PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley looked to end its season-long, three-game home stand on a high note, but the Braves ran into a hot-shooting Northern Iowa squad which held on to edge BU 77-72 Friday night at Renaissance Coliseum. 

Despite committing a season-low nine turnovers and shooting 43.5 percent, Bradley (7-9 overall, 1-4 MVC) battled from behind most of the night as UNI (8-9 overall, 3-2 MVC) shot 53.6 percent from the field.  Junior Catie O'Leary (Janesville, Wis./Parker/Wisconsin) led the Braves with a season-high 28 points on 11-of-18 shooting off the bench, finishing one point short of matching a career high.

The contest was tight throughout with neither team leading by more than six points until midway through second half and the Panthers later took their largest lead at 10 points with 5:47 to play before a late Bradley push.  The five point loss was BU's fourth in five Missouri Valley Conference games by five points or less and five of the Braves' last six games against league foes have had a final margin of five points or fewer.

Bradley was within five points (60-55) on an O'Leary hoop with 9:24 to play, but Northern Iowa answered with an 8-3 spurt to take a double-digit lead (68-58) on back-to-back baskets by Jen Keitel with just under six minutes remaining.
 
An O'Leary three-pointer with 1:03 left once again pulled Bradley within five points (71-66), but Jacqui Kalin made 6-of-6 free throw attempts in the final 30 seconds to help seal the victory for the Panthers.
 
Kalin battled foul trouble early in the game, but returned to the floor to score nine of UNI's final 11 points of the first half and scored the first four points after the break; collecting 13 of her team-best 23 points in a span of five and a half minutes.  She came into the contest averaging a league-leading 18.1 points per game. 

O'Leary entered the game averaging 4.5 points per game in Missouri Valley Conference play, but made 4-of-8 three-pointers and 11-of-18 overall from the field to finish with a season-high 28 points.  She also added nine rebounds and two assists in 33 minutes off the bench as she helped the Bradley reserves score a season-high 49 points.

Senior Katie Yohn (Elgin, Ill./St. Edward) turned in her third career double-double off the bench with 10 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and a block to help highlight play for the BU reserves.  Junior guard Kelsey Budd (Prairie du Sac, Wis./Sauk Prairie) was also in double figures with 13 points.

Keitel joined Kalin in double figures with 19 points on 9-for-12 shooting as the duo combined to make 17-of-25 shots (68 percent).  Brooke Brown added 11 points for the Panthers.
 
Bradley returns to action next Friday, opening a two-game MVC road swing with a 7 p.m. game at Drake.