CHICAGO, Ill. – Bradley used a 14-1 run to open the second quarter and never looked back as the Braves topped Loyola 60-47 Friday afternoon at Gentile Arena to improve to 4-0 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
Senior Chelsea Brackmann helped anchor a solid defensive effort for Bradley (13-2 overall, 4-0 MVC) which held the host Ramblers (12-4 overall, 3-2 MVC) to 28.6 percent shooting. Brackmann pulled down eight rebounds in the victory as she broke the Bradley career rebounding record with her 845th career board late in the third quarter to break the previous school record of 844 by Leti Lerma.
Junior Gabi Haack paced three Bradley players in double figures with a game-high 16 points to go with seven rebounds and three assists. Sophomore Lasha Petree chipped in with her first career double-double, pulling down a season-best 10 rebounds to go with 13 points, two blocks and three steals. Junior Nyjah White joined the duo in double figures with 12 points with her third consecutive outing with 10 or more points.
Bradley's 13-2 overall record matches the best start in program history through 15 games last done by the 2008-09 squad which won a program record 21 games. The Braves are also 4-0 to start MVC play for just the second time. That 2008-09 team, which finished fourth in the final Valley standings at 11-7, is the only other team in school history to start the league slate with four consecutive victories.
Haack followed up a putback basket with a three-pointer to help spark a 12-0 Bradley run in the first quarter. Loyola missed eight consecutive shots from the field and went scoreless for over six minutes as the Braves turned a 6-4 deficit into a 14-6 lead. Bradley led 16-12 at the end of the first quarter.
The Braves scored the first 11 points of the second quarter, opening the period with a 14-1 run to push the advantage to 30-13. Sophomore Tatum Koenig had a pair of driving layups to start the run and Petree knocked down a pair of three-pointers during the spurt.
Loyola went the first 9:27 of the second quarter without a field goal, with Bradley taking its largest lead of the first half at 36-16 on a steal and breakaway layup by Haack with just under one minute left in the period. The Braves held Loyola to 25 percent shooting (7-for-28) from the field in the first half and led 36-20 at the break.
The Ramblers managed to get to within 11 points on an Ellie Rice three-pointer with 3:30 to play in the third, but Bradley scored the final six points of the period. Haack assisted a White hoop and then had one of her own. Brackmann's record-breaking rebound with 1:36 to play in the period led to a Petree layup as the Braves led 51-34 heading to the fourth.
After not allowing a fourth-quarter field goal to Illinois State in its last outing, Bradley held Loyola scoreless for the first 6:02 of the fourth quarter Friday. The BU advantage ballooned to 24 points (58-34) during that stretch. Freshman Mahri Petree hit a long jumper and her sister Lasha knocked down her third three-pointer of the day. A pair of Haack free throws with 4:34 left in the game pushed the lead to 58-34 and the Braves cruised to the 60-47 victory to improve to 3-1 on the road.
Allison Day was the only Rambler in double figures, finishing with 10 points. The Ramblers entered the game averaging 6.4 three-pointers per game, but made just 2-of-11 from beyond the arc.
Bradley closes out a two-game MVC road swing Sunday with a 1 p.m. game at Valparaiso.