Bradley (2-1) women’s basketball bounced back strong on Sunday, defeating Central Michigan (0-3) on the road by a final score of 66-57.
The Braves jumped out to a 20-8 lead over the Chippewas in the first quarter and controlled the game from there.
“Our goal was to punch them in the mouth early,” senior guard Kaylen Nelson said. “We were trying to come out and jump on them strong in the first quarter. So when they went on the little run that they did, it didn’t put them back in the game.”
Nelson, in her third game since returning from a season-ending knee injury she suffered last year, led the team with 17 points after shooting 5-11 from the field and going 7-8 at the free throw line. She was on the floor for 33 minutes, the most since her return.
“I was super proud of Kaylen,” head coach Kate Popovec-Goss said. “She did a really good job playing like herself. I’m excited for her to continue to build off that performance and I think that she will, she’s doing a fantastic job.”
Following Nelson in scoring were guards Ruba Abo Hashesh and Soleil Barnes, each with 11 points. The team captains played significant roles in leading the team to victory.
“Ruba has been playing tremendously well for us right now,” Popovec-Goss said. “She’s truly playing like a veteran point guard. She sets the tone with her defensive identity, her decision-making, and her refuse to lose mentality. She’s taken on a leadership role for us, and I think that the team feeds off her energy.”
“Soleil has confidence, she’s been in tough moments,” Popovec-Goss added. “She didn’t play her best game, but her buckets and her leadership was everything whenever we needed a big play. She took a huge charge when they cut the lead to five, and her bucket brought it back to seven and then we went on a run.”
Barnes, a graduate transfer from Toledo, had plenty of experience playing against Central Michigan.
“[Barnes] gave us a lot of the rundown and what she saw when she played them,” Nelson said. “She’s won a lot of championships [at Toledo] so just having her say so from her mind and getting all the intel that we can from her. She helped us a lot, physically and mentally.”
Slow starts marred Bradley last year, so as they continue to build their identity for this year, the Braves have recognized and improved on some of their struggles through the early part of the season.
“Everything for us focuses on defense,” Popovec-Goss said. “We identified that we wanted to start with stops and then have the mentality to reward ourselves and have confidence on offense. ”
Bradley returns home for their next game on Thursday to take on Indiana University Indianapolis. Tip-off is at 11 a.m. in the Renaissance Coliseum.
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