Salukis Fall to Bradley in Low-Scoring Slugfest

Sunday, February 15

Carbondale, Ill.

4 P.M.

Southern Illinois University

9-14,6-8MVC

Bradley

18-8,11-4MVC

Bradley

Southern Ill.

Indya Green

02/15/2026 | 10:25:00 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: Peter Borkowski

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Sunday afternoon featured Southern Illinois women's basketball (9-14, 6-8) playing host to Bradley (18-8, 11-4). On Blackout Cancer Night, the Salukis and Braves battled hard for 40 minutes, ultimately ending in a 56-53 Bradley win.

"I asked our kids for 40 minutes to fight," says head coach Kelly Bond-White. "Not for us, but to show gratefulness of the people who are battling real fights every single day…I told them when times got tough, to think about the battle that folks face and that's what I am proud of: the fight that was representative of tonight."

Inside the Box Score

Alayna Kraus led all scorers with 18 points.
Indya Green collected another double-double on the season with 16 points and 13 boards.
The Saluki defense did their part, holding the Braves to 35.6% shooting from the field and 15% from beyond the arc.

How it Happened

First Quarter
The Braves kicked off the game with a pair of threes bookending a Green make. However, eight straight Southern points quickly gave the Salukis a 10-6 lead. The Braves managed to tie things up at 10 all before the squads traded buckets for the remainder of the quarter. The last score came courtesy of Kraus to make it 14-12 Southern at the first break.

Second Quarter
SIU started the second with a 4-0 run to extend their lead to six points. A pair of Bradley baskets made it a one-possession game, but a three from Kraus and Green free throws gave Southern a 23-16 lead.

A trio of Bradley scores made it just a one-point game, but Kraus got the lead back to three with a jumper at 1:12. With just 18 seconds left, Bradley pulled back within a single point, but the quarter ended with a Green layup to give Southern a 27-24 lead at halftime.

Third Quarter
The first seven points of the second half belonged to SIU, giving them a 10-point advantage. Bradley did not back down however, using a 4-0 run to make it 34-28. After five free throw makes, three of which belonged to the Braves, the squads exchanged scores to set the Saluki lead at 38-33.

Kraus hit a pair of freebies to briefly extend the Southern lead, but a timely three from the visitors cut their deficit down to four. SIU could only muster up a free throw in response before a Bradley layup made it a one possession game again. Karris Allen fit one free throw in the closing seconds of the quarter to give SIU a 42-38 lead heading into the final 10 minutes of regulation.

Fourth Quarter
Green hit a layup to start the fourth frame before a four-point Bradley spree brought the Braves within two. A layup from Green made the SIU lead four, but another 4-0 Bradley run tied things up at 46-46 with 4:36 to play.

A layup from Green briefly gave Southern the lead back, but back-to-back layups from Bradley gave them their first lead since the first quarter. A Kraus free throw that made it a one-point game was the final score for two-and-a-half minutes of action until the 0:58 mark when the Braves extended their lead to three.

Kynnedi Davis hit a layup with 38 seconds on the clock to pull SIU back within one, but a pair of Bradley free throws made it a three-point difference again. Kraus had a chance to tie the match with three free throws but only converted on two attempts to make it a one-point game again.

Bradley iced the game with two freebies, setting the final score at 56-53.

Up Next
SIU concludes a this three-game homestand on Thursday, Feb. 19, when they host UNI at 6 p.m.

Follow the Salukis
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on Twitter at @SIU_WBasketball, on Instagram at @SIU_WBasketball, and on Facebook at Facebook.com/SalukiAthletics. Fans can also download the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.