Southern Illinois University
15-11, 7-8MVC
Bradley University
20-6, 11-4MVC
Late comeback falls short for Salukis at Bradley
02/27/2020 | 11:01:00 | Women's Basketball
Southern erased a 17-point fourth quarter deficit but was unable to complete the comeback.
PEORIA, Ill. — The Southern Illinois University women's basketball team had a chance to take the lead with :24 seconds to play despite trailing by as many as 17 in the fourth quarter, but were unable to convert as the Salukis fell to the Bradley Braves, 61-57 inside Renaissance Coliseum Thursday night.
The Braves used a 16-1 run over a six-minute stretch to take a 52-35 lead with 8:51 remaining in regulation. Just as it began to look as though the game had gotten away from SIU, the Salukis began a furious comeback in which they outscored Bradley, 22-5 over the next 8:27 to tie the contest at 57-all. Makenzie Silvey scored 11 points during the run, while Kristen Nelson chipped in eight, including the game-tying three-ball with :32 seconds to play.
"I thought our kids played with a lot of heart in the fourth quarter and really gave us an opportunity to win the game," seventh-year head coach Cindy Stein said. "We just couldn't come up with a basket when we needed it."
After Nelson's three-pointer tied the contest, Bradley drew a foul and Chelsea Brackmann made one of two to give the Braves a 58-57 lead. Southern had the ball with a chance to take the lead, but a costly turnover coupled with three-straight Bradley free throws sealed the win for the home team.
SIU's defense kicked it into high gear in the fourth stanza. Southern held Bradley to just one field goal in the period and the Braves shot just 16.7% from the floor. On the other end, the Salukis knocked down four of their seven threes in the frame and shot 57.1% from behind the arc.
Despite its strong fourth quarter, Southern struggled offensively for much of the contest. In the third quarter, the Salukis shot just 25-percent (3-of-12) from the field and the Braves took advantage, as they converted at a 71.4% (5-of-7) clip. Bradley outscored SIU, 18-8 in the third quarter as they turned a five-point, halftime advantage into a 15-point lead heading into the fourth.
"We didn't play well for much of the game," Stein said. "You have to give Bradley credit- they took it at us and they were extremely aggressive in the first half. It took us three quarters to figure that out. We didn't play the way we wanted to and we constantly had to play from behind."
The Salukis were led in scoring by Silvey, who finished with a team-high 16 points to go along with four boards and two steals. Abby Brockmeyer added 12 points, seven rebounds and three steals while Nelson chipped in 12 points.
The Salukis finished with 13 steals in the contest to set a NCAA era school-record for most consecutive games with double-digit takeaways. Southern's seven-straight games with 10-plus steals surpasses the previous best of six, set by the 1994-95 Salukis.
Southern concludes the road portion of the 2019-20 regular season on Sunday at Illinois State. Tip-off against the Redbirds is set for 2 p.m.
