SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Bradley battled back from a 16-point deficit to pull within two points in the final minute, but Missouri State made 3-of-4 free throws in the closing seconds as the Bears held off the Braves for a 91-86 victory Friday at JQH Arena.

Five Bradley players scored in double figures led by Kelsey Budd's 19 points, while senior Katie Yohn added 15 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high eight assists to go with two blocks and four steals.  The Braves (9-12 overall, 3-7 MVC) shot 46 percent from the field and made 11-of-23 three-pointers (47.8 percent) in the loss.

Missouri State (12-10 overall, 4-6 MVC) built a 16-point first half lead at 37-21 with 6:30 to play in the first half, before Yohn capped an 18-2 Bradley run with seven consecutive points to pull her squad even at 39-39 with just under two minutes before the break.  The Bears ended the half with a 9-0 spurt to take a 48-39 halftime lead.

Bradley was down three points (67-64) midway through the second half and a Brooke Bisping three-pointer later cut it to a one-point MSU advantage (70-69) with 8:35 remaining to play. 

The Bears made another push extending the lead to 13 points with 5:48 left on the clock and held an 86-76 lead with 1:40 to play before Bradley made a late rally attempt.

Shronda Butts started a 10-2 BU run with a layup and a pair of Yohn free throws was followed by a Budd steal and three-pointer.  After a pair of free throws by the Bears, Butts connected on a three with just under 40 seconds left to trim the MSU lead to 88-86.

The teams traded turnovers before Missouri State's Hannah Wilkerson split a pair of free throws with 15 seconds to give the Bears an 89-86 lead.  The Braves had a shot to pull even on the next possession but the shot was off the mark and Wilkerson made a pair of free throws with under five seconds to play to seal the 91-86 win.

The loss was Bradley's fifth in Missouri Valley Conference play by five points or less. 

Freshman Jenny Smith scored all 13 of her points in the first half on 6-for-8 shooting off the bench.  Bisping and Butts both added 12 points to help pace Bradley, which had five players score in double figures for the second consecutive game. 

Kenzie Williams made 6-of-11 three-pointers and had a season-high 23 points to lead five Missouri State players in double figures.  Whitney Edie added 20 points and Christiana Shorter turned in a double-double with 17 points and 11 boards.

Bradley continues a three-game Missouri Valley Conference road swing Saturday with a 2 p.m. game at Wichita State.