Missouri State MSU 9-8, 5-1 MVC

Bradley BRAD 9-7, 3-2 MVC

Missouri State MSU

9-8, 5-1 MVC

Final

Jan. 14, 2018

Bradley BRAD

9-7, 3-2 MVC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	3	4	F
Missouri State MSU	21	16	15	19	71
Bradley BRAD	20	21	11	13	65

Box Score

Duane Zehr

Braves Fall To Missouri State 71-65

Box Score

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | 1/14/2018 5:19:00 PM

PEORIA, Ill. -- In a game which featured 13 lead changes and eight ties, a 13-3 Missouri State run to close the contest was the difference as the Bears handed Bradley Women's Basketball a 71-65 setback Sunday afternoon at Renaissance Coliseum.

Senior Anneke Schlueter tied for game-high honors with a season-best 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting to pace three Braves in double figures. She finished one rebound short of her first career double-double with nine boards, one block and a pair of steals. Junior Shunseere Kent added 12 points of her own, while freshman Gabi Haack scored 12 points and hauled down nine rebounds for Bradley (9-7 overall, 3-2 MVC), which slipped to fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference standings with the loss.

"You have to make winning plays at the end of the game," said Bradley head coach Andrea Gorski. "We were down two possessions with a minute something to go and you just have to make plays at those times. You have to want it more and the last two minutes of the game they (Missouri State) just wanted it more. We are darn close. I thought we played great basketball up until the last couple minutes."

Missouri State (9-8 overall, 5-1 MVC) had the biggest lead of the day with 7:25 to play in the second quarter, building a seven-point cushion (29-22) on a Brice Calip hoop. Schlueter answered with a three-point play and later knocked down a three-pointer to pull Bradley within one at 29-28 with six minutes to play in the period.

A 9-0 BU run, which was part of an 11-2 spurt to close the second quarter would give the Braves a 41-37 lead at the break. Freshman Nyjah White started the run with a layup and Kent followed a defensive stop with a three-pointer to tie the game at 35-35. White assisted a Chelsea Brackmann layup and Haack had a breakaway layup as Bradley scored nine points in less than a two-minute span. The teams traded baskets in the final minute and a Brackmann basket was too late for the second quarter horn and was waved off as Bradley led 41-37 at the half.

After shooting 50 percent in the first half, Bradley was just 3-for-9 from the field in the third quarter. Haack hit both of her three-pointers during the third period and tied the game at 52-52 with a triple in the closing seconds of the frame.

The Braves scored the first four points of the fourth quarter on a Schlueter jumper and a Vanessa Markert layup to go in front 56-52. The BU lead was still four points (62-58) closing in on six minutes to play after a Schlueter three-pointer.

Bradley came up empty on its next five possessions, however, and Missouri State rattled off 10 consecutive points to go back in front 68-62. Alexa Willard hit a baseline jumper to start the spurt and Calip had an offensive rebound and layup following a BU miss to tie the score at 62-62. Calip hit a floater in the lane to give the Bears a 64-62 lead and Willard hit another pull-up jumper after a Calip steal. A pair of free throws by Lee Ann Polowy free throws gave Missouri State a 68-62 edge with just under three minutes to play.

Haack broke a near four-minute scoreless stretch for Bradley with a putback basket to pull the Braves within four (68-64) with 2:24 on the clock, but it was the final hoop of the game for Bradley. With Missouri State leading 69-64 a Liza Fruendt layup with 28.8 seconds left matched the largest lead of the game for either team at seven (71-64). Missouri State held Bradley to 1-for-7 shooting with four turnovers and just two free throw attempts in the final 11 possessions (final six minutes) as the Bears scored 13 of the last 16 points of the contest to pull out the 71-65 victory.

Schlueter moved into a tie with former teammate Leti Lerma for 23rd in career scoring at Bradley at 905 career points following her season-best 18-point effort.

Willard matched Schlueter for game-high honors with 18 points to lead four Missouri State players in double figures.

Bradley opens a two-game road swing Friday with a 6 p.m. (CST) contest at Indiana State.

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