1,452 days. 207 weeks. 34,848 hours.
That’s how long the Bradley women’s basketball team went without a postseason win.
After Bradley (14-18, 7-13 MVC) defeated Valpo (13-19, 9-11 MVC) 64-58 in the first round of this year’s tournament, the streak is over.
The win is the first conference tournament victory for third-year head coach Kate Popovec-Goss. The Braves continue their best season under her leadership and will play top-seeded Murray State on Thursday.
After losing two close games to the Beacons in the regular season, Bradley came out looking to avenge those losses and advance in postseason play. Valpo started the game off hot, going on an early 12-4 run to lead 16-10 after the first quarter. From there, the Braves took over.
The Bradley defense, which ranked first in the conference during the regular season, held the Beacons to zero field goals through the entire second quarter and into the third. A 25-4 run gave the Braves a large lead, going into halftime up by two and leading by 11 at the end of the third quarter.
Their offense was on fire, particularly senior guards Kaylen Nelson and Soleil Barnes, who hit multiple three-point shots each to build the lead.
However, the Beacons did not go down without a fight. Their offense finally got going in the fourth quarter. After clawing their way back throughout the quarter, they cut the lead to just three with 37 seconds to play. Bradley held on, though, and hit three free throws down the stretch to ice the game.
The Braves advanced to the MVC tournament for the first time since the 2020-21 season, when they won the whole tournament and made their only NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament appearance.
Nelson scored 16 points, 11 of those coming in the third quarter when Bradley went on their big run. After missing the final regular season game with an injury, Barnes scored 11 points.
Junior forward Amy O’Hara scored a double-double, with 14 points and 12 rebounds. She was crucial for the Braves, especially when they struggled to score early and got six of their 10 first quarter points through her. Sophomore guard-forward Claire McDougall rounded out the double-digit point scorers with 11 points.
Bradley will face off against Murray State, which earned the top seed in the conference. The Racers statistically had the best offense in the Valley this year, and will go against the Braves ‘ ranked defense.
The two sides only met once this season, with Murray State coming out with an 81-55 victory. Bradley will be looking to avenge that loss and the loss they suffered to the Racers in last year’s conference tournament.
Tip-off is scheduled for noon on Friday, with fans being able to watch the game live on ESPN+.
