Peoria, Ill. – Bradley Women's Basketball battles the Illinois State Redbirds for the No. 3 seed in the MVC Tournament on Sunday at 2 p.m. in Bradley's regular season finale.

Game Information

Matchup: Bradley Braves vs. Illinois State Redbirds

Date: Sunday, March 8, 2026

Time: 2:00 p.m.

Streaming: ESPN+

Live Stats: Link

What to Watch

Bradley enters this matchup in third place with a 13-6 conference record and is a game up on the Redbirds, who are in fourth with a 12-7 MVC record. The Braves have gone 7-3 in their last 10 and are coming off a dominant 82-61 victory over the Evansville Purple Aces. That game was the Braves' 20th win on the season, which marks the first time head coach Kate Popovec-Goss has reached 20 wins and the fifth time in program history. Bradley has been dominant at home this season, going 13-1, which marks the most home wins in a single season in program history. The Braves' defense has been phenomenal this season, as they have held their opponents to the lowest points per game in the MVC at 63.8 (63.2 during the conference season), the third-lowest field goal percentage at .396 (second lowest during conference play at .384), and the lowest three-point percentage at .266 (second lowest during conference play at .276).

The Redbirds have also been a strong team this year, posting an 18-12 record. However, they have struggled when playing away from CEFCU Arena, going 4-8 as the away team and 0-3 at neutral sites for an overall record of 4-11 away from home. The Redbirds have also been playing well as of late, going 7-3 in their last 10, but they are coming off a 73-55 loss to the Drake Bulldogs that saw Drake ahead early with a 26-13 first quarter. Illinois State has been one of the top offenses in the MVC during conference play, ranking third in points per game at 74.8, second in field goal percentage at .454, and second in three-point percentage at .365. The Redbirds have also been strong at moving the ball around to create scoring opportunities, as they rank second in the MVC in assists at 17.32.

Key Seniors to Watch

Sunday afternoon also marks Bradley's Senior Night, the final home game of the regular season, and we will honor our seniors here as well. 

Kaylen Nelson has been with the program for three years and scored 31 points in her first game with the Braves. Her first season was cut short by an injury, but she returned stronger than ever. This season, she has been one of the best players in the MVC, ranking fifth in scoring at 17.4 points per game, and she has been the best three-point shooter, ranking first in three-point percentage at .394 and tied for first in three-pointers made per game at 2.7. She tied the program record for three-pointers made in a single game with eight on November 20, 2025, against Western Illinois.

Tamia Perryman has been with the program for two years and has averaged 8.3 points per game, 2.9 rebounds per game, and 1.7 assists per game. She recorded a career-high 20 points on January 11, 2026, against Indiana State. This season, she has averaged 8.6 points per game and 3.6 rebounds per game, and she has really stepped up her game when the team has faced adversity this season.

Amy O'Hara has been with the program for two years and has averaged 5.7 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game, and 1.8 assists per game at Bradley. She has recorded two double-doubles in her career, with her first coming on March 13, 2025, against Valparaiso, where she totaled 14 points and 12 rebounds. This season, she has averaged 6.3 points per game and 5.9 rebounds per game and has been a huge reason why the Braves are in the position that they are.

Carlie Vick has been with the program for two years and has been a strong role player for the Braves in her time here. She appeared in 29 games off the bench in her junior year, recording 51 points and 44 rebounds. This season, she had the chance to start in two games and hit double-digit minutes in each of her first three games. In her time at Bradley, she has been extremely efficient offensively, posting a .418 field goal percentage and an .846 free throw percentage.

Lucia Llaveria has been with the program for all four years of her collegiate career and has brought a great presence to the team over her time here. In her freshman year, she played in 13 games and averaged nine minutes. She recorded a season-high 19 minutes on November 16, 2022, against Wisconsin, where she totaled two points and three rebounds. She scored her first points of this season against Judson, recording five points, one rebound, and one assist in 13 minutes.

Key Redbirds to Watch

The Redbirds are led by Doneelah Washington, who ranks seventh in the MVC in scoring with 16.7 points per game, third in rebounds per game at 8.8, fourth in field goal percentage at .516, and second in both steals and blocks per game at 2.0 and 1.7, respectively. Addison Martin has also been a strong contributor for the Redbirds, averaging 12.8 points per game and 5.7 rebounds, which rank 18th and 14th in the MVC, respectively. Trista Fayta has been a key playmaker for Illinois State, averaging 11.3 points per game and 4.0 rebounds per game. She ranks first in the conference in assists at 6.0 per game and eighth in steals at 1.6.