PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley shot 55 percent in the second half and used a 10-0 run early in the period to take control of what was a three-point game at the break as the Braves pulled away down the stretch for an 80-64 victory against visiting Winthrop Saturday night at Renaissance Coliseum.
 
Junior Catie O'Leary (Janesville, Wis./Parker/Wisconsin) paced three Bradley players in double figures with 18 points and finished with 12 made free throws to tie for the sixth most free throws made in school history.  Joining O'Leary in double figures were sophomore Shronda Butts (Des Moines, Iowa/East) with 17 points and senior Katie Yohn (Elgin, Ill./St. Edward) with 12 points. 

Yohn scored nine of her 12 points in the final 12 minutes of the game to help BU pull away down the stretch, while O'Leary scored 12 of her game-high 18 points in the second half.  Butts pulled down a career-best seven rebounds and matched a career-high five assists to help lead the Braves' offensive efforts.
 
Bradley (4-3 overall) used a 9-2 run midway through the first half to go in front 16-12 and extended the lead to as many as eight points (26-18) with 5:46 to play on a pair of Butts free throws.  The Braves had just one field goal in the final 6:34 of the period, however, allowing Winthrop to pull within three points (32-29) at the break.
 
Freshman Jenny Smith (Pewaukee, Wis./Arrowhead), who made her first career start, had a quiet first half; but sparked the second-half run.  Smith scored the first six points of the second half and scored eight during a 10-0 BU run following halftime as the Braves quickly extended the advantage to 42-29.  Yohn later scored seven points to highlight a 9-2 BU spurt which extended the lead to 17 points at 58-41 with just under nine minutes to play.
 
Winthrop (3-4 overall) cut the deficit to nine points (73-64) in the final 90 seconds of the game, but got no closer as Bradley extended its win streak to a season-best three games with the 80-64 victory.
 
The Braves held Winthrop to 35.7 percent shooting and outrebounded the Eagles 46-38.  Junior Kelly Frings (Milwaukee, Wis./Pius XI) finished one point short of her first career double-double, collecting nine points and a career-best 10 rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench. 

Freshman Fantasia Vine (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North) and sophomore Michelle Young (Woodbury, Minn./Woodbury) combined for nine steals off the bench, helping Bradley to a season-best 14 takeaways.  Vine came up with five steals in 11 minutes, while Young had four steals and a pair of blocks to go with her six points. 

After scoring eight points in the first 4:09 of the game, Winthrop's Diana Choibekova was held scoreless the remainder of the first half.  She scored 10 second-half points and led the Eagles with 18 points. Taylor Calvert collected 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Aliyah Kilpatrick had 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting off the bench to help lead Winthrop.  Dequesha McClanahan, the 2011-12 Big South Conference Player of the Year, was limited to eight points on 4-of-15 shooting, but dished out a game-high six assists. 
 
Bradley plays its final game before finals Tuesday, traveling to Milwaukee, Wis., for a 7 p.m. matchup with Wisconsin-Milwaukee.  The pre-game show on WIRL 1290 AM will start at 6:40 p.m.