Box Score NORMAL, Ill. -- Bradley trailed 59-55 with seven minutes to go, before Illinois State used a 21-6 run over the next six minutes to put the game out of reach as the Redbirds went on to post an 82-63 victory against the Braves Sunday at Redbird Arena.
Jamie Russell scored seven of her 11 points during the decisive spurt and was one of four Illinois State players to score in double figures. Senior Leah Kassing (Mt. Sterling, Ill./Brown County) hit 6-of-9 shots from the field and had 17 points to lead Bradley (13-12 overall, 4-9 MVC), while senior MacKenzie Westcott (Williamsburg, Iowa/Williamsburg) collected 13 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the year.
Illinois State (14-9 overall, 9-3 MVC) opened the game with a 12-2 run and led by as many as 11 points in the first half before Bradley made a push. Trailing 20-12 with 12:30 left in the first half, senior Latasha Hollingshed (Bellwood, Ill./St. Joseph/Illinois Central) helped highlight a 10-2 BU run with a pair of hoops and also grabbed two boards as the Braves pulled even at 22-22.
ISU's Candace Sykes scored seven of her 14 first-half points during a 9-2 spurt to give the Redbirds a 31-24 lead at the four-minute mark. Bradley outrebounded Illinois State 22-14 in the opening half and had a 10-3 advantage in second chance points, but the Redbirds shot 50 percent in the first 20 minutes and led 40-30 at the break.
In the second half, Bradley went scoreless for nearly four and a half minutes and trailed 57-46 when Kassing helped spark a 9-2 BU run with a three-point play. Catie O'Leary followed an ISU turnover with a layup and Kassing added another basket after an Illinois State hoop. Shronda Butts capped the run with a driving layup as the Braves pulled within four (59-55).
Six quick Redbird points pushed the lead back to double digits (65-55) with five minutes left on the clock. ISU put the game out of reach, hitting a three-pointer after a BU turnover in the back court and a Russell three-point play following a Bradley layup pushed the Illinois State lead to 75-61 with just under three minutes remaining. The Braves scored just two points in the final three minutes of the game as the Redbirds extended their home win streak in Missouri Valley Conference games to 23 with the victory.
Junior Katie Yohn (Elgin, Ill./St. Edward) was limited to just nine minutes for BU. The Braves outrebounded Illinois State 36-29 and owned an 18-5 edge in second chance points, but the Redbirds shot 50.9 percent from the field and made 10-of-19 three-point attempts (52.6 percent) on the day.
Candace Sykes led Illinois State with 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting and also had a team-best seven rebounds. Katie Broadway made 5-of-9 three-point attempts and finished with 19 points, while Marley Hall was 7-for-11 from the field and added 17 points.
Bradley opens a three-game home stand Friday with a 6 p.m. game against Northern Iowa at Renaissance Coliseum. Friday's contest will be BU's ninth annual Pink Zone game. For more information on Thursday's Pink Zone reception at the Lariat Steakhouse or Friday's Pink Zone game visit - http://www.bradleybraves.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=25972&SPID=1499&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205375857&DB_OEM_ID=3400
