The last time the Bradley women’s basketball team scored 85 or more points in their home opener was in 2013. When the last buzzer sounded on Saturday night, the score stood at 85-79 in Bradley’s favor against Southeast Missouri State.
Bradley avenged their 2017 loss to SEMO by shooting 52.8 percent from the field. The Braves had the support of a loud crowd at Renaissance Coliseum and held off runs by the Redhawks throughout the game.
After a SEMO 3-pointer with 9:13 left in the fourth quarter, the Braves found themselves down five but responded and soon led by two with 8:06 left to play. They never relinquished the lead again.
Sophomore guard Gabi Haack was crucial in taking the lead once and for all. Her six points early in the fourth quarter erased the Redhawks lead. Haack finished with 19 points in 35 minutes. Haack said she was proud of how the team played for each other and responded to the SEMO rallies.
“We played together tonight and trusted each other,” Haack said. “Everyone stepped up today. We were in foul trouble, but we helped each other out and had each others’ backs.”
Head coach Andrea Gorski said she was impressed with her team’s ability to come back and take the lead from SEMO.
“We matched their energy and in a couple of possessions were able to get a stop,” Gorski said. “We got scrappy and made some hustle plays. We found a found a way to win and I like our mentality.
Sophomore forward Nyjah White also contributed a career high 20 points on 8-10 shooting. Freshman guard Lasha Petree netted the most the points for a freshman debut in school history with 24. She was named MVC Newcomer of the Week for her performance.
Petree struggled to put her excitement into words upon hearing that she wrote her name in the record book. Her family was there to witness her 10-18 shooting performance to go along with one block, one steal and five rebounds.
“I couldn’t have done it without my teammates,” Petree said. “I didn’t think about it. [My record performance] kind of just happened. They passed me the ball and I tried to make smart decisions with it.”
Petree played alongside Haack for much of the game when starting senior guard Shunseere Kent began to struggle. Petree fit in seamlessly for Kent after making her first collegiate field goal at 8:41 in the second quarter.
“That’s a big task for a freshman and I thought she did well,” Gorski said. “[Kent] had a rough game and [Petree] stepped in. [Shunseere] will win several games for us this year, but it was nice to have someone who could come in and take over.”
Petree’s offensive burst happened while she also took on the most difficult defensive assignment, guarding SEMO sophomore Tesia Thompson.
“[Thompson] was good,” Petree said. “I definitely was scared at first because I had to step up as a freshman and she is experienced. It was an honor to step up and be the one to guard her on the team.”
The Braves will host Division II Rockhurst at 2 p.m. Sunday at Renaissance Coliseum.
