Southern Illinois University’s women’s basketball team opened its Missouri Valley Conference schedule with a 64-47 loss to Bradley in Peoria on Thursday. The Salukis, who had returned to play after an 11-day break, struggled offensively despite a strong defensive showing.
Assistant coach Greg Brown commented on the team’s performance, stating, “We did a lot of things we talked about doing; we executed. I think we did a lot of good things except finish it.”
Indya Green led Southern Illinois with 16 points, while Alayna Kraus contributed 11 points. Karris Allen was the top rebounder for the Salukis with five boards. Tkiyah Nelson added three assists and two steals during the game.
The match began with both teams going scoreless for over a minute before Green scored the first basket for SIU. The teams traded leads early in the first quarter, but Bradley held a three-point advantage at the end of the period.
In the second quarter, Southern Illinois faced challenges scoring and trailed by as many as 13 points before closing the gap slightly before halftime. At intermission, Bradley led 26-18.
The Salukis started the third quarter strongly, reducing Bradley’s lead to two points. Kayla Cooper’s three-pointer gave SIU a brief lead, but Bradley responded and built their advantage back up. The Braves led 43-36 going into the final quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Southern Illinois narrowed the deficit several times, but Bradley consistently answered with timely baskets. With just over six minutes remaining, Bradley extended their lead to double digits and finished the game on an 8-1 run.
Southern Illinois will next play at home against Judson on Saturday, December 20 at noon.
Fans can follow updates about the team through its social media accounts or by downloading the “Salukis” mobile app from either the App Store or Google Play Store.
