Nov. 21, 2003

Final Stats

ST. LOUIS - Saint Louis University women's basketball rallied to a 62-55 victory over Bradley in the season opener for both team's tonight at the Bauman-Eberhardt Center. After trailing much of the second half, the Billikens held the Braves scoreless over the final 2-1/2 minutes to claim the win.

After going up two at the break on a pair of free throws, Bradley exploded in the second half, pushing its lead to eight points two minutes into the period. Steadily the Billikens chipped away with consistent rebounding from forwards Angie Lewis and Stephanie Solomon. SLU was out-rebounded 23-18 in the first half, before Lewis and Solomon battled down low to post an 18-12 advantage in the second half. The Billikens recaptured the lead with just under 10 minutes left as Solomon netted four free throws.

Solomon's layup with 8:07 remaining pushed SLU's lead to five, but the Braves were not finished. A pair of turnovers allowed Bradley to narrow the margin, and Jen Brown's free throws gave BU a 51-50 lead with 5:34 left. The lead traded hands four times over the next three minutes before senior Kirsti Holloway sank her second three of the game to put the Bills on top 57-55. A swarming Billiken defense forced Bradley into two turnovers, and the lead went to four points on Lewis' basket with 35 seconds on the clock.

On Bradley's next possession, Holloway fouled Jaime Lugge as the two went after a rebound, but Lugge could not connect on the front end of a 1-and-1. Lewis battled for the rebound and led the Billikens in a game of keep-away that led to a layup and eventual three-point play from freshman Yanique Javois with 11 ticks on the clock.

Solomon and Bradley's Genny Mueller led all scorers with 18 points each. Lewis was not far behind with 17 to go along with her team-high seven rebounds. Holloway also reached double figures for SLU with 12 points.

The Billikens are back in action on Mon., Nov. 24, at Miami (OH). Tipoff is set for 5 p.m.