NORMAL, Ill. – Reserves scored all 14 of Bradley's third-quarter points and scored 20 consecutive for the Braves, but Illinois State used a 9-0 run in the fourth quarter to grab a late lead as the Redbirds held on for a 54-49 victory Friday at Redbird Arena.

Both teams struggled offensively, but the bench gave Bradley a spark in the closing moments of the second half and into the third quarter.  The Braves (5-12 overall, 1-5 MVC) jumped out to a 14-8 lead at the end of the first quarter. 

Illinois State (4-13 overall, 2-4 MVC) had a pair of three-point plays and a three-pointer during a 12-2 run to start the second quarter to go in front 20-16 nearing the midway point of the period.  Bradley had a three-pointer in the closing seconds of the second quarter blocked, but sophomore Shareece Burrell (Des Moines, Iowa/East) had an offensive board and layup to beat the horn as the teams went to the locker rooms tied at 23-23-.

The Bradley reserves dominated the third quarter.  Freshman Vanessa Markert (Mt. Sterling, Ill./Brown County) had back-to-back hoops to open the period for the Braves.  A pull-up hoop by Madison Dellamuth (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Prairie) broke a 28-28 tie and junior Leti Lerma (Muscatine, Iowa/Muscatine) assisted a Sameia Kendall (Kansas City, Mo./Raytown [Kan.]/Jonshon County) breakaway hoop after a steal to give Bradley a 32-28 advantage.

After the Redbirds were able to pull within two at 32-30, Markert again had back-to-back baskets to give the Braves their biggest lead of the night at 36-30 with just under four minute in the quarter.  Bradley's bench scored all 14 BU points in the third quarter and helped the Braves hold a 37-35 edge heading to the final frame.

The teams traded hoops in the early minutes of the fourth, before Octavia Crump had a three-point play and back-to-back baskets to open a 9-0 Illinois State spurt.  The Redbird run gave ISU a 48-41 lead halfway through the fourth when sophomore Danielle Brewer (Coatesville, Ind.) ended a streak of 20 consecutive points by a Bradley reserve with a runner in the lane. 

A Brewer three-pointer from the wing with three minutes to play made it a two-point game at 48-46, but it was the final Bradley hoop until the closing seconds of the contest.  Illinois State made just two of its next six free throws over the next two-and-a-half minutes.  The Braves couldn't take advantage, however, failing to score on its next five possessions. 

It was a three-point Illinois State lead (50-47) when sophomore Anneke Schlueter (Ulm, Germany/Max-Weber-Schule) split a pair of free throws with 16.7 seconds left.  Illinois State, which was 10-for-25 from the line at this point, was a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe in the final 13 seconds to close out the 54-49 win over the Braves.

Bradley's bench combined for 27 points, with Markert scoring a season-high 10 points on 5-for-8 shooting.  Lerma added eight points, 12 boards, three assists and four steals.  The BU reserves were 12-for-26 from the field and had all seven of the team's assists in addition to grabbing 22 of the squad's 45 rebounds.

Crump paced Illinois State with 16 points on 6-of-9 from the field.  Shakeela Fowler joined her in double figures with 12 points. 

Bradley closes out a two-game road swing Sunday with an 11 a.m. (CST) game at Indiana State.