Braves Host Indiana State Sunday At Noon

Barathwaj Rudraboina

Women's Basketball 2/4/2017 2:00:00 PM

PEORIA, Ill. – Winners of three of their last four, Bradley women's basketball will shoot for its first three-game win streak since 2012-13 when the Braves cap a four-game Missouri Valley Conference home stand Sunday with a noon matchup against Indiana State.

The Braves (8-13 overall, 4-6 MVC) enter Sunday's game one game behind the Sycamores (11-10 overall, 5-5 MVC) for fifth in the MVC standings after a convincing 72-45 victory over Loyola Friday. Indiana State snapped a four-game losing streak Friday night with a 65-47 win at Illinois State.

Sunday's game will be available on ESPN3 as part of The Valley On ESPN3 and can be viewed through WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app. In addition, BradleyBraves.com will provide links to live stats along with the WIRL 1290 AM (www.1290wirl.com) radio broadcast with Ed Hammond providing play-by-play.

Indiana State rallied to pull out a 58-51 overtime victory in the season's first meeting back on Jan. 6 in Terre Haute, Ind., and the Sycamores have won each of the last 10 matchups. Overall, Indiana State owns a 48-24 advantage in the all-time series. Bradley is 16-18 at home in the series, with the Braves holding a 5-4 edge in the last nine meetings in Peoria.

Friday's convincing 72-45 victory over Loyola was Bradley's largest margin of victory against a Valley opponent since posting a 90-48 win over Southern Illinois almost four years to the day (2/2/12) and matched the team's conference win total from last year. The Braves are now 4-6 in MVC play for the first time since 2010-11 (4-6) and a victory Sunday would mark Bradley's best 11-game start to conference play since 2009-10 (8-3).

Sophomore Vanessa Markert scored nine points in the first four minutes of Friday's victory over Loyola and finished with a career-best 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting. Markert had topped her previous career-best of 17 points by halftime and outscored the Ramblers 18-16 in the opening 20 minutes. She was the first Brave to make 10 field goals and shoot over 70 percent in a game since Kelsey Budd was 10-for-14 with 23 points in the season-opening win against Illinois on Nov. 8, 2013 and Markert's 26 points were the most by a Bradley player against a Valley opponent since Michelle Young's 32 point effort in a double overtime contest at Southern Illinois on Jan. 2, 2014. The last Brave to score 26 or more in a 40-minute game against a conference foe was Shronda Butts (29 points) at Drake on Jan. 25, 2013.

Sunday's matchup with Indiana State marks the fourth consecutive year and seventh time in nine seasons Bradley will play on Super Bowl Sunday. The Braves are 4-5 all-time when playing on the same day as the Super Bowl after a 65-51 home loss to Southern Illinois last season. Bradley is 2-2 at home all-time on Super Bowl Sunday. This year's Super Bowl Sunday matchup with Indiana State marks the third time the Braves have faced the Sycamores the same day as the Super Bowl with Bradley winning both previous Super Bowl Sunday meetings.

Senior Leti Lerma turned in another double-digit rebounding effort Friday with 15 boards against Loyola and has 12 double-digit rebounding efforts. Lerma passed Karin Nicholls (726 rebounds) for fifth in career rebounding Friday against the Ramblers and now has 736 career boards. She needs five rebounds to pass Eileen Yerkes (739) and Carrie Coffman (740) for third all-time at Bradley. Lerma's 216 rebounds this season are the most by a Brave since 2011-12 and she is one of six players in the nation with 215 points, 215 rebounds, 40 assists, 10 blocks and 25 or more steals through Friday's games.

Freshman Chelsea Brackmann needs just two free throw attempts to break Bradley's freshman record of 104 free throw attempts set by Heather Best in 1995-96. Brackmann's 69 made free throws are 10 from topping the school freshman record also held be Best.

After playing four consecutive Valley home games, Bradley will open a two-game road swing Friday at Northern Iowa. The Panthers own a 37-34 advantage in the all-time series after topping the Braves 72-53 at Renaissance Coliseum on Jan. 15. UNI has won 10 consecutive games in the series. Bradley is 12-20 in road games with the Braves looking to snap a 12-game road losing streak in the series which dates back to a 53-52 Bradley win at the West Gym.

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