EAST PEORIA, Ill. -- Four Bradley players scored in double figures, paced by freshman guard Michelle Lund's (Sioux City, Iowa/Bishop Heelan) 22 points, and the Braves posted a 44-32 edge in rebounding as BU bounced back from its first loss of the season with a 77-62 victory against Northern Illinois Tuesday at Lorene Ramsey Gym.

The Braves (3-1 overall) jumped out to a 13-point advantage as Northern Illinois (2-3 overall) struggled offensively to start the game. The Huskies made just 3-of-19 shots to open the game and junior guard Skye Johnson (Olympia Fields, Ill./Marian Catholic) scored six of her eight first-half points to help BU build a 19-6 lead midway through the first half.

Terriel Cannon connected on a pair of three pointers and added an assist to highlight an 18-4 Northern Illinois run which put the Huskies in front 24-23. Bradley went on to score 10 of the last 16 points in the half and took a 33-30 lead into the locker room.

Lund came out firing in the second half, hitting consecutive three-pointers but NIU was equally as hot in the opening minutes and kept pace with the Braves. Bradley held a 52-48 lead with nine and a half minutes remaining when the BU freshmen would took control. Lund found fellow freshman MacKenzie Westcott (Williamsburg, Iowa/Williamsburg) just outside the lane for an open basket and Westcott added another field goal after an NIU miss. Freshman Lauren Niemiera (Orland Park, Ill./Marist) followed with seven consecutive points for the Braves to extend the lead to 63-50 with 6:11 to play.

Three consecutive NIU buckets cut the lead to 63-56 with just over four minutes remaining, but Lund answered with a four-point play when she was fouled on her fifth three-point basket of the evening. A Northern Illinois turnover led to a Johnson three-pointer on the other end as Bradley pushed its lead to 70-56. BU's freshmen scored 21 of the team's 27 points in the final 10 minutes of play to help power the Braves to the 77-62 win.

Bradley shot a season-best 44.3 percent from the field and out rebounded an opponent for the fourth time this season, owning a 44-32 edge on the glass. Lund finished with a season-high 22 points as she connected on 5-of-9 from beyond the arc. She also added a season-best six assists in 34 minutes of play. Johnson turned in 15 points, three assists, three blocked shots and three steals, while Niemiera tossed in 12 points on 3-for-4 shooting off the bench in her first career appearance. Senior Monica Rogers (Forsyth, Ill./St. Teresa/Hampton) recorded her third consecutive double-double, tallying 11 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.

BU's freshmen combined for 44 of Bradley's 77 points and also had 14 rebounds, seven assists and four steals in the win. Bradley's 3-1 start to the season is the best since opening the 2004-05 campaign with a 3-1 record and improved the Braves to 4-6 all-time against NIU.

Northern Illinois had two players reach double figures in scoring with Ebony Ellis and Marke Freeman each scoring 11 points. Freeman added a team-high five assists and tied for game-high honors with three steals. The Huskies shot 41.9 percent from the field, but made just 3-of-14 from three-point range.

Bradley returns to action Friday when the Braves open play at the Northern Arizona Thanksgiving Classic with a 7:35 p.m. (CST) game against tournament-host Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, Ariz. Both games of the NAU Thanksgiving Classic will be broadcast via the internet at www.bradleybraves.com