutes of play. Rogers added 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Johnson narrowly missed posting the first double-double of her career as she matched a career-best nine assists to go along with her 13 points. She also added four steals and a career-high four blocked shots to help Bradley to its fourth consecutive victory.
The Braves shot 44.3 percent from the field and dominated the glass, outrebounding the Illini 46-35. Rogers and Harris combined for 34 points, helping BU to a 34-18 edge in points in the paint. The duo helped keep Illinois All-American candidate Jenna Smith in check, limiting her to 14 points and four rebounds.
Bradley held the Illini to 32.3 percent shooting, including 26.3 percent from beyond the three-point arc. McCully scored 13 points and dished out a team-best five assists to help lead the Illini efforts, while Lacey Simpson turned in a double-double, finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The win is the Braves second in the all-time series with the Illini and ended a five-game Illinois win streak in games played at the United Center. The Illini fell to 7-3 all-time at the United Center and the 18-point margin is the worst loss in the 10 games Illinois has played in the facility. Off to the best start since 2001-02, Bradley's 6-1 record is the third best start to a season in program history.
Bradley returns to action Tuesday when the Braves face Missouri at 6:30 p.m. in Columbia, Mo.
