TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State women's basketball fell to Bradley, 91-75, on Jan. 5 in Peoria, Ill. On Thursday evening, the Sycamores battled Bradley well into the fourth quarter, even holding a second half lead, but ultimately fell to the visiting Braves, 68-59.
 
The Sycamores moved to 5-24, 3-14 in the Missouri Valley Conference while Bradley improved to 21-7, 12-5 in the MVC.
 
Junior leadership played a key role in helping the Sycamores compete with the Braves, as Marie Hunter and Jamyra McChristine both tallied double-digit points for the Trees. Hunter ended her game with a team-high 18 points to go along with four rebounds and three assists, while McChristine earned her fourth double-double of the year with 16 points and 10 boards.
 
As a team, Indiana State converted on 21-of-56 attempts from the field for 37.5 percent, including a 7-of-15 mark from behind the arc, while Bradley ended 22-of-49 for 44.9 percent and ended 8-of-21 from the floor.
 
The Blue & White did manage to make things uncomfortable for the Braves, as ISU forced 20 Bradley turnovers and ended their day with 10 steals, including three from Sommer Pitzer. Bradley ended the evening with eight steals.
 
Perhaps the biggest factor in the game was the rebounding edge for BU. The Braves pulled down 40 rebounds, including 12 on the offensive end, while ISU finished the game with 28 boards. Despite the rebounding difference, Indiana State did manage to outscore the Braves in the paint, 24-22.
 
There was no shortage of offense in the early going of the game, as both teams settled into a rhythm early. Bradley opened with the first four points of the game, but the Sycamores got it going after a triple by Hunter made it 7-5 in favor of BU at 7:59.
 
Bradley managed to open up a 19-12 lead at the 3:12 mark thanks to a jumper by Chelsea Brackmann, but the Trees responded with back-to-back layups by Hunter and McChristine to make it 20-16 at the quarter break.
 
Lasha Petree opened up the second period with a free throw to push the Bradley lead to five, but ISU made sure the Braves wouldn't be able to pull away. Del'Janae Williams knocked down her first three of the game with 7:50 on the clock to pull within 22-21 and McChristine would convert a layup attempt 20 second later to make it 24-23 in favor of Bradley.
 
The Braves would use a 5-0 spurt, capped off by a Gabi Haack three at 4:25, to push their lead back to six. Both teams would exchange baskets over the next three minutes before ISU ended the quarter with four points from McChristine and Caitlin Anderson to make it just a one-point game, 36-35, at halftime.
 
It didn't take long for the momentum to carry over into the second half for the Trees. Pitzer came out of the locker room and immediately nailed a three-pointer with 9:27 on the clock to give the Sycamores their first lead of the game, 38-36. Bradley would respond with their own triple to reclaim the lead, but Hunter got to the charity stripe at the 7:52 mark to give ISU the lead back, 40-39.
 
Petree was determined to keep the Braves in front, however, as the All-MVC sophomore guard connected on back-to-back three pointers, forcing the Sycamores into a timeout while trailing 45-40 with 5:23 left in the third quarter. A string of three free throws by Anderson and Williams at 1:59 would pull the Trees back to within four, but Bradley took a 48-43 lead into the final frame.
 
Much like how the Sycamores started the third quarter, Bradley started the fourth by knocking down a three to push their lead to 51-43. Junior CeCe Mayo would respond with a triple of her own on the next possession, but again the Braves managed to answer with a jumper by Brackman.
 
Williams would pull the Blue & White to within four thanks to a triple at 7:25, but that's as close as ISU would be able to get despite pulling to within five on five separate occasions during the fourth quarter, giving Bradley the 68-59 victory.
 
Petree led the Braves on Thursday, ending her game with 24 points, six rebounds and three steals.
 
The Sycamores return to the Hulman Center on Saturday for the final regular season contest when they welcome the Illinois State Redbirds to Terre Haute at 2 p.m.
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Women's Basketball team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.