NORMAL, Ill. – Junior Shunseere Kent scored a team-high 15 points and freshman Nyjah White collected 12 points and nine rebounds off the bench as the Bradley reserves combined for 30 points and 21 rebounds in a 62-42 victory over I-74 rival Illinois State Sunday at Redbird Arena in the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both teams.
Bradley (7-5 overall, 1-0 MVC) won its Missouri Valley Conference opener for the first time since 2008-09. The 20-point victory was the largest in the series with the Redbirds for the Braves since a 71-36 home win on Jan. 6, 2002 and Bradley's largest margin of victory at Redbird Arena since a 75-47 win on Feb. 23, 1995.
Both teams got off to slow starts with the game scoreless for the first 3:30. Bradley recovered from an 0-for-4 start from the field to make five consecutive field goals during a near four-minute stretch and went on to lead 10-9 after the opening quarter.
Bradley held a 21-20 lead midway through the second quarter, before scoring seven of the final nine points of the period to take a 28-22 lead into the break. After a Frannie Corrigan three-pointer for ISU cut a four-point BU lead to 21-20 at the five-minute mark, the Braves held Illinois State (6-6 overall, 0-1 MVC) without a field goal over the final five minutes of the half. White, who scored six points in the second, had Bradley's final three baskets of the second quarter and had 10 points at halftime.
BU held Illinois State scoreless for the first 4:15 of the third quarter and scored the first seven points of the frame to push the lead to 35-22. Senior Danielle Brewer opened the 7-0 Bradley run with a three-pointer. Freshman Gabi Haack had a layup on a backdoor cut and capped the spurt with a pair of free throws.
Illinois State's offensive struggles carried over to the second half, with the Redbirds going the first 8:30 of the period without a field goal (0-for-10). Bradley's 7-0 run to start the stanza was part of a bigger 14-1 salvo as the Braves built a commanding 42-23 advantage and BU took a 42-25 lead into the fourth quarter. Haack, who scored 15 points in the third quarter of last week's win against Western Illinois, scored nine points in the third quarter.
Illinois State went a total of 13:30 without a field goal over the final five minutes of the second and first 8:30 of the third quarter, going 0-for-18 from the field during that stretch.
Bradley extended the lead to as many as 21 points (48-27) nearing the six-minute mark on a Shunseere Kent driving layup. Illinois State's Simone Goods answered with three consecutive baskets of her own, including a pair of three-point plays, for her own personal 8-0 run which cut BU's advantage to 48-35 with just under five minutes left.
Kent knocked down a three-pointer from the wing on Bradley's next trip down the floor to put a stop to the Illinois State run and the lead was back to 18 points (53-35) with three minutes left after free throws by Chelsea Brackmann and Brewer. Freshman Jailynn Lawson followed an Emily Marsh layup with a three-pointer in the closing minutes to help put the finishing touches on the 62-42 victory.
Bradley snapped an eight-game losing streak in MVC openers which dated back to a 69-49 victory at Wichita State to open the 2008-09 Valley slate. The Redbirds shot just 23.6 percent from the field which tied for the seventh lowest field goal percentage by a Bradley opponent.
Kent led Bradley with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting and also collected six steals. White added 12 points, nine rebounds, three assists and one block in 23 minutes off the bench. Brackmann also reached double figures off the bench with 10 points, six boards, two assists and a pair of blocks.
Good was the only Redbird player in double figures with 22 points and 14 rebounds before falling out. She hit eight of ISU's 13 field goals with the rest of the team combining to go 5-for-33 from the field (15.1 percent).
The Braves continue a three-game Missouri Valley Conference road swing Friday with a 7 p.m. game at Loyola.