EAST PEORIA, Ill. ? Junior Skye Johnson (Olympia Fields, Ill./Marian Catholic) had 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting and added seven assists, but it wasn't enough to lead Bradley to victory as the Braves fell to Wichita State by the score of 70-68 to wrap up the regular season Saturday night at Lorene Ramsey Gym. The Braves finished the regular season with 20-9 overall record and alone in fourth place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings at 11-7 in league play.

The Braves struggled to hang onto the ball in the first half, committing 10 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes of play. Sophomore Sonya Harris (Riverdale, Ill./Thornton) was limited to just eight minutes in the first half after picking up two early fouls and the Shockers capitalized on her absence in the middle by outrebounding Bradley 16-11 before the intermission. The Shockers shot 50 percent from the field and connected on 4-of-8 three-point attempts as they took a 35-34 lead into the break.

Wichita State (12-17 overall, 4-14 MVC) stretched its lead to six points (40-34) early in the second half, but Harris scored six consecutive points to highlight an 11-2 Bradley run which was capped by a Michelle Lund (Sioux City, Iowa/Bishop Heelan) three-pointer to put the Braves ahead 45-42. The Shockers answered with a 12-3 run of their own to go back in front by six points (54-48) midway through the half.

Marcy Sudbeck gave Wichita State its biggest lead of the night at 61-53 with a layup at the 5:09 mark. Lund answered with a three-pointer on the next possession to spark a 9-3 BU spurt. Senior Monica Rogers (Forsyth, Ill./St. Teresa/Hampton) followed a Shocker turnover with a three-point play to trim the Shocker lead to 61-59 with just over four minutes to play.

Val Siemens hit a three-pointer on Wichita State's next possession, but the Braves would score the next six points to take a 65-64 lead with two and a half minutes remaining. Senior Kelly Krumwiede (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard West) made a pair of free throws with 3:44 on the clock and Johnson had consecutive fastbreak buckets to put Bradley ahead 65-64.

Harris picked up her fifth foul with 2:02 remaining and Sudbeck put Wichita State back in front (66-65) with a pair of free throws. Sudbeck answered a Bradley miss with a jumper in the lane with 1:26 left to give the Shockers a three-point lead (68-65). Junior Renee Frericks (Wyoming, Minn./Forest Lake) hit a shot in the lane to pull Bradley to within one point (68-67) with just under one minute remaining, but Wichita State senior Daria Frazier scored her team-leading 17th point with the shot clock winding down to put the Shockers ahead 70-67.

Bradley missed a pair of three-point attempts in the final 24 seconds, but still had a chance to tie the game after Wichita State's Jacie Hoyt missed a pair of free throws with 7.2 seconds to play. Holding a 70-67 lead, the Shockers fouled junior Jenny Van Kirk (Waconia, Minn./Waconia) with 5.8 seconds left. Van Kirk missed the first free throw and banked in the second free throw while attempting to miss the shot to pull Bradley to within two points (70-68). Hoyt missed the front end of a one-and-one with 3.5 seconds on the clock but the Braves were unable to pull down the rebound as the Shockers ended Bradley's five-game home win streak with the 70-68 win.

Johnson led four Bradley players in double figures with a career-high 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Lund hit 4-of-6 from beyond the arc and finished with 14 points off the bench. Harris collected 13 points, seven rebounds, four blocks and two steals in the loss. Rogers added 10 points in the final home game of her career.

Wichita State outrebounded Bradley 37-25, including 21-14 in the second half, and matched a season-high with eight three-pointers. The Shockers entered the game shooting 29.5 percent from beyond the three-point arc, but connected on 8-of-14 for a season-best 57.1 percent shooting. Frazier scored 17 points and Sudbeck had 16 points and 11 rebounds as the pair of seniors helped Wichita State end a 30-game road losing streak with the victory. Haleigh Lankster was also in double figures with 15 points.

Bradley will be the #4 seed in next week's State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. The Braves will face #5 seed Indiana State Friday at 2:30 p.m. at The Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo.