The Braves and Salukis met for the second time this season at the Renaissance Coliseum on Sunday afternoon in an intense matchup. 

The Braves came out ready to play, with Ruba Abo Hashesh finding Isis Fitch below the basket for the first points and Caroline Waite immediately following it up with a three-pointer in transition. A jumper form Alex Rouse put the Braves up at the start of the game, but Southern Illinois found its footing and began pushing back. After spending the first half going back and forth, Bradley was down seven going into halftime. As the Salukis continued putting pressure on the Braves, it seemed there was a lid on the basket. Shots didn't seem to fall despite them already seeming like they were in the basket. Come the second half, the third quarter was filled with even more back and forth. Every time the Braves made a shot, the Salukis did the same on the other end of the floor. Going into the fourth, the Braves were down eight, but Southern Illinois seemed to have found a new wind. With five minutes left to play, Bradley was now down 14 points. Shots were falling, but offensive rebounds gave SIU second chances that only continued to push their lead. Bradley ultimately lost 59-83. Waite led the Braves with 18 points and one rebound. Rouse had 11 points, four rebounds and two assists. Fitch chipped in nine points, a career-high 15 rebounds and one steal. Reagan Barkema scored a career-high 10 points. 


BRADLEY

POINTS	REBOUNDS	ASSISTS
Waite - 18	Fitch - 15	Abo Hashesh - 4
Rouse - 11	Powell - 9	Rouse - 2
Barkema - 10	Rouse - 4	Powell/Dorsey/Ziebell - 1

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

POINTS	REBOUNDS	ASSISTS
Jones - 24	Randle - 13	Jones - 6
Taylor - 17	Taylor - 11	Love - 5
Williams - 13	Williams/Love/Belcher - 3	Williams - 3

WHAT'S NEXT
The Braves head on the road to face Drake and UNI on Thursday and Saturday. You can stream the games on ESPN+, or you can listen to the games on 1290 WIRL.