Box Score USAFA, Colo. - Bradley ended the first half with a 22-5 run to take a 15-point halftime lead and cruised to a 62-45 victory Saturday at Air Force. Three Bradley players scored in double figures and the Braves surrendered a season-low 45 points en route to the team's fourth consecutive victory against a Mountain West Conference opponent.
With Bradley (3-6 overall) trailing 16-14, freshman Brooke Bisping (Morton, Ill./Morton) knocked down a pair of three-pointers to highlight a 22-5 BU run to close the half as the Braves took a 36-21 lead into the break.
Bisping scored nine points during the spurt, while sophomore MacKenzie Westcott (Williamsburg, Iowa/Williamsburg) added six points to help spark BU's run. Bradley limited Air Force to just one field goal (1-for-13 from the field) in the final eight minutes of the half and 23.3 percent shooting overall in the first 20 minutes of play.
Air Force (2-8 overall) followed a Raisa Taylor (Decatur, Ill./Eisenhower) basket to start the second half with 12 consecutive points to trim the Braves' lead to 38-33 in the opening minutes of the period.
Bradley went 1-for-11 from the field to open the second half, before junior Sonya Harris (Riverdale, Ill./Thornton) had baskets on back-to-back possessions to key a 10-1 BU run which pushed the lead back to double digits (48-34) at the midway point of the half.
The Braves held the Falcons to just four field goals in the final 14 minutes of the contest and kept the lead in double digits the remainder of the game as Bradley cruised to a 62-45 victory. BU held Air Force to 29.3 percent shooting.
Westcott matched a career-high with 15 points to lead Bradley and also added two assists, two blocks and a steal off the bench. Taylor was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field and finished with a season-best 13 points, while Bisping scored 11 points off the bench in just 15 minutes of action. Harris pulled down 13 boards and helped Bradley to a 53-36 edge in rebounding.
Raimee Beck and Dymond James led Air Force with 10 points each. James also tied for team-high honors with seven rebounds. The 45 points scored by Air Force is the fewest surrendered by the Braves since posting a 70-44 victory at Chicago State on Dec. 20, 2007.
Bradley will have a break for Christmas before continuing its season-long five-game road swing at Saint Louis on Tuesday, Dec. 29 at 5:35 p.m. The game against the Billikens will be broadcast in the Peoria area on 96.5 FM ESPN Radio.
