Box Score EAST PEORIA, Ill. -- After dropping three consecutive road games, the Bradley women's basketball team hoped a little home cooking would help the Braves get back on track. The league-leading Redbirds had other plans as they snapped Bradley's nine-game home win streak with a 74-58 victory over the Braves before a sellout crowd of 1,380 at Lorene Ramsey Gym Friday night.
Both teams got off to a hot start with the Braves making 5-of-8 shots from the field to open the game, but Illinois State (16-4 overall, 7-1 MVC) held a 14-10 lead at the first media timeout. Bradley (13-6 overall, 4-4 MVC) trimmed the advantage to two points (14-12) on a Skye Johnson (Olympia Fields, Ill./Marian Catholic) jumper with 15:30 left in the first half.
Illinois State was equally as hot, connecting on 10-of-14 shot to start the contest and took a 25-17 lead less than nine minutes into the contest. Bradley answered with back-to-back baskets to cut the Redbird advantage to 25-21.
The Braves went cold from the field, scoring on just one of their next 11 possessions and Illinois State took advantage of Bradley's offensive struggles, using a 14-2 run to take a 39-23 lead with 4:43 left in the first half. BU scored six points in the final two minutes of the half and trailed 43-29 at the break. The Braves shot 35.3 percent from the field in the first half, while the Redbirds made 18-of-33 (54.5 percent) in the first 20 minutes.
Illinois State scored six of the first 11 points of the second half to take a 49-32 lead and pushed the lead to as many as 23 points (70-47) with just over five minutes remaining. Senior Monica Rogers (Forsyth, Ill./St. Teresa/Hampton) sparked a 9-0 Bradley run with a three-point play and scored four points during the spurt to help the Braves pull to within 14 points (70-56) with 2:11 left to play. Junior Renee Frericks (Wyoming, Minn./Forest Lake) capped the run with a three-pointer, but it was too little too late as Illinois State handed BU its first home loss since Feb. 21, 2008 with the 74-58 setback.
The Braves limited the Redbirds to 12-for-33 (36 percent) shooting in the second half, but Bradley never got back on track offensively in the final 20 minutes and made just nine of 28 field goal attempts (32 percent).
Rogers led the Braves with 12 points offensively and snagged 10 rebounds for her team-leading seventh double-double of the year. Sophomore Sonya Harris (Riverdale, Ill./Thornton) also turned in a double-double collecting 11 points and four blocked shots to go along with a career-best 16 rebounds. Sophomore Raisa Taylor (Decatur, Ill./Eisenhower) was also in double figures with 10 points off the bench.
Two-time defending MVC Player of the Year, Kristi Cirone led the Redbirds with 25 points, 12 assists and six steals to pace three Illinois State players in double figures. Ashleen Bracey had 16 points, while Shala Jackson added a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Bradley returns to action Sunday, when the Braves play host to Indiana State at 2:05 p.m. at Lorene Ramsey Gym. The first 400 fans will receive a set of Bradley women's basketball trading cards.