The 1,417 fans inside CFSB Center were treated to a massive game between Bradley and Murray State, and with about 30 seconds left, the Braves had one more opportunity to break the 70-70 deadlock.
But they missed.
Overtime was set, and both teams made changes to their game plan. Bradley was considered a massive underdog before tip-off but managed to stay within a reasonable margin all game.
From the start of overtime, it looked like the Braves had it locked. Freshman guard Maya Foz, the five-time MVC Freshman of the Week, scored six unanswered points, but former Bradley guard Halli Poock hit two consecutive threes for the Racers. After five minutes, the game still didn’t have a winner.
Murray State instead saved their best for the second overtime, holding the Braves to four and winning 93-82, handing them their first two losses in conference play.
Trouble in Tennessee
Two days beforehand, Bradley competed in their first game in 12 days against another conference opponent, Belmont. With a record of 6-7 at the time, the Bruins entered having won each of their first two MVC games and were looking to make it three.
The first quarter was an unfortunate offensive performance for the Braves, as they went down by eight twice. With only three minutes left, they still only put up three points. However, another six points from senior forward Amy O’Hara helped cut the lead to six when the first ten minutes were finished.
Fifth-year guard-forward Kaylen Nelson, who scored five in the first, continued her good run of form by scoring another five in the second and eventually finishing with 17. The halfway point of the game still didn’t favor Bradley, though, as Belmont was up 38-27.
Another ten minutes went by and the Bruins were still leading by double-digits despite going on an early 8-0 run. The Braves were slowly chipping away at the 18-point lead in the third, but they had to come back from 12 points down.
They didn’t.
Bradley scored 11 points to Belmont’s 20 after being forced to foul. The game ended 78-57 in favor of Belmont, who officially claimed a .500 record. Three other Bradley players scored ten or more, including O’Hara with 13, Foz with 11 and graduate guard-forward Tamia Perryman with 10.
Finished second in the race
Bradley’s matchup against Murray State started with a Racer layup only ten seconds into the game. Halfway through the first, the score was 6-2 in favor of Murray State, but a three-minute offensive explosion from Bradley followed that. Off that momentum, the Braves had an 18-14 lead over a potential MVC conference champion.
While they weren’t up by as much at halftime, Bradley was still doing quite well. Defensively, they gave up the lead early but regained it and matched Murray State’s consistency. A 30-29 score gave the Braves some hope to pull off the upset.
Once they left the locker room, leads were exchanged back and forth until the Racers forced Bradley to call a timeout with 2:25 left in the third. Down six, the Braves had to focus, and while that sentiment didn’t fully kick in until the fourth quarter, the game was still very much winnable.
Bradley hit shots from all around the court and Murray State was struggling to string together baskets and keep the winning margin intact. However, some fouls by the Braves, including sophomore guard Mya Wardle’s fifth and final one, sent the Racers to the free-throw line. They missed the final one, so it was still tied 70-70, and it took multiple overtime periods for Murray State to finally come through in the clutch.
