Box Score EAST PEORIA, Ill. - Bradley closed the first half with a 13-2 run and scored the first eight points of the second to half en route to a 43-18 lead and the Braves never looked back as BU cruised to a 75-46 victory against Evansville Thursday at Lorene Ramsey Gym.
Senior Renee Frericks (Wyoming, Minn./Forest Lake) scored a season-high 18 points and sophomore Latasha Hollingshed (Bellwood, Ill./St. Joseph/Illinois Central) had season-bests of 10 points and 10 rebounds off the bench as Bradley's reserves accounted for 46 of the team's 75 points.
The victory snapped a two-game losing skid for the Braves and also brought to an end a two-game home losing streak which dated back to a 79-64 win against Illinois-Chicago on Nov. 15. Bradley (5-8 overall, 1-2 MVC) improved to 2-2 at home this season and has played a Missouri Valley Conference-low four home games.
Trailing 11-10 Frericks helped fuel the Braves in the first half, knocking down a pair of three-pointers midway through the period to highlight a 10-0 BU run which put the Braves in front 20-11. Evansville (3-10 overall, 0-2 MVC) trimmed Bradley's advantage to 22-16 with 7:45 remaining, but that would be the final field goal of the period for the Purple Aces as Bradley ended the half on a 13-2 run to hold a 35-18 halftime lead. Six different Bradley players scored during the run to conclude the half with freshman Katie Yohn (Elgin, Ill./St. Edward) knocking down a buzzer-beating shot on the baseline.
Bradley scored the first eight points of the second half to extend the lead to 43-18 early on in the second half. The Braves never let up, using a late 12-2 spurt to extend the lead to 31 points (71-40) and cruised to the 75-46 victory. Yohn joined Frericks and Hollingshed in double figures, scoring 11 points in just 12 minutes of play. Eleven of the 12 Bradley players which saw the floor scored with eight players scoring five or more points.
Evansville committed 24 turnovers and Bradley came away with a season-high 17 steals en route to a 27-12 edge in points off turnovers. Despite junior Sonya Harris (Riverdale, Ill./Thornton) playing just three minutes the Braves dominated down low, owning a 44-30 rebounding advantage and outscoring the Purple Aces 30-18 in the paint.
Stephanie Bamberger led Evansville with 11 points and seven rebounds. Bradley limited the Purple Aces to 30.8 percent shooting, including 26.3 percent from three-point range.
Bradley returns to action Saturday at 2:05 p.m. against Southern Illinois at Lorene Ramsey Gym in East Peoria. The first 500 fans will receive a Bradley car flag courtesy of Methodist Medical Center. Saturday's game against the Salukis will be broadcast in the Peoria area on 1290 AM WIRL.
