PEORIA, Ill. -- Sophomore Gabi Haack had a team-high 23 points and nine rebounds, while junior Chelsea Brackmann was also a rebound short of a double-double with 11 points and nine boards to pace Bradley Women's Basketball in its Missouri Valley Conference opener, but preseason league favorite Drake posted a 92-63 victory Friday at Renaissance Coliseum.
Drake (9-4 overall, 1-0 MVC) extended its conference record win streak to 41 consecutive regular-season Valley games with the victory and snapped a six-game home win streak for Bradley (10-2 overall, 0-1 MVC).
Haack scored 12 of her team-best 23 points in the first quarter, finishing the contest with her eighth career 20-point outing. In three career games against the Bulldogs, Haack has averaged 20.7 points per game and is 14-for-27 (51.9 percent) from three-point range after hitting three-of-five three-pointers Friday.
"We didn't execute tonight," said Bradley head coach Andrea Gorski. "They are a very physical team and we didn't respond to that. I thought Gabi (Haack) played extremely hard. She never backs down from anyone. We had a couple of freshmen in Ellie (Spelhaug) and Tatum (Koenig) come off the bench and really compete."
Brackmann tallied seven points and six rebounds in just nine minutes in the second half and finished the contest with 11 points and nine boards as she narrowly missed turning in her team-best sixth double-double of the season.
Drake got off to a hot start, hitting 10-of-11 from the field including four three-pointers in the first 8:30 of the contest to open a 27-14 lead. Becca Hittner scored 13 points during the opening quarter to help the Bulldogs to a 30-18 lead 10 minutes in.
After shooting 73 percent from the field in the first quarter, Drake cooled to 36 percent in the second, but Bradley was unable to cut into the Bulldog advantage and trailed 50-28 at the half.
Bradley's best offensive quarter of the night came in the third (21 points), only to have Drake answer with 23 points of its own as the Bulldogs went on to claim the 92-63 victory.
Haack scored in double figures for the 10th consecutive game to match the longest streak of games in double figures by a Brave over the last three seasons. She matched a career-high with eight made free throws and was 8-for-9 from the charity stripe.
Hittner paced three Drake players in double figures with a game-high 26 points after an 18-point first half. Sara Rhine added 22 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, while Sammie Bachrodt finished with 11 points for the Bulldogs.
Bradley returns to action Sunday, hosting Northern Iowa in a 2 p.m. game at Renaissance Coliseum. The Braves will host a free post-game shootaround for all children eighth grade and under following the game against the Panthers.