CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Junior Katie Yohn (Elgin, Ill./St. Edward) collected seven points, an assists and two steals to key an 11-0 second-half run and help Bradley pull away for a 72-59 road win at Southern Illinois Thursday.
The win snapped a two-game skid for the Braves, who improved to a perfect 6-0 in true road games. BU has won eight consecutive road games dating back to last season and three straight MVC road games.
Bradley (10-5 overall, 2-0 MVC) never trailed in the contest, scoring the first nine points of the game and held a 35-25 lead at the half.
Playing its first home game in a month, Southern Illinois (3-10 overall, 0-3 MVC) pulled within four points early in the second half and stayed in striking distance until Yohn keyed BU's second half run.
The Salukis trimmed Bradley's lead to 56-50 with 7:47 to play on a Teri Oliver three-pointer, before freshman Michelle Young (Woodbury, Minn./Woodbury) opened the Bradley run with a jumper and senior MacKenzie Westcott (Williamsburg, Iowa/Williamsburg) made a pair of free throws with five and a half minutes left to push the lead to 10.
Young had a steal on the next SIU possession and Yohn assisted a Westcott breakaway layup giving BU a 62-50 lead. Yohn then capped the runs with seven consecutive points, opening the stretch with a steal and layup. She followed it with a three-point play and another Yohn steal and layup gave the Braves a 69-50 advantage with just under four minutes left.
Yohn later added a three-pointer and collected 14 points, three rebounds, one assist and steals in the second half.
Senior Leah Kassing (Mt. Sterling, Ill./Brown County) had 18 points, eight rebounds and three blocks ending a streak of four consecutive double-doubles. Yohn finished with 17 points, while Westcott turned in her third double-double of the year with 10 points and 10 rebounds to help pace the Braves.
Oliver entered the game as the second leading scorer in the MVC at nearly 19 points per game, but was held 12 points. Freshman Cartaesha Macklin led Southern Illinois with a game-high 19 points in 38 minutes of play. The Salukis were averaging a league-best 7.1 three-pointers, but made just 5-of-20 three-pointers.
Bradley returns to action Sunday, facing Evansville in a 1 p.m. game at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind. The game will be broadcast on WIRL 1290 AM, with the pre-game show beginning at 12:40 p.m.
