Box Score PEORIA, Ill. -- Two nights after turning in one of the best defensive efforts of the season, Bradley came up on the wrong end of a strong defensive effort as the Braves shot 29.5 percent and fell to preseason Missouri Valley Conference favorite Missouri State 73-58 Saturday at Renaissance Coliseum. The loss snapped Bradley's three-game home win streak and also ended BU's five-game home Valley win streak.
Sophomore Katie Yohn (Elgin, Ill./St. Edward) led Bradley with 18 points, while junior Latasha Hollingshed (Bellwood, Ill./St. Joseph/Illinois Central) added 10 points and eight rebounds in the loss. Junior Lauren Niemiera (Orland Park, Ill./Marist) also finished in double figures with 10 points.
Both teams got off to slow starts, combining to shoot 3-for-26 in the early going and the Braves (8-7 overall, 1-3 MVC) scored just three points in the first 6:25 of the contest. Despite the early offensive struggles for BU, Missouri State led by just two points (17-15) after a steal and layup by sophomore Katie Yohn (Elgin, Ill./St. Edward) with 7:40 to play in the first half.
The Bears (12-4 overall, 3-1 MVC) hit three consecutive three-pointers during an 11-2 spurt which gave Missouri State a 28-17 lead with just over four minutes left in the opening period. Bradley answered with five consecutive points to pull to within 28-22, before Jaleshia Roberson hit her fourth three-pointer of the first half to send Missouri State into the locker room with a 31-22 lead.
After a 1-for-12 start from the field, Bradley made 8-of-24 shots from the field to close the half shooting just 25 percent. Missouri State shot 35.5 percent in the first 20 minutes of play, but was 6-of-14 from behind the arc; with Roberson making four of her first eight three-point attempts.
The Bears opened the second half with an 8-2 spurt to extend the lead to 39-24 in the opening minutes. The Braves trailed 43-32 after a pair of free throws by junior MacKenzie Westcott (Williamsburg, Iowa/Williamsburg) when Missouri State scored on seven consecutive possessions during a 17-5 run to give the Bears their largest lead of the contest at 60-37. Defending MVC Player of the Year Casey Garrison had just three points in the first 30 minutes of the game, before hitting back-to-back three-pointers and scoring eight consecutive points to help highlight the MSU run.
Bradley scored on its six possessions, but the Bears answered each BU score with one of their own as the Braves fell 73-58. Yohn scored 13 of her team-high 18 points in the second half and also tied a career-high with seven rebounds. Hollingshed led Bradley on the glass with eight rebounds, but Missouri State owned a 45-40 rebounding advantage. The Braves heated up to 36 percent shooting in the second half, but couldn't keep pace with the Bears; who shot 46.7 percent from the field after the break.
Four Missouri State players scored in double figures, paced by Christiana Shorter's 19 points. Garrison added 13 points, eight boards, five assists and two steals, while Roberson did not score in the second half and finished with 12 points. Kendra Roberts also reached double figures, tossing in 10 points off the bench for the Bears.
Bradley returns to action Thursday when the Braves face Drake in a 7:05 p.m. game in Des Moines, Iowa. Thursday's game against the Bulldogs will be broadcast in the Peoria area on 1290 AM WIRL.
