Bradley BRAD 3-3

Northern Illinois NIU 5-2

Bradley BRAD

3-3

Final

Nov. 29, 2017

Northern Illinois NIU

5-2

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	3	4	F
Bradley BRAD	8	14	16	14	52
Northern Illinois NIU	18	17	22	19	76

Box Score

Braves Can’t Overcome Slow Start At NIU

Box Score

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | 11/29/2017 8:38:00 PM

DEKALB, Ill. – Bradley Women's Basketball got off to a slow start offensively and Northern Illinois took advantage by scoring the first 16 points of the contest as the Braves fell 76-52 to the Huskies Wednesday night at the Convocation Center despite a season-best 16 points by freshman Emily Marsh off the bench

BU held Northern Illinois, which entered the game averaging 83.0 points per game and had scored at least 80 points in five of six outings, to under 40 percent shooting for just the second time in 2017-18.

Marsh was 7-for-14 from the field and scored a season-best 16 points off the bench to lead Bradley. Sophomore Chelsea Brackmann had her first double-double of the season with 10 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots to join Marsh in double figures.

"We didn't hit our early looks, we had good shots and just couldn't finish early on which allowed them to get out in transition," said Bradley head coach Andrea Gorski. "Last few games we have been struggling to score and we need to get that figured out going forward."

After opening the game 0-for-10 from the field with six turnovers in the first seven minutes of the contest, the Braves recovered to make 20-of-52 shots (38.5 percent) and committed 14 turnovers over the final 33 minutes.

Northern Illinois (5-2 overall) scored the first 16 points of the game, before freshman Jailynn Lawson broke a near seven-minute scoreless stretch with Bradley's first hoop nearing the three-minute mark of the first quarter. Brackmann went on a personal 9-2 run of her own as the Braves (3-3 overall) pulled within seven points (18-11) with eight minutes left in the second.

The deficit was eight points (27-19) with just under five minutes left before halftime, but NIU hit a buzzer beater at the end of the second quarter to cap an 8-3 spurt to close the first half of play with a 35-22 lead.

The Huskies scored the first four points of the third quarter and extended the advantage to as many as 19 points midway through the third. Lawson followed up a putback basket with a three-pointer and later added a pair of free throws with 2:50 left in the third as she helped the Braves pull with 13 again at 51-38.

Northern Illinois scored the final six points of the third period, however, to build a 19-point cushion and the Braves got no closer in the fourth as the Huskies earned their fifth consecutive victory in the series with the 76-52 win.

Lawson nearly scored in double figures, collecting nine points, two assists and one block in 29 minutes off the bench as the BU reserves combined for 34 points.

NIU owned a 20-13 advantage in turnovers and turned those Bradley miscues into a 22-4 edge in points off turnovers. Mikayla Voigt led Northern Illinois with 22 points to pace three Huskies in double figures. Northern Illinois shot 37.9 percent from the field, but the Huskies did the bulk of their damage at the free throw line; making 20-of-26 from the charity stripe.

Bradley returns to action Saturday, hosting Illinois-Chicago in a 2 p.m. game at Renaissance Coliseum

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