Bradley women’s basketball (12-17, 6-12 MVC) hosted their final two home games of the season, taking on Valparaiso (12-17, 8-10 MVC) and the University of Illinois Chicago (12-15, 9-9 MVC).
The Braves entered the weekend looking to redeem themselves after losing to the Beacons and Flames on the road earlier in the season.
Beacons break their hearts
Bradley was fresh off an upset win over Illinois State and looking to keep their momentum going against Valparaiso. When the two sides met earlier in the season, the Beacons defended their home court and won 59-52.
It appeared to be more of the same in the first half of Thursday’s matchup, as the Braves struggled with turnovers and allowed Valparaiso to jump out with a 35-22 lead at halftime. Bradley made two field goals in the second quarter, and they needed an offensive spark to get back into the game.
The spark didn’t seem to be coming, though, as Valpo continued to grow their lead in the third quarter. After a layup from Beacons sophomore guard Nevaeh Jackson, the lead was up to 21 points. Bradley closed out the quarter with five free throws to cut into the lead a little, but they needed a big fourth quarter if they wanted to pull off the comeback.
From the moment the fourth quarter started, there was a sense that the Braves did not want to let this game get away from them. They were able to get the lead down to 10 before Valpo got it back to 14.
From there, Bradley went on a 20-5 run, powered by five three-point shots after the team had hit just three all game before the run. Senior guard Kaylen Nelson was especially clutch, hitting the final three shots from beyond the arc to give the Braves their first lead since the first quarter.
With a one-point lead, Bradley just needed to survive the final 25 seconds to escape with the win. However, after two missed free throws, the Beacons had one final chance to win the game. Valpo senior guard Leah Earnest, who had only hit four out of her first 21 shots in this game, nailed a three pointer with seven seconds to play. With no timeout, the Braves had to take a chance from halfcourt to try and win. The shot fell short, though, and Valpo barely escaped with the victory.
“You have to be able to come in and mentally execute for 40 minutes,” head coach Kate Popovec-Goss said. “We didn’t do that, you saw when we mentally executed for 15 minutes what we’re capable of.”
Bradley had four players in double-digit scoring. Freshman forward Ellie McDermid recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Senior guard Soleil Barnes scored 13 points. Nelson, who hit multiple clutch three-point shots, finished with 12 points. Sophomore guard Claire McDougall rounded out the group with 11 points.
Despite the loss, this likely will not be the final meeting between the two teams. They are on course to play each other again in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament, which begins on March 13.
Flames burn out
Following the defeat, the Braves were determined to bounce back and win their final home game of the season as they hosted UIC.
Before the game, the team honored senior guards Barnes, Ruba Abo Hashesh and Katy Wade. The team also honored Nika Dorsey, who played for three seasons but was forced to medically retire following an injury that prevented her from playing this year.
“They mean so much to the team,” Popovec-Goss said. “This was an important win. We wanted to send our seniors out, and they deserve it. This group has been committed to what we’ve been doing, they deserve to go out this way.”
Bradley started much better against the Flames than they had against Valpo. After some back-and-forth scoring to begin the game, the Braves went on an 8-0 run to take the lead after the first quarter. That grew to a 12-point lead with 6:48 to play until halftime. UIC recovered, though, and finished the quarter on a 15-3 run to go into the break tied.
Bradley returned from the locker room and regained control of the game, starting the quarter on an 11-3 run. Once again, though, the Flames restored the tie heading into the final quarter. The Braves began the fourth with a three-point shot from McDermid to retake the lead; from there, Bradley maintained their momentum.
“Ellie has a confidence to her, she’s a tough kid,” Popovec-Goss said. “It’s not easy to start every single game as a freshman and have to play through what she’s played through. Her growth doesn’t surprise me, and when you put her in a position to be successful, she takes advantage of it every single time.”
Following McDermid’s make, Bradley got off to a 9-0 run. Barnes took over the game, scoring 10 points in the final quarter en route to a 20-point night. She also set a new career high in rebounds with nine, helping the Braves dominate the boards and out-rebound UIC 37-26.
“There’s a lot of things I haven’t really displayed throughout the season, and rebounding is definitely one of them,” Barnes said. “Helping out our forwards was a big thing. They’re boxing out the big guards, and our guards needed to come in and get the rebounds, so I did just that.”
Bradley won the game 65-54, closing out the year with an 8-6 record at home. It also redeemed their earlier loss in the season to the Flames, as they lost that contest 52-49.
“I think we were a different team than we were when we first saw them,” Barnes said. “There were times in this game where we had to adjust, and we adjusted quicker than we did in the first game, and I think we hindered them a lot better today.”
Barnes’ 20-point performance was the ninth time she’s eclipsed that mark this season. McDermid finished with 15 points and was one rebound away from her second double-double in as many games. Nelson scored 11 points, including shooting three-for-five from three-point range.
The Braves have just two regular-season games remaining. They’ll travel to Southern Illinois and Missouri State to close out the year before conference play begins.
“I’m excited to see what we can continue to do,” Popovec-Goss said. “We’ve got two tough ones on the road and then the conference tournament. Let’s see where the chips fall.”
