PEORIA, Ill. – Drake women's basketball dropped its second straight game on Thursday night as the Bulldogs suffered an 85-79 defeat at Bradley. The loss marked the Braves' second over Drake this year, giving Bradley its first regular season sweep of Drake since the 2009-10 campaign.
 
Maggie Taylor finally got the Bulldogs on the board after Drake turned it over on three of its first four possessions. Taylor slipped behind a Bradley defender to earn the Dogs' first two points of the night on the inside, countering five unanswered by Bradley to open.
 
Despite the cold start, Drake hung around for much of the first quarter, keeping things within a score or two. The Bulldogs were dealt a blow just before the first period media break as reserve forward Brooklin Dailey was flagged for her second foul of the evening, forcing her to the bench for the remainder of the first frame.
 
The Braves got another jolt going into the second period as Tamia Perryman sank two free throws and Micah Cooper converted a fast break opportunity as time expired, giving Bradley a 20-12 lead after the opening stanza.
 
Drake scored the first two baskets of the second quarter as the visitors started to chip away at their deficit. Quinn Vice led the Bulldog charge, scoring seven points in a short stretch to cut the difference to just one.
 
Six straight points, including back-to-back transition twos, from Illinois native Lexi Carlsen eventually knotted the tally at 32-all, but Nelson and the Braves were able to regain their lead as the game clock wound toward halftime.
 
A Perryman three with under 10 seconds on the ticker doubled the Brave-favored difference, which sat at 44-38 at the break.
 
The second half started in similar fashion to the first, with Drake struggling to find an offensive footing. The Braves logged three of the first four makes to balloon their lead into double digits for the first time in the game.
 
Drake refused to go away, however, as the Dogs chopped the Bradley lead back down to four on makes by Dailey, Knutson, and Taedyn Gray in her first action of the evening. Lexi Carlsen added to the Drake challenge as the third quarter horn sounded with a high-arching 3-pointer to beat the buzzer. Bradley led 60-54 with 10 minutes to play.
 
It then took nearly two minutes before either team could scratch onto the scoreboard in the fourth quarter, but Anna Becker broke that spell with a contested two inside. The Braves did what they had been doing all night: immediately answered. Bradley was able to settle back into a rhythm and regrow their lead into double figures.
 
Drake looked to start another comeback effort when Carlsen converted an old fashioned 3-point play. Bradley head coach Kate Popovec-Goss was eventually forced to spend a timeout when Gray buried a corner three, her first successful long ball of the season, which cut the margin to just six.
 
Gray, who matched her career high with 13 points in the second half, banked two more in from the left block to keep the Drake rally alive. Becker nailed a step-back trey with just over 60 seconds remaining, but an Amy O'Hara deuce kept Bradley's slim advantage intact.
 
Suzie Glazer Burt Head Coach Allison Pohlman took her turn calling a timeout with 36.6 seconds left to give the Dogs a fighting chance, but the Braves had just enough to secure the 85-79 result.
 
"We can't just come on the road and let a team shoot 48 percent from three and think we executed a game plan," Pohlman said. "Bradley has two of the best 3-point shooters in the league and we let them get loose. We were uninspired in the first quarter, and that's on me and the coaching staff. We did some things that are uncharacteristic of us, but we did find a couple things that worked for us. But really just can't play like that on the road and expect to win."
 
Gray's 13 points mirrored Anna Becker's baker's dozen to lead the Drake offensive effort. Lexi Carlsen added 12, just one shy of her season best, while Quinn Vice notched 11 points and led all rebounders with seven.
 
The Bulldogs will be back in action this Sunday, Feb. 1, when rival UNI comes to town. Drake and the Panthers will face off at 2 p.m. in the Knapp Center as part of Drake Basketball's annual Des Moines' Hometown Team Weekend.
 
 
Notes

• Drake's loss dropped its records to 6-14 overall and a 5-5 in the Missouri Valley Conference.
• The Bulldogs are now 4-5 away from home this season.
• Bradley's win swept the regular season series with Drake, marking the first time the Braves have completed that feat since the 2009-10 campaign.
• Drake shot 44.4 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from 3-point range, and 65.4 percent from the free throw line.
• The Bulldogs and Braves were all square on the glass with 35 rebounds each.
• Drake outscored the Braves 38-26 in the paint and 13-8 on second-chance opportunities.
• All 10 active players checked in and scored at least two points for Drake.
• Taedyn Gray and Anna Becker were tied atop the Drake stat sheet with 13 points apiece.
• Gray's effort matched her career high.
• Lexi Carlsen added 12, just one shy of her season best.
• Quinn Vice notched 11 points and led all rebounders with seven.
• Drake is now 71-20 all-time against Bradley and 30-12 vs. the Braves in Peoria.