Dec. 18, 2010
Box Score | Box Score 
Bradley 57, NIU 48
Renaissance Coliseum | Peoria, Ill.
|
|
|
1st |
2nd |
Final |
Northern Illinois
|
24 |
24 |
48 |
Bradley
|
28 |
29 |
57 |
|
|
|
Team Stats
|
NIU |
OPP |
FG Percentage
|
31.6 |
34.6 |
| 3-Point FG Percentage |
26.3 |
31.3 |
| FT Percentage |
70.0 |
84.2 |
Offensive Rebounds
|
14 |
13 |
| Defensive Rebounds |
23 |
26 |
| Total Rebounds |
37 |
39 |
Assists
|
9 |
9 |
Turnovers
|
15 |
14 |
Blocks
|
1 |
6 |
Steals
|
8 |
8 |
Points in the Paint
|
20 |
18 |
Points off Turnovers
|
15 |
12 |
|
|
| |
PEORIA, Ill. - The Northern Illinois women's basketball team held Bradley to just 34.6 percent shooting, but could not find an offensive groove in a 57-48 loss to the Braves, Saturday.
The Huskies (5-6) and Braves (7-3) hit the same amount of field goals and three-pointers, but a nine-point edge from the free throw line in favor of Bradley proved to be the difference. The Braves hit 16-of-19 shots from the stripe, including 14-of-16 in the second half. Free throws accounted for nearly half of Bradley's 29 second-period points. NIU only went to the line 10 times, hitting seven.
After jumping out to a 4-0 lead, the Huskies found themselves in an 11-point hole, 20-9, with 9:00 left in the first half. To get back in the game, NIU clamped down defensively. The Huskies allowed only two field goals and eight points by the Braves over the final 8:17 to climb to within four at halftime, 28-24.
Junior Courtney Shelton opened the second half with a jumper to continue the Huskie momentum. The shot catalyzed an 8-2 run for NIU that culminated with a steal and a lay-up by Marke Freeman to put the Huskies ahead 32-30.
The Braves responded with an 11-4 run to take a 41-36 lead. Katie Yohn scored four of her game-high 15 points during the spurt, which gave Bradley a lead that it would never relinquish.
Poor three-point shooting against Bradley's persistent 2-3 zone limited NIU offensively. One-third of the Huskies' field goal attempts were three-pointers, but they hit just 5-of-19 from downtown. Freeman and Shelton, two of the Mid-American Conference's top three long-range shooters, combined to go 2-of-13 from distance.
Freeman led NIU with 11 points and eight rebounds, plus tallied three assists and four steals. Sophomore Brittney Callahan tied her career-high with nine points, all in the first half. Shelton also scored nine with five rebounds. Behind Yohn, MacKenzie West and Raisa Taylor each put in 11 points for Bradley.
The game concluded a season-opening stretch of 10 road contests in 11 games for the Huskies, who play at home for just the second time this season against Loyola, Dec. 28 at 7 p.m.
