SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Bradley gave #20/25 Missouri State all it could handle, taking a lead late in the third quarter thanks to a 14-0 run; but the Bears used a late push to close out a 62-56 victory over the Braves Friday night at JQH Arena.
 
Junior Lasha Petree scored a game-high 13 points and also had five rebounds, one assist and a block to lead Bradley.  Senior Gabi Haack and sophomre Mahri Petree each added 10 points apiece to join her in double figures.  Nyjah White finished the night with seven points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals.
 
Looking to hand Missouri State (14-2 overall, 10-0 MVC) its first Missouri Valley Conference loss of the season, Bradley (12-9 overall, 8-6 MVC) hung with the Bears throughout the night and erased a 12-point third-quarter deficit with a 14-0 run that spanned five-and-a-half minutes.
 
Haack, who scored four points during the run, got things started by sandwiching a pair of hoops around a Mahri Petree pull-up jumper.  Freshman Tete Danso got free on the inside for a layup and Mahri found White for a layup to quickly cut what was once a 40-28 MSU lead to just two with 4:25 to play in the third.  Lasha Petree knocked down a baseline jumper closing in on three minutes to play in the period before pulling down a defensive rebound after a Missouri State miss and getting a layup on the other end to put Bradley in front 42-40.
 
Missouri State tied things up on the next trip down the floor, however, and eventually took a 49-44 lead into the fourth quarter. 
 
The MSU lead was shortlived, with Bradley knotting things up at 49-49 within the first 45 seconds of the final period.  Lasha Petree knocked down a jumper and then assisted a Tatum Koenig three-pointer that tied the score at 49-49.
 
A Jasmine Franklin free throw with 8:22 left broke the tie and Abby Hipp had a layup with just under eight minutes to play as Missouri State went back in front 52-49. 
 
A long two-pointer by Emily Marsh with 6:51 on the clock cut the MSU advantage to one (52-51), only to have Brice Calip knock down a three-pointer nearing the six-minute mark to make it a four-point cushion for the Bears at 55-51. 
 
Both teams went cold from the field, with almost five minutes passing before the next points.  Bradley eventually broke the dry spell with 1:18 to play, coming down with three offensive rebounds on the same possession before a Mahri Petree layup pulled the Braves within two at 55-53. 
 
Missouri State's Sydney Wilson answered with a three-point play with just under a minute remaining, however, to push the lead back to five (58-53). 
 
The teams traded free throws and a Lasha Petree layup with 22.8 second remaining made it a three-point contest (59-56), but Missouri State made three of four free throws in the final 20 seconds to seal the 62-56 victory.
 
Bradley shot 42.9 percent from the field and held Missouri State to 38.1 percent shooting on the night.  The Bears forced 17 BU turnovers and outrebounded the Braves 39-37. 
 
Hipp paced three Missouri State with 12 points, while Franklin (11 points & 12 rebounds) and Calip (11 points) each joined her in double figures with 11 points each.
 
Bradley and Missouri State close out the two-game series Saturday with a 5 p.m. game that will be televised in the Peoria area on WMBD (Channel 31).