Box Score NORMAL, Ill. - League-leading Illinois State used a 12-0 first-half run to take control of the game and a late push by Bradley couldn't keep the Redbirds from wrapping the regular-season title as the Braves fell 71-58 at Redbird Arena Thursday. Bradley (14-11 overall, 10-5 MVC) slipped into a tie with Creighton, which was idle Thursday, for second place in the Valley standings behind Illinois State.
Bradley trailed 15-12 seven minutes into the game when Illinois State scored 12 consecutive points to jump out to a 27-12 lead with just under nine minutes remaining in the first half. The Redbirds later used another 8-0 spurt and owned a 42-22 lead at halftime.
The Braves shot 30.8 percent in the first half and Illinois State capitalized on nine first-half BU turnovers to post a 12-2 advantage on points off turnovers in the opening 20 minutes. The Redbirds shot 53.3 percent in the first half and were paced by Maggie Krick's 15 points and three assists.
Illinois State (21-5 overall, 14-1 MVC) hit the first basket of the second half, before the Braves used a 9-3 run to cut ISU's lead to 48-31 with 15:50 to play.
The Redbirds led by as many 24 points in the second half and held a 65-43 advantage with 4:08 to play when Bradley made a late push. Freshman Brooke Bisping (Morton, Ill./Morton) entered the game for the first time and scored four points and came away with a steal to highlight a 10-0 BU run. Junior Raisa Taylor (Decatur, Ill./Eisenhower) capped the spurt with a three-point play as the Braves pulled to within 12 points (65-53) with 2:28 remaining on the clock.
The teams traded baskets on the next four possessions and Bradley got as close as 11 points (69-58) on a Taylor free throw with 44.1 seconds to play, but the Braves would get no closer as Illinois State clinched its third straight MVC regular-season title with a 71-58 victory.
Bradley committed just four second-half turnovers and finished with a season-low 13, but shot just 34.5 percent from the field on the night. After the hot first half, Illinois State cooled off and finished shooting 45.8 percent from the field. The Redbirds made 5-of-11 first-half three-pointers and were 8-for-20 from beyond the arc for the game.
Freshman Katie Yohn (Elgin, Ill./St. Edward) led the Braves in scoring with 12 points and Taylor added 11. Junior Sonya Harris (Riverdale, Ill./Thornton) snagged a game-high 15 rebounds to go along with eight points as she moved into ninth on Bradley's career rebounding list.
Krick paced Illinois State in scoring with 17 points and dished out a game-high eight assists. Katie Broadway added 15 points and Ashleen Bracey finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Shala Jackson was also in double figures with 10 points off the bench.
Bradley returns to action Sunday when the Braves play at Indiana State at 1:05 p.m. (CST) in the final road game of the regular-season.
