PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley shot 40 percent and scored just 22 points in the first half of play of Saturday night's home game against Northern Iowa, but senior Monica Rogers (Forsyth, Ill./St. Teresa/Hampton) scored 14 of her team-high 18 points in the second half and also had six rebounds and one steal in the final 20 minutes of play to help the Bradley women's basketball team to a 69-58 come-from-behind victory against the Panthers at Lorene Ramsey Gym.
The Braves (17-6 overall, 8-4 MVC) got off to a slow start and sophomore Sonya Harris (Riverdale, Ill./Thornton) was limited to just seven minutes in the opening half because of foul trouble. Bradley held a 20-19 lead with 6:16 left in the first half after a Jenny Van Kirk (Waconia, Minn./Waconia) three-pointer, but went cold from the field. Bradley would go nearly five minutes without a basket until freshman MacKenzie Westcott (Williamsburg, Iowa/Williamsburg) hit a 12-foot jumper from the wing to end the BU drought. UNI (7-16 overall, 5-7 MVC) failed to capitalize on the Braves offensive struggles; however, scoring just five points during Bradley's near five-minute scoreless stretch.
The Panthers made the last basket of the half and took a 26-22 lead into the break. The Braves were 10-for-25 (40 percent) from the floor and committed 13 turnovers in the first half.
Bradley's poor shooting carried over into the early moments of the second half as the Braves made just 2-of-9 to start the period. UNI held a 30-27 lead with just over 16 minutes remaining when freshman guard Michelle Lund (Sioux City, Iowa/Bishop Heelan) nailed a three-pointer to tie the game at 30-30 and spark a 13-2 Bradley run. The Braves scored on six consecutive possessions, with Rogers helping highlight the run with four points and a steal. Lund added five points during the spurt, while senior Kelly Krumwiede (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard West) contributed two points, one steal and one assist to help Bradley take a 40-32 lead with 13:53 remaining.
Consecutive baskets by Lizzie Boeck trimmed the Braves' lead to 40-37, but Bradley responded with an 11-3 run to push the advantage back to double digits at 51-40. Rogers scored four more points during the run and later hit back-to-back baskets for the Braves to give BU a 61-48 lead with just under three minutes to play. UNI would get to within 10 points (61-51) with 2:10 to play, but a Lund three-pointer and a pair of Van Kirk free throws extended Bradley's lead to to 66-51 and the Braves cruised to the 69-58 victory.
The come-from-behind win, was Bradley's fourth victory of the year when trailing at the half. BU picked up its 17th win of the season, marking the most victories for the Braves since the 1991-92 season and Bradley's eight MVC victories are the most since finishing the 2004-05 season with an 8-10 mark in league play. The Braves moved into a tie with Indiana State for fourth place in The Valley standings and are two games behind third-place Drake in the win column.
Rogers paced the Braves with 18 points and eight rebounds. Lund hit 6-of-10 from the field and finished with 14 points, while Van Kirk chipped in with 11 points and three assists off the bench. Junior guard Skye Johnson (Olympia Fields, Ill./Marian Catholic) finished with six points, eight assists and four steals, while Harris added eight points, seven boards, four blocks and two steals in just 17 minutes of play. Bradley shot 51.4 percent from the floor in the second half and outscored the Panthers 47-32 in the final 20 minutes of the game.
Kim Wypiszynski scored 13 of UNI's first 19 points of the game and finished with a game-high 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting. Indy Uhlenhopp was the only other Panther to score in double figuers, finishing with 11 points off the bench. Bradley forced 24 UNI turnovers and the Braves owned a 28-12 edge in points off turnovers.
Bradley continues its season-long three-game homestand Thursday when the Braves welcome Creighton to Lorene Ramsey Gym for a 7:05 p.m. contest. Thursday's game against the second-place Bluejays will be broadcast in the Peoria area on WMBD 1470 AM.
