Box Score TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Bradley trailed by as many as 20 points in the second half, but rallied to pull to within seven midway through the period before Indiana State was able to close out a 70-57 victory Sunday at the Hulman Center. The Braves slipped into fourth-place in the MVC standings with the loss.
Bradley (14-12 overall, 10-6 MVC) got off to a slow start offensively, making just 1-of-10 shots to open the game and Indiana State (16-11 overall. 7-9 MVC) started the contest with an 11-3 run. The Braves trailed 16-9 nine minutes into the game, when back-to-back three-pointers by Kelsey Luna and Chelsea Buher pushed the Sycamore advantage to 22-9.
A Katie Yohn (Elgin, Ill./St. Edward) three-pointer with seven minutes left in the half was followed by a 9-2 Indiana State run which gave the Sycamores a 31-16 lead with under four minutes left in the half and the Sycamores led 36-18 at the break. Indiana State's long distance shooting helped fuel the Sycamores as they connected on 6-of-11 three-pointers in the first half, while the Braves were just 7-of-25 (28 percent) from the field.
Bradley picked up the defensive intensity to start the second half and was able to claw back into the game. The Braves forced five Indiana State turnovers and limited the Sycamores to 0-for-4 shooting over the first nine minutes after the break. Trailing 38-18 in the opening minutes of the period, Bradley used a 13-1 run to pull to within eight points (39-31) on an Olivia Allen (Kildeer, Ill./Lake Zurich) jumper from the wing with 11:24 to play.
Kelsie Cooley made Indiana State's first basket of the second half with 10:46 to play, but Bradley would get to within seven points (39-31) on a Leah Kassing (Mt. Sterling, Ill./Brown County) put-back basket after a missed free throw.
The Sycamores answered with back-to-back three-pointers by Brittany Schoen and Luna to go back in front by double digits (47-34). The Braves got to within 10 points (52-42) with 6:22 remaining on a Yohn three-pointer, but that would be as close as BU would get as Indiana State made 11-of-12 free throws down the stretch. Bradley limited Indiana State to 30.8 percent shooting in the second half, including 4-for-14 from two-point range. The Sycamores scored 14 points in the second half from the free throw line, however, and finished the game 16-of-20 (80 percent) from the charity stripe.
Junior Sonya Harris (Riverdale, Ill./Thornton) posted her team-best seventh double-double of the year, collecting 10 points and matching a career-best with 16 rebounds. Harris also collected two blocks and three steals, while Yohn added 14 points in the loss.
Luna and Schoen paced Indiana State in scoring with 17 points each. The duo combined for seven of the Sycamores 10 three-pointers and went 7-for-15 from beyond the arc. Cooley was also in double figures with 12 points.
Bradley returns to action Thursday when the Braves play host to Wichita State at 7:05 p.m. at Lorene Ramsey Gym.
