PEORIA, Ill. - The North Dakota State women's basketball team went toe-to-toe with Bradley Thursday night, before the Braves held on for a 70-64 win at the Renaissance Coliseum. 

NDSU drops to 1-8 on the year, while the Braves improve to 7-1. The Bison return to action on Sunday, as NDSU hosts Wisconsin at the Scheels Center. The Badgers are 5-3 after a 60-41 loss at Georgia Tech on Thursday night. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. Admission is free for all fans, as Scheels has sponsored the game.

Emily Dietz led the Bison with 16 points and eight rebounds. Michelle Gaislerova joined her in double figures with 13 points, while Sofija Zivaljevic added 10 points. Gaislerova moved into a tie for sixth in school history with 139 made 3-pointers. Lasha Petree had a career-high 30 points for Bradley. Rylee Nudell had a season-high seven rebounds, while Zivaljevic added four. Zivaljevic led NDSU with five assists, while Nudell had a season-high four. Cirkeline Rimdal tied a career-high with two steals.

The Bison were 27-of-61 (44.3%) from the field and 5-of-19 (26.3%) from 3-point range. Bradley was 23-of-54 (42.6%) from the floor and 12-of-26 (46.2%) from downtown. The Bison were 5-of-8 (62.5%) from the free throw line, while the Braves were 12-of-18 at the charity stripe. NDSU had a 28-18 advantage in the paint, 9-2 in second chance points and 21-0 in bench points. Bradley had a 20-6 advantage in points off turnovers, capitalizing on 16 by the Bison. NDSU had a 38-32 advantage on the glass. The Braves had 26 defensive rebounds, as they entered the game as the national leader with over 36 per game.

The game was tied 42-42 at the half, as the Bison shot 66.7% in the second quarter. Bradley outscored the Bison 17-10 in the third quarter. NDSU tied the game at 61-61 on a 3-pointer by Raquel Terrer van Gool, but the Bison went just 1-of-8 from the field to close the game.