Peoria, Ill. – Bradley Women's Basketball fell to the Belmont Bruins in their first game of 2026, 78-57.

A Slow Start

The Bruins came out firing, jumping out to an early 9-3 lead in the first four minutes of the first quarter. Bradley and Belmont went back and forth for the remainder of the first quarter, and the Bruins took a 17-11 lead into the second quarter. Belmont continued to pull away in the second quarter, extending their lead to 11 and taking a 38-27 advantage into the half.

Standout Performances for Bradley

Kaylen Nelson led the way for the Braves, scoring 17 points with three rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Amy O'Hara had a strong game off the bench, scoring 13 points and adding five rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Maya Foz led the team in rebounds, assists, and steals with six, three, and two, respectively, while adding 11 points. Tamia Perryman reached double-digit scoring for the fourth time in her last five games, finishing the day with 10 points, three rebounds, and two assists.

Battling Through the Final Two Quarters

The Bruins continued to extend their lead in the third quarter, going up by 18 points just three minutes into the second half. The Braves didn't go away quietly as they fought back to close the deficit to 12 by the end of the third quarter, but still trailed heading into the final quarter. A nine-point run by the Bruins in the middle of the fourth quarter gave them a 20-point lead and put the game out of reach, as Belmont secured the win 78-57.

Defensive Notes

The Braves forced 14 turnovers but could not capitalize, scoring five points off those turnovers compared to the 18 points Belmont generated from Bradley's 13 turnovers. Bradley also struggled to stay strong on the glass, getting out-rebounded 45-32, which led to Belmont scoring 10 second-chance points compared to the Braves' five.

Coming Up…

The Braves will need to regroup as they head into the second half of their four-game road trip, which will continue on Sunday as Bradley takes on Murray State at 6:30 p.m.