Just as things were looking up for the Bradley women’s basketball team, this past weekend sent the Braves back to the drawing board. Losses to Missouri State and Wichita State last weekend put the Braves at 3-10 in the conference, with only five games remaining before the Missouri Valley Conference tournament.
Looking for their fourth conference win of the season, the Braves were up at halftime 24-21, but their lead disappeared as soon as the second half started. Missouri State went on a 15-5 run and never relinquished that lead for the duration of the game. The Bears held a 21-point advantage at one point, but the team chipped away at the deficit, narrowing it down to eight as Bradley lost 61-69.
“They were able to pressure us in some situations and forced us to make turnovers at some big moments,” head coach Michael Brooks said. “I don’t think we came out as aggressive as they did in the second half.”
Brooks continued to talk about the impact that Missouri State’s Tyonna Snow had on the game and how her aggression stymied the Braves offensive production.
“[She] was a big game changer for them in the way she attacked the ball,” Brooks said. “They made a switch and put her on Anneka Schleuter and really attacked her because she was having a great game shooting the ball. That got [Schleuter] on her heels and got her out of her rhythm.”
Schleuter was a bright spot for the Braves, finishing with 20 points. However, the highlight of the day for Bradley came from senior Michelle Young, who scored her 1,000 career point in the game.
“Anytime a kid gets an individual accomplishment, it shows how hard of a worker they are,” Brooks said. “She has been the heartbeat of this team defensively for many years, and it’s great to see her get that accomplishment.”
Brooks was adamant that the team played the better game against Missouri State.
“Other than that five minute stretch to start the second half, we beat that team,” Brooks said. “We physically abused them and took them out of what they wanted to do on their home court in the first 20 minutes…that 15-5 run was a killer for us.”
That sentiment wasn’t felt after the loss to Wichita State last Sunday. The Braves were never in control of the game against the Shockers, as they forced 28 Bradley turnovers and converted those into 36 points. Coincidentally, that was the total point value for the Braves in the game as they lost 36-66.
“They attacked us,” Brooks said. “The top three scorers on their team are seniors who came at us and attacked us and attacked the ball in our hands. They hit us, knocked us down on the ground, didn’t help us up, [and] they were more physical than us, they wanted it more than us, and they were playing at a very high level.”
The Shockers, who Brooks believes to be the best team in the conference, certainly did play at a high level, as they shot 52 percent from the floor in the game.
The Braves look to bounce back tonight as they host Loyola at 7 p.m. in Renaissance Coliseum.
