PEORIA, Ill. -- Senior Kelsey Budd (Prairie du Sac, Wis./Sauk Prairie) scored or assisted 16 of Bradley's 29 field goals, but pre-season Big East Conference favorite DePaul shot 52 percent and connected on 10 three pointers to top the Braves 91-67 Sunday afternoon at Renaissance Coliseum in the final non-conference game of the year for both teams.

Budd finished with a team-high 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting in addition to matching a season high with eight assists in the loss, which dropped Bradley to 3-8 on the year heading into Thursday's Missouri Valley Conference opener. 

Both teams got off to quick starts, with DePaul (9-3 overall) holding a 24-20 lead midway through the first half.  The Blue Demons held a 28-23 advantage with 6:26 to play in the opening period and led 43-32 at the break.  Budd had 12 of her 17 points in the first half and also dished out five assists in the opening 20 minutes to help account for 11 of Bradley's 14 first-half baskets.

After a 4-for-16 shooting performance from beyond the arc in the first half, DePaul made 6-of-12 three-point attempts in the second half to pull away.  Bradley trailed 58-43 nearing the 14-minute mark, when the Blue Demons put the game out of reach with a 15-5 spurt over a near four-minute stretch which pushed the DePaul lead to 73-48 midway through the second half.  The Blue Demons picked up their fifth consecutive victory with the 91-67 win. 

Budd scored the 800th point of her career and moved up two spots into 28th on Bradley's career scoring list (803 points).  She also had three steals and eight assists to pace the Braves in the loss.  Senior Kelly Frings (Milwaukee, Wis./Pius XI) added 11 points and three assists as she was one of five Bradley players to score nine or more points. 

Jasmine Penny made 13-of-14 shots and led DePaul with 29 points in just 24 minutes of play.  Brittany Hrynko dished out a Renaissance Coliseum record 10 assists for the Blue Demons, which shot 52 percent from the field.  Chanise Jenkins connected on 8-of-12 from the field to finish with 19 points and Kelsey Reynolds added 13 points off the bench with the duo each hitting 3-of-6 three-pointers.

Bradley opens Missouri Valley Conference play Thursday with a 2 p.m. game in Carbondale, Ill., against Southern Illinois.