CARBONDALE, Ill. – Bradley battled from behind most of the contest and trimmed a 16-point Southern Illinois lead to three in the closing minute before the Salukis pulled out a 69-63 victory over the Braves Sunday afternoon at SIU Arena.
Senior Leti Lerma (Muscatine, Iowa/Muscatine) scored 17 of her game-high 22 points in the second half to help fuel Bradley's rally attempt and grabbed six boards as she became the all-time leading rebounder in school history with her 800th career rebound early in the contest.
Southern Illinois (14-13 overall, 8-8 MVC) grabbed the lead with an 11-2 run midway through the first quarter and led 23-16 at the end of the first period.