PEORIA, Ill. -- Junior Katie Yohn (Elgin, Ill./St. Edward) scored a team-high 20 points and senior Leah Kassing (Mt. Sterling, Ill./Brown County) added 17 points, eight rebounds and four steals, but Bradley couldn't overcome a 15-point Illinois State second-half lead as the Braves fell to the Redbirds 67-65 Thursday at Renaissance Coliseum.

Bradley (10-7 overall, 1-4 MVC) got off to a slow start offensively and Illinois State (8-7 overall, 3-1 MVC) capitalized on the Braves struggles early on, using a 16-2 run over a five-minute stretch in the opening period to take a 24-10 lead 12 minutes into the game. 

ISU led by as many as 15 points in the first half (32-17), but BU later scored the final six points of the half and trailed 35-27 at the break.   Katie Broadway scored 15 of her game-high 25 points in the opening 20 minutes to help highlight the first half for the Redbirds.

The Illinois State lead was back at 15 points (44-29) in the first two minutes of the second half and the Redbirds maintained a double-digit edge until Kassing made a pair of free throws with 13:51 to play to cut the ISU advantage to 46-37.  Broadway hit her fifth three-pointer of the game with 7:09 remaining to give Illinois State a 58-46 lead when Bradley made  a late push.

Yohn opened a 14-5 BU spurt with a hoop and a pair of Kelsey Budd (Prairie du Sac, Wis./Sauk Prairie) free throws cut the ISU lead to 58-50.  Marley Hall split a pair of free throws for the Redbirds, before two free throws by MacKenzie Westcott (Williamsburg, Iowa/Williamsburg) pulled the Braves within seven (59-52) with 5:30 left.

ISU's Jamie Russell had a fast-break hoop, but Yohn answered with a shot in the lane and the team's traded another pair of baskets before Yohn found sophomore Catie O'Leary (Janesville, Wis./Parker/Wisconsin) for her only three-pointer of the night to trim the Redbird lead to four (63-59) with three and a half minutes to play.

After getting a pair of stops on the defensive end, Kassing split free throws with 2:16 remaining to pull the Braves within one possession for the first time since the 12:28 mark in the first half. 

Bradley had two possessions with a chance to tie it, before ISU's Alexis Jenkins knocked down her only three-point attempt of the game with 24.3 seconds on the clock to give the Redbirds a 66-60 lead.

Yohn, who scored 13 points in the second half, answered with a three of own with 14.9 seconds, but Russell made a free throw with 11.8 seconds to make it a two-possession game at 67-63.  Westcott made a layup with 3.3 seconds left and ISU's Broadway missed the front end of a one-and-one with 1.9 seconds left before BU's desperation half-court heave at the buzzer fell short as the Redbirds ended a five-game road losing streak with a 67-65 victory.

Yohn led the Braves with 20 points in 38 minutes of play to move into 19th in school history in career scoring.  Kassing collected 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting and had a career-best four steals to go with eight rebounds and two blocks.  Westcott added her second double-double in the last three games with 12 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, helping BU to a 51-34 rebounding advantage.

Broadway was 5-for-10 from three-point range and finished with a game-high 25 points to lead Illinois State.  Jenkins added 15 points and Russell was also in double figures with 12 points, four assists and four steals. 

Bradley closes out the home stand Saturday with a 2 p.m. game against Indiana State at Renaissance Coliseum, before opening a three-game Valley road swing next Friday at Northern Iowa.