Box Score DES MOINES, Iowa - Bradley rallied from 18 points down at the half to pull within two points with 21.6 seconds to play, but Drake pulled down an offensive rebound off a missed free throw in the closing seconds and Angela Christianson made a pair of free throws with 5.1 seconds remaining to close out a 68-64 win for the Bulldogs Thursday at the Drake Knapp Center.
The Braves (8-8 overall, 1-4 MVC) got off to a slow start, committing 13 first-half turnovers and trailed 40-22 at the break. Only three BU players scored in the opening half with sophomore Katie (Elgin, Ill./St. Edward) and senior Raisa Taylor (Decatur, Ill./Eisenhower) each scoring nine points in the opening period.
Yohn hit back-to-back three-pointers to highlight an 8-2 Bradley spurt to open the second half as the Braves pulled to within 12 points (42-30) early in the period.
Drake (9-6 overall, 3-1 MVC) led 49-34 when Taylor sparked a 10-1 BU run with a three-pointer and scored five points during the spurt which cut the Bulldog advantage to 59-53 with 8:45 remaining to play.
Bradley trailed 57-46 with six and a half minutes left when the Braves made one last push. Yohn and junior Latasha Hollingshed (Bellwood, Ill./St. Joseph/Illinois Central) each scored five points during a 10-3 BU spurt to pull the Braves within four points (60-56) with 2:12 remaining.
The teams each traded a pair of buckets before a Christianson free throw with 28.5 seconds gave the Bulldogs a 65-60 advantage. Taylor answered with a three-pointer from the wing with 21.6 seconds to cut the Drake lead to 65-63.
Kristin Turk split a pair of free throws for Drake with 19.7 seconds to play and Bradley sophomore Olivia Allen (Kildeer, Ill./Lake Zurich) split a pair of free throws of her own with 12.1 ticks left to keep the margin at two points (66-64).
A year after winning on a buzzer beater in Des Moines, it appeared Bradley was going to have the final possession of regulation when Drake's Kayla Pearson missed a pair of free throws with 10.8 seconds left. An offensive rebound by Christianson on Pearson's second miss helped seal the game for the Bulldogs as she stepped to the line and made a pair of free throws with 5.1 seconds to give Drake a 68-64 lead.
The loss snapped BU's three-game win streak in the series. Yohn scored 14 of her game-high 23 points in the second half to lead the Braves. Bradley had just six turnovers in the second half and held the Bulldogs to 33.3 percent shooting in the final 20 minutes. Taylor added 10 points in the second half to finish with 19 points. Hollingshed joined the duo in double figures with 13 points.
Turk entered the game as the leading scorer in the Missouri Valley Conference, averaging better than 20 points, but managed just nine shots and a total of 11 points against the Braves. Christianson led the Bulldogs in scoring with 14 points off the bench, while Rachael Hackbarth collected a double-double (12 points & 10 rebounds) before fouling out.
Bradley returns to action Saturday, playing a 2:05 p.m. game at Creighton.
