PEORIA, Ill. -- Sophomore guard Catie O'Leary (Janesville, Wis./Parker/Wisconsin) got Bradley off to a hot start, hitting 6-of-9 shots in the first half and keyed a 20-2 first-half run with seven consecutive points to help spark the Braves to a convincing 93-64 win against Western Illinois Wednesday at Renaissance Coliseum.

Bradley (9-3 overall) matched a school record with its ninth non-conference victory of the year and scored in the 90's in back-to-back games for the first time since the 1998-99 season.  The Braves shot 61.8 percent from the field in the first half and raced out to a 51-27 lead at the break.

Both teams got off to hot starts with BU holding a 20-16 lead less than eight minutes into the contest before O'Leary and the Braves took control. 

Sophomore Kelly Frings (Milwaukee, Wis./Pius XI) opened the barrage with a three-pointer and senior Leah Kassing (Mt. Sterling, Ill./Brown County) had a put-back basket to start the run.  O'Leary, who finished with a career-best 29 points, went on a mini run of her own; scoring seven straight points and freshman Michelle Young (Woodbury, Minn./Woodbury) had a basket as the Braves scored 14 consecutive points. 

After a Western Illinois (3-8 overall) hoop, sophomore Kelsey Budd (Prairie du Sac, Wis./Sauk Prairie) had back-to-back buckets in the lane and  junior Brooke Bisping (Morton, Ill../Morton) pushed the Bradley lead to 40-18 with a layup at the 4:44 mark. 

O'Leary surpassed her career high in the first half, knocking down 4-of-6 three-pointers in the opening 20 minutes of play and finished with 16 points in the opening period.

Bradley extended the advantage to 31 points midway through the second stanza and Western Illinois got no closer than 22 points down the stretch as the Braves cruised to the 93-64 victory.

The win was BU's fifth straight, marking the longest win streak since a six-game win streak in January 2010.  O'Leary knocked down 6-of-9 three-pointers and finished with a career and game-high 29 points.  Junior Katie Yohn (Elgin, Ill./St. Edward) scored 11 points in just 15 minutes to help pace four Bradley players in double figures.

Budd, the reigning Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week, was one assist short of her first career double-double with 10 points and nine assists.  Kassing turned in her fourth double-double in the last five games and fifth of the season with 10 points and 11 boards in 21 minutes of action.

The Braves shot a season-best 52.9 percent from the field and continued their hot shooting from three-point range, making 11-of-20 three-point attempts (55 percent). 

Valencia Kelly led Western Illinois in scoring with 18 points, while Sadie Webb added 14 points.  Michele Salvatori hauled down eight boards to pace the Leathernecks on the glass and joined Kelly and Webb in double figures with 11 points.  Western Illinois came into the game averaging nearly seven made three-pointers a game, but made just 2-of-13 (15.4 percent) from beyond the arc. 

The Braves continue their four-game home stand next Thursday (Dec. 29), hosting Missouri Valley Conference preseason favorite Missouri State in a 7 p.m. game at Renaissance Coliseum in the conference opener for both teams.