PEORIA, Ill. -- Sophomore Gabi Haack followed up a career-best 32 points against Florida Atlantic Saturday by knocking down five more three pointers and finishing with a game-high 23 points to help lead Bradley Women's Basketball to a 67-64 victory over in-state foe Eastern Illinois Wednesday at Renaissance Coliseum.
The Braves (5-0 overall) remained the only undefeated team in the Missouri Valley Conference in 2018-19, improving to 5-0 on the young season with the victory. In addition, Bradley's five-game win streak is its longest since closing the 2011-12 non-conference schedule with five consecutive victories. The 5-0 start to the year is the second-best in program history behind only the 9-0 start to the 2001-02 campaign.
Eastern Illinois (3-2 overall) forced 15 Bradley turnover in the first half as the Braves trailed at halftime (29-28) for the first time this year. The Panthers turned the 15 BU turnovers into 15 points and Bradley shot just 34.8 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes.
After a scoreless first half, junior Chelsea Brackmann had back-to-back hoops for Bradley in the opening minute of the third quarter. With Eastern Illinois leading 40-38 midway through the third, senior Vanessa Markert had a put-back basket and another layup to spark a 13-2 run. Markert chased a pair of EIU free throws which tied things up at 42-42 with another layup. Haack knocked down back-to-back three-pointers and Bradley had the largest lead of the contest for either team at 51-42 with 1:09 to play in the third on a Brackmann free throw.
The Panthers didn't go quietly, however, cutting the deficit to four by the end of the period and pulling within one at 51-50 in the opening minute of the fourth. Haack's fifth three-pointer of the night on the next Bradley possession made it a four-point cushion at 54-50.
Freshman Lasha Petree, who finished with 10 points off the bench, later gave the Braves a six-point lead at 64-58 closing in on three minutes to play with back-to-back hoops. Petree scored six of her 10 points during a 90-second span in the fourth.
Eastern Illinois eventually pulled to within two points at 66-64 on back-to-back baskets by Grace Lennox with just under two minutes on the clock. The Braves held EIU scoreless down the stretch, however, with sophomore Jailynn Lawson adding a free throw in the closing seconds to help seal the 67-64 victory. Eastern Illinois went 0-for-2 from the field with a turnover in its final three possessions.
Haack turned in the sixth 20-point outing of her career, finishing with a game-high 23 points. She was 5-for-10 from beyond the arc on the heels of a 7-for-13 three-point shooting effort Saturday and was perfect from the free throw line (8-for-8). Bradley had just five second-half turnovers and owned a 45-36 rebounding advantage in the contest.
Brackmann scored all nine of her points in the second half and also finished with nine rebounds. Markert had another efficient outing off the bench, tallying eight points and seven rebounds in just 13 minutes of action as she helped the Bradley reserves outscore the EIU bench 27-6.
Lennox led Eastern Illinois with 18 points, six rebounds and six steals to pace four Panthers in double figures. Taylor Steele added 13 points, while Grace McRae (11 points) and Karle Pace (10 points) also scored in double figures.
Bradley continues a three-game home stand Saturday with a 1 p.m. game against Oakland at Renaissance Coliseum. Saturday will be Kaboom!'s annual holiday party featuring a children's gift exchange, pictures with the Bradley mascot and a holiday card making station.