Peoria, Ill. - Bradley Women's Basketball has won back-to-back games after they defeated the Southern Illinois Salukis 59-51 on Thursday.

A Fast Start

The Braves came out swinging on Thursday, dropping nine points before the Salukis could get on the board to start the first quarter. Bradley used that momentum to finish the quarter with a 21-11. However, the Salukis did not back down and clawed their way back into the game as they tied the game with just over a minute left in the half, but a late layup from Carlie Vick gave the Braves a 27-25 lead at halftime.

Standout Performances for Bradley

• Soleil Barnes put up another 20-point game to give her back-to-back 20-point efforts. Barnes finished the game with 20 points, seven rebounds, a team-leading four assists, and four steals.

• Amy O'Hara had another outstanding defensive game to earn her the Ameren Illinois Player of the Game. She finished with a season-high and team-leading 13 rebounds, six blocks, two assists, and two points.

Putting the Game out of Reach

After allowing the Salukis to go up 28-27, the Braves were dominant for the rest of the third quarter, outscoring Southern Illinois 13-4 to give Bradley a 40-32 lead heading into the final 10 minutes. The fourth quarter was back-and-forth as the Braves and Salukis both finished the quarter with 19 points to give the Braves the 59-51 win.

Defensive Dominance

The Braves did a great job of forcing the Salukis to take bad shots as Bradley held Southern Illinois to 18-for-60 from the field and 3-for-14 from beyond the arc. The Braves also out-rebounded the Salukis 40-35, giving them another strong defensive edge.

Coming up…

The Braves will compete in their regular season finale on Saturday as they take on the Missouri State Bears.