PEORIA, Ill. -- After scoring the most points in a Missouri Valley Conference game in league history Sunday, points were at a premium for Bradley Women's Basketball Friday night as Northern Iowa ground out a 51-40 victory over the Braves Friday night at Renaissance Coliseum.
The battle for fourth-place in the MVC standings was a defensive struggle with the teams shooting a combined 1-for-21 from three-point range and 36 turnovers between the two squads. The 51 points for UNI was the lowest point total for a Bradley opponent since the MVC opener at Illinois State (42).
Junior Vanessa Markert led Bradley (10-9 overall, 4-4 MVC) offensively with 12 points off the bench and also added seven rebounds, four assists, four blocks and one steal. Freshman Gabi Haack had a streak of 10 consecutive games with a three-pointer snapped, but managed to lead the Braves on the glass as she matched a season-high with 10 rebounds to go with her four points.
"Northern Iowa did a great job of guarding the three-point line, so we needed to score inside and weren't able to get it done," said Bradley head coach Andrea Gorski.
Despite shooting 25.8 percent in the first half, Bradley trailed Northern Iowa (9-10 overall, 5-3 MVC) 26-20 at the break. Markert had five points, six rebounds, two assists, three blocks and a steal in the opening 20 minutes to help keep the Braves within striking distance.
A total of 17 points were scored in the third period with Bradley scoring the first four points of the stanza. The Braves held the Panthers scoreless for the first five minutes of the third period, but managed just four points during the UNI drought. Freshman Jailynn Lawson found junior Shunseere Kent on the break for a layup at the 6:40 mark for the first points of the frame and a pair of Anneke Schlueter free throws with 5:06 on the clock pulled Bradley within two points at 26-24.
UNI's Karli Rucker had a three-point play on the next trip down the floor for the first Panther points of the third and sparked a 9-1 run which gave Northern Iowa a 35-25 lead. Markert snapped the UNI run with a three-point play in the closing seconds of the period as Bradley trailed 35-28 heading to the fourth quarter.
With Bradley trailing 39-30 in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, Markert made a pair of free throws and added a jumper just outside the lane to once again pull Bradley within five at 39-34 closing in on eight minutes to play.
Megan Maahs answered with a layup for Northern Iowa, however, and the Panthers followed a Bradley turnover with an Ellie Howell basket in the paint to push the lead back to nine (43-34). A near three-minute scoreless stretch by the Braves allowed UNI to extend the advantage back to double digits before Markert assisted a Lawson hoop in the lane. Another Markert assist, this time on a Haack layup, cut the deficit to six (44-38) closing in on the four-minute mark.
The teams traded baskets on the next two possessions and Bradley trailed 46-40 with 3:26 left after a Lawson layup. The Braves would go scoreless the rest of the way, unfortunately, as Northern Iowa took over sole possession of fourth in the Valley standings with a 51-40 victory.
Howell led Northern Iowa with a game-high 16 points and Maahs had a double-double with 10 points and 15 boards.
Bradley continues a four-game home stand Sunday with a 2 p.m. game against league-leading Drake. A free post-game youth clinic will follow the contest at Renaissance Coliseum against the Bulldogs.