Bradley University Athletics

Valley Champs Set to Dance

Bradley Women's Basketball punched its ticket for its first NCAA Tournament appearance by knocking off Drake, 78-70, in the Hoops in the Heartland championship Sunday

Bobby Parker, Associate AD for Communications Women's Basketball 3/14/2021 6:39:00 PM

Box Score MOLINE, IL – Bradley Women's Basketball has earned the Missouri Valley Conference's automatic bid for the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. The fifth-seeded Braves (17-11) knocked off No. 2 seed Drake (16-11), 78-70, in the championship of the Hoops in the Heartland MVC Women's Basketball Championship Sunday evening at Taxslayer Center.

Senior guard Gabi Haack was named the Patty Viverito Most Oustanding Player after pouring in 22 points to lead the Bradley charge Sunday. Haack scored 63 points in Bradley's three tournament games, knocking down 10 3-pointers, including a 6-for-11 effort from beyond the arc in the final.

Drake carried a 58-56 lead into the fourth quarter and the Bulldogs extended their lead to 62-58 after two Allie Woolridge free throws with 8:17 remaining. Nyhah White set up four consecutive baskets for the Braves dumping off assists to Emily Marsh, Mahri Petree, Haack for a go-ahead 3-pointer and finally to Marsh for a 67-64 lead with 6:29 remaining.

Haack's fifth 3-pointer of the night with 7:05 left launched a 14-2 Bradley surge that put the Braves in control. Lasha Petree, who joined Haack on the All-Tournament Team, scored inside for a 76-66 lead with 2:37 remaining to cap the run and Bradley's defense did the rest, holding Drake to just six points in the game's final 7-minutes, 27 seconds.

Haack paced five Braves in double-figures: Lasha Petree and Marsh both chipped in 12 points, while Mahri Petree added 11 and White 10 to go along with her game-high six assists.

While the teams shot fairly evenly from the floor – Bradley 43.8 percent, Drake 44.3 – the Braves buried 12-of-26 (.462) attempts from 3-point range, while the Bulldogs were just 4-for-19 (.211) from beyond the arc. Bradley also committed just six turnovers Sunday.

Sunday's championship proved to be sweet redemption for the Braves, who saw their postseason chances delayed a year after enjoying the winningest season in program history in 2019-20. Last season's Bradley squad was 22-7 overall and had earned the No. 3 seed, its best-ever position, for Hoops in the Heartland with a program-record 13 Valley wins when the postseason was cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic literally as the team was loading the bus for the trip to Moline.

The field for the 2021 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship will be announced during an ESPN Women's NCAA Selection Show Special, beginning at 6 p.m. CT on the network's primary channel and ESPN app.

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