By: Julie Kestas, Katie Habryle & Kealia Wysocki
Freshman guard Lasha Petree set the record for most points in a season debut for a freshman with 24 points in the 85-79 win over Southeast Missouri State University last Saturday night at the Renaissance Coliseum.
Petree’s 24 points were a game-high for the Braves. Sophomore forward Nyjah White scored 20 points, while sophomore guard Gabi Haack trailed behind her with 19.
The Braves got off to a slow start, having a field goal percentage of 33.3% for the first quarter. Petree, the Michigan-native, didn’t begin her scoring rampage until the second quarter making six of her next seven shots.
“She was a little nervous at the beginning,” said Bradley Head Coach Andrea Gorski. “She’s just a scorer… I think when she hit that first basket, she realized ‘oh okay’. She’s a baller.”
With Petree’s help, the Braves went into halftime shooting 42.3% from the field, holding SEMO to a slim 30%. With the Braves in the lead, the score was a close 33-31 at the half. Coach Gorski thought the team could have performed better and had a simple solution for Petree heading into the rest of the contest.
“She said box out 24! That was the first thing on my mind,” said Petree. “I tried my best and she still had rebounds, but I feel we did a lot better in the second half as a team to try and contain her.”
SEMO’s sophomore guard, number 24, Tesia Thompson, paced the Redhawks with 32 points, while going 9-12 at the free throw line.
“I definitely was scared at first, but I had to step up because I am a freshman and she was experienced, but it was an honor to step up and guard her,” explained Petree.
SEMO came out firing first in the second half, tying the game 33-33, but the Braves pulled away going on a 9-0 run, highlighted by Haack’s three-pointer that added to a 42-33 lead.
Haack, going 6-7 at the free throw line and going 5-10 in the field, thought that the win was a full team effort.
“We played together tonight, we trusted each other… Lasha had a really good game, Nyjah had a really good game,” said Haack. “Everyone really stepped up today.”
The back-and-forth competition caused the lead between the two teams to change 11 times. SEMO, now 0-2 on the season, came back in the fourth quarter to give the Braves a run for their money, after bringing the score to a close 76-75 with just three minutes left to play.
After a few Bradley breakaways, the Redhawks would not back down, however they were finally silenced by Petree’s three-pointer to give her team the 83-77 lead with only 1:10 to play in the game. Coach Gorski thought the battle was a well-earned win.
“I like how we had a lead then SEMO came back and took the lead. We didn’t look at eachother and put our chins down,” said Gorski. “We just trusted the process, trusted each other… I thought we matched our energy and made some hustle-plays… We found a way to win.”
As the game concluded, Bradley finished with 52.8% shooting from the field and held SEMO to a percentage of 39.2%.
The Braves, looking to stay undefeated, will continue their season as they play Rockhurst at 2 p.m. on November 18th at the Renaissance Coliseum.
Sophomore Gabi Haack attempts a three-point shot in the match-up against SEMO.
Sophomore Gabi Haack attempts a free-throw in the game against SEMO. Haack was 6-7 at the free-throw line in the contest.
Freshman Tatum Koenig drives to the basket against SEMO defenders.
Sophomore Nyjah White guards SEMO’s Tesia Thompson.
The Bradley Cheer team rallies the crowd with chanting during the SEMO game.
Sophomore Nyjah White looks to pass the ball to freshman Lasha Petree to avoid a SEMO defender.
Freshman Lasha Petree attempts a three-point shot in the game against SEMO. She was 2-4 on the night in three-pointers.
Junior Chelsea Brackmann encourages her team during a heated moment against SEMO.