Peoria, Ill. - Bradley Women's Basketball came back from a 21-point deficit to take the lead but ultimately fell to the Valparaiso Beacons on Thursday.
A Slow Start
The Braves put themselves in a hole early after the Beacons went on a 14-point run in the middle of the first quarter, putting themselves up 21-12 after 10 minutes of play. Valparaiso extended their lead in the second quarter to 35-22.
Standout Performances for Bradley
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Ellie McDermid had her third collegiate double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds while totaling three blocks, a steal, and an assist to be named the Ameren Illinois Player of the Game.
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Kaylen Nelson was one rebound shy from having a double-double of her own. She finished the day with 12 points, nine rebounds, and a team-leading four assists.
Fighting from Behind
The Beacons maintained control in the third quarter as they had a 52-31 lead with 3:12 left but the Braves finished the quarter with a six-point run to get the lead down to 52-37. Despite being down by 15, the Braves fought back and took the lead on a Nelson three-pointer with 42 seconds left in the game but could not hold onto the win.
Controlling Rebounds
Bradley did a great job of controlling rebounds as they out-rebounded the Beacons 38-28. They also capitalized on their second-chance points, scoring 14 points off of rebounds compared to the Beacons' two.
Coming up…
The Braves will celebrate their seniors in their last home game of the season on Saturday against UIC.