Bradley senior forward Monica Rogers had 22 points and 12 rebounds and the Braves out rebounded Eastern 44-27 as the Panthers fell 71-69 Wednesday night in Peoria.

Senior forward Rachel Galligan scored 28 points and had nine rebounds for the Panthers, but second chance points for Bradley sealed the victory down the stretch as Eastern fell to 1-2 on the season, while Bradley improved to 2-0.

“(Bradley) did a tremendous job on the boards and we knew they would coming in,” Eastern head coach Brady Sallee said. “It came down to our ability to keep them off the boards and we didn’t do that and that’s where they won the game.”

The Panthers were playing without senior guard Ellen Canale who had the flu. Sallee said that Canale, as well as senior forward Lindsey Kluempers and junior guard Dominique Sims were stricken with the flu. Kluempers and Sims were able to play while Canale was forced to sit out.

Galligan said that while losing Canale hurt the team, it was not an excuse for them losing the game.

“(Canale) gives us so much energy and is such a dynamic player and has been giving us a lot lately especially in rebounding that we definitely missed that,” Galligan said. “But at the same time, we’re not going to use that as an excuse. We just needed to defensive rebound. We have a lot of athletes out there and just weren’t able to get the job done.”

The Panthers led by as many as 10 points in the first half and held the lead until the 12:45 mark of the second half when the Braves took a 44-43 advantage on a lay-up by senior forward Kelly Krumwiede.

The game went back-and-forth for the rest of the half before the Braves took the lead for good with nine minutes left. The Panthers got within one point on several occasions, but each time Bradley was able to answer.

The Braves featured two guards who performed well at both ends of the court.

Freshman guard Michelle Lund finished with 16 points, including four 3-pointers, while junior guard Skye Johnson, the reigning Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year, gave fits to Eastern guards, junior Ashley Thomas and senior Megan Edwards, both of whom finished with nine points.

“(Johnson) is really quick and Lund can shoot the ball,” Sallee said. “They have a good team out there. (Head Coach Paula Buscher) has put a good group together.”

The Panthers return home next week for a Monday matinee against Southern Methodist. Tip-off is scheduled for noon in Lantz Arena.

Collin Whitchurch can be reached at 581-7944 or at cfwhitchurch@eiu.edu.