Box Score EAST PEORIA, Ill. - Bradley led from start to finish and built a 23-point second half lead, but had to hold off a late UNI rally attempt en route to a 74-62 victory against Northern Iowa Friday at Lorene Ramsey Gym. The win was the Braves (7-8 overall, 3-2 MVC) third straight and moved head coach Paula Buscher ahead of Lisa Boyer on BU's all-time wins list with her program-best 124th victory.
The Braves held Northern Iowa (6-10 overall, 2-3) scoreless for a seven minute stretch during the first half and scored 20 consecutive points to build a 28-7 advantage. Sophomore Leah Kassing (Mt. Sterling, Ill./Brown County) opened the run with six consecutive points and freshman Katie Yohn (Elgin, Ill./St. Edward) added a pair of three-pointers to highlight the spurt. Bradley shot 56 percent from the field in the first half, including 63.6 percent (7-for-11) from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes of play and took a 37-21 lead into the break.
Yohn added three more three-pointers in the first eight minutes of the second half to help Bradley extend the lead to 23 points (56-33) with 12 minutes remaining. The Panthers cut the BU advantage to 11 points (58-47) after Jacqui Kalin scored eight consecutive points for UNI. The Braves held a 68-55 edge with 3:43 remaining, when Lizzie Boeck sparked an 8-0 UNI run with a three-point play and a Kalin three-pointer with 1:21 to play pulled the Panthers to within seven points (68-61).
Junior Raisa Taylor (Decatur, Ill./Eisenhower) made a pair of free throws with 1:06 to play and sophomore Hanna Muegge (Hopkins, Minn./Hopkins) was a perfect 4-for-4 from the line in the final 45 seconds to help close out the 74-62 victory.
Buscher entered the contest with a 123-150 record at BU, matching Boyer's 123-150 mark during her time on The Hilltop (1986-96). The victory made Buscher the all-time winningest coach in program history and moved her into 11th place in wins in Missouri Valley Conference history.
Yohn paced three Bradley players in double figures, scoring 18 points off the bench. She connected on 6-of-8 from beyond the arc as she helped the Braves to 55.6 percent shooting (10-for-18) from three-point range. Taylor added 13 points and six boards and senior Renee Frericks (Wyoming, Minn./Forest Lake) finished with 13 points and four assists. BU shot 50.9 percent from the field and outrebounded UNI 37-27.
Four Northern Iowa players scored in double figures with Kalin, Boeck and K.K. Armstrong each scoring 15 points. Kim Wypiszynski added 13 points and team highs of seven rebounds and four assists. Bradley limited the Panthers to 37.5 percent shooting.
Bradley returns to action next Friday when the Braves face preseason Missouri Valley Conference favorite Creighton at 7:05 p.m. in Omaha, Neb.
