MOLINE, Ill. – Junior Leti Lerma (Muscatine, Iowa/Muscatine) collected 10 points and 10 rebounds for her third double-double of the year and sophomore Tamya Sims (Milwaukee, Wis./Oak Creek) added 11 points and nine boards of her own to help Bradley to a 56-51 victory over Wichita State in the opening round of the 2016 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Thursday afternoon at the iWireless Center.

With the victory, the Braves advance to face #1 seed and MVC regular-season champion Northern Iowa in Friday's noon quarterfinal. 

Bradley held Wichita State to 32 percent shooting in the victory as the Braves completed a season-sweep of the Shockers, who had won each of the last three MVC Tournament titles. 

The score was tied at 13-13 early in the second quarter, but a 12-0 run capped by a three-point play by senior Kat Yelle (Geneva, Ill./Geneva/Ohio) gave Bradley a 25-13 lead with three minutes left in the period.  Five Braves scored during the run and Bradley held Wichita State without a field goal for a seven-and-a-half minute stretch in the second. 

The Shockers scored the final six points of the first half to trail 26-21 at the break and two quick Shocker hoops to start the third quarter cut the Bradley lead to three points (28-25).   Another four-minute stretch without a field goal for Wichita State allowed the Braves to push the advantage back to seven points and a steal and layup by senior Sameia Kendall (Kansas City, Mo./Raytown/Johnson County) gave Bradley a 37-29 edge nearing the end of the third period. 

Bradley shot 61 percent from the field in the second half and was able to extend the lead to as many as 13 points (46-33) on a Lerma driving hoop with just under eight minutes left. 

A Sims layup nearing the three-minute mark gave Bradley a 52-43 lead, before Wichita State made a late push.  TaQuandra Mike hit three's on back-to-back WSU possessions to cut the Bradley lead to 54-49 with just over two minutes on the clock. 

Both teams came up empty on the their next possession and Yelle split a pair of free throws with 31 seconds left to make it a six-point advantage.  The Shockers made a pair of free throws with just under 10 seconds on the clock and a Schlueter free throw in the final seconds closed out the 56-51 Bradley win. 

Sims, who was 5-for-8 from the field, also had three blocks to push her league-leading block total to 61 which is the third best season total in school history.  She also climbed from sixth into a tie for fourth in career blocks in Bradley history with Krisha Green at 106. 

Lerma had six points, six rebounds and one steal in the second half to help highlight the victory. 

MVC Newcomer of the Year Rangie Bessard led Wichita State with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Mike scored 14 of her 16 points in the second half to help pace the Shockers.