Bradley women’s basketball is set to host Illinois State tomorrow in a rematch of a 64-57 loss at Redbird Arena on Jan. 1. The Braves are hoping for a different outcome in their final game of the regular season.
The situation the Braves are in now is different than it was at the turn of the new year.
Bradley entered that game 3-6 on the season and tallied its seventh loss in a row. The appearance was the final of the season for senior Gabi Haack as she suffered a season-ending knee injury, and the Braves would ultimately drop nine more contests before beating Evansville on Feb. 6.
Despite the adversity that the Braves encountered, the first contest between the teams was a close one. With the game tied at 55 late in the fourth quarter, the Redbirds responded with a 9-2 run to close the game. Haack led all scorers with 16 points, while Mary Crompton and Jasmine McGinis-Taylor paced Illinois State’s attack with 15 points and eight rebounds, respectively.
In the absence of Haack, several of the Braves seniors have taken on larger roles. That includes Tatum Koenig and Chloe Rice, who will be honored along with Haack and fellow senior Aannah Interrante as part of the senior day ceremony.
Koenig enters Saturday’s contest averaging 12.3 points per game, while Rice has chipped in an average of just under five points in her 25 appearances. Koenig has started each of the Braves’ 26 contests and Rice has started 11, while the Braves have trotted out a nation-high 16 different starting lineups.
Other frequent starters include junior Sierra Morrow (20), who leads the team with 5.4 rebounds per game and is fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference with 39 blocks, freshman Caroline Waite (19), who is tied for 37th nationally with 67 three-point makes, and freshman Abbie Draper, who is fourth on the team in rebounding with 3.9 boards per game.
Following tomorrow’s matchup, the Braves are eligible to earn a nine-seed at Hoops in the Heartland with a win and an Evansville loss. The conference tournament will begin on March 10.
