Loyola Chicago LUC 5-17, 3-8 MVC

Bradley BRAD 11-11, 5-6 MVC

Loyola Chicago LUC

5-17, 3-8 MVC

Final

Feb. 04, 2018

Bradley BRAD

11-11, 5-6 MVC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	3	4	F
Loyola Chicago LUC	13	13	23	22	71
Bradley BRAD	12	11	12	26	61

Box Score

Duane Zehr

Rally Falls Short In 71-61 Loss To Loyola

Box Score

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | 2/4/2018 4:02:00 PM

PEORIA, Ill. – After falling behind by as many 20 points to Loyola in the fourth quarter, Bradley clawed back into the contest with a 16-3 run behind eight points from Shunseere Kent to pull within seven in the closing minutes; but the Ramblers were able to hold off the Braves for a 71-61 victory Sunday afternoon at Renaissance Coliseum.

Kent paced Bradley (11-11 overall, 5-6 MVC) in scoring with a game-high 17 points off the bench, while freshman Gabi Haack had her second consecutive double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Senior Anneke Schlueter added 10 points and junior Vanessa Markert chipped in with 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench to help lead the Braves.

"Loyola played like they had something to prove today," said Bradley head coach Andrea Gorski. "We weren't able to get into pressing situations like we wanted to because of some foul trouble. That kind of gets us going a little when we can press and get some energy that way, it just happened to late in the game for us."

Both teams got off to slow starts, with Bradley holding Loyola scoreless for the first 3:30 of action and the teams were knotted at 5-5 midway through the opening period. The Ramblers (5-17 overall, 3-8 MVC) shot just 27.8 percent in the first quarter, but managed to hold a 13-12 lead 10 minutes into the game. Loyola stretched the advantage to as many as eight points early in the second quarter and led 26-23 at halftime.

Bradley shot 35.7 percent from the field in the first half and the offensive struggles carried over to the third quarter, where the Braves were just 2-for-15. Loyola's Katie Salmon scored nine points in the third to help the Ramblers extend the lead to 14 (49-35) by the end of the frame.

A Salmon layup with 7:28 left in the fourth gave Loyola its largest lead of the afternoon at 58-38 and Bradley trailed 60-40 closing in on six minutes left before a Kent three-pointer helped spark a run for the Braves.

Schlueter followed a Loyola turnover with a layup and Kent added a pair of free throws after a Loyola miss. Freshman Nyjah White had a steal and layup with just under four minutes to play as Bradley pulled within 11 at 60-49.

Alexis Meyer snapped the 9-0 Bradley spurt with a free throw on the next Loyola possession, but another Schlueter layup made it a 10-point contest (61-51) with 3:18 on the clock. A Danielle Brewer steal and White layup cut the deficit to eight (61-53). Kailyn Strawbridge made a pair of free throws with 2:44 on the clock, however, to push the lead back to double digits at 63-53.

A three-point play by Kent on a driving layup cut the Loyola advantage to seven (63-56) and capped a 16-3 run by the Braves as Bradley faced its smallest deficit since the opening minute of the third quarter.

Bradley appeared to get the stop it needed on the next possession, but a pair of Loyola offensive rebounds and two free throws by Abby O'Connor gave the Ramblers a nine-point edge again with 1:16 left. Markert made two free throws with 1:06 to play to once again pull Bradley within seven.

O'Connor added two more free throws with one minute on the clock and Kat Nolan came up with a block for the Ramblers on the next Bradley trip down the floor. Nolan would make a pair of free throws with 38 seconds remaining as Loyola's lead was back to 11.

Schlueter drained a three-pointer on the next BU possession, but the Braves had a turnover and a miss down the stretch as Loyola escaped with the 71-61 victory. After opening the game 12-for-43 (27.9 percent) from the field and scoring 35 points in the first 30 minutes, Bradley shot 50 percent (8-for-16) from the field in the fourth quarter which included 6-for-8 shooting during the 16-3 run.

Haack scored in double figures for the third consecutive game and eighth time in nine contests to help lead the Braves as she notched her third double-double of the year.

Bradley plays four of the next six games on the road, opening the stretch Friday with a 7 p.m. game at Missouri State.

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