Bradley women’s basketball (9-14, 3-9 MVC) traveled to Iowa last weekend to play Northern Iowa (12-11, 7-5 MVC) and Drake (15-8, 9-3 MVC) as they began the second half of conference play.
In their first game against the Panthers, the Braves got out to an early 14-13 lead at the end of the first quarter. Struggles began in the second, though, as Northern Iowa capitalized on Bradley’s mistakes and took a 10-point lead into halftime.
“What has been our downfall all year when we struggle is turnovers and lack of offensive execution,” head coach Kate Popovec-Goss said. “We really coughed the ball up early against both teams, and it put us in a tough situation, especially on the road.”
The Braves continued to fight in the second half, doubling their first-half point total in the third quarter alone, but they couldn’t overcome the Panthers’ high-powered offense and lost the game 69-51.
Bradley was led in scoring by senior guard Soleil Barnes, who had 14 points and shot 50% from the field. Senior guard-forward Tamia Perryman and senior guard Kaylen Nelson also broke double-digit points, with Perryman scoring 11 off the bench and Nelson scoring 10.
The Braves’ next game was two days later, on Sunday, when they traveled to Des Moines to play Drake. In their first matchup against the Bulldogs on Jan. 10, the Braves fought hard, but they lost 67-63
It was clear from the start that this game would go differently, as Drake got out to an early 8-2 lead as Bradley turned the ball over multiple times.
“I think Drake has kind of found a different rhythm and has found some elevated scoring since we last played them,” Popovec-Goss said. “These teams are going to be the same in terms of their identity. At this point in the year, they are who they are. It’s just about executing who you are and trying to take the other team out of that.”
The Braves battled their way back into the game, cutting the lead to only two at one point. However, a 13-4 run from the Bulldogs swung the game in their favor, and the closest Bradley could get the deficit down to was five.
“The biggest challenge for us is we have to really execute at a high level,” Popovec-Goss said. “I don’t think you have a lot of room for error, especially against these teams. When you don’t execute at a high level, particularly against the top teams in the league, they’re going to make you pay for it.”
The second half remained pretty much the same for the Braves, as they couldn’t string together any scoring runs to get back in the game after going into the break trailing by 13. Drake won 72-52.
Nelson led Bradley with 13 points, and Barnes was not far behind with 12. Sophomore guard-forward Claire McDougall scored 11 points on four-for-seven shooting.
After facing two of the conference’s most formidable teams, the Braves will travel to Evansville and Indiana State for their next two games. They have already beaten these two teams this season.
“We’re really excited about the month of February,” Popovec-Goss said. “We feel like that’s an opportunity for us to win. Winning on the road is hard, and we know that. The mental fortitude and toughness we have to show going into another road swing here with an opportunity to win two games has got to be a lot better.”
Tip-off for Bradley’s match against Evansville will be at 6 p.m. on Feb. 13, and game time against Indiana State is at 1 p.m. on Feb. 16. Both games are available to watch on ESPN+.
