Redbirds Claim Valley Opener, 64-57

NORMAL, IL – Bradley fifth-year senior Gabi Haack scored a game-high 16 points, but a short-handed Illinois State squad got double-figures from five different players en route to a 64-57 win in the first round of the I-74 Rivalry Saturday afternoon at Redbird Arena.

Haack left the game with a knee injury with 6:00 remaining in the game and the Braves trailing, 55-48. Despite Haack's absence, the Braves came out of the injury timeout on a 7-0 run, pulling even, 55-55, on Nika Dorsey's driving layup with 2:46 left. The Redbirds halted the run with a Kayel Newland 3-pointer with 2:23 left, starting a 9-2 run to close the game.

Illinois State (5-7, 1-0 MVC) played without three key players due to…