Bradford sets steals record, SOU wins 20th straight against Lions

1/28/2017 10:58:00 PM

SOU Sports Information

ASHLAND – Toria Bradford set Southern Oregon's team steals record with 11 to highlight another unfriendly night on the defensive end as Southern Oregon cruised to its school-record 20th consecutive victory, 89-69 over Multnomah on Saturday at Mountain Avenue Gym.

For the second game in a row, the Raiders (20-1 overall, 13-0 Cascade Conference) forced 36 turnovers. After the Lions (6-16, 4-10) closed it to 66-53 on Miranda Schmillen's 3-pointer with 1:23 left in the third quarter, the Raiders scored 18 unanswered points during a rally in which they forced 13 turnovers.

Senior forward Autumn Durand's ninth double-double of the season was a 14-point, 10-rebound display, and Sydney Mullings established a new career-high for the second time in three outings with 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting. Majerle Reeves added 17 off the bench on 5-of-12 shooting from beyond the arc.

Bradford – who eclipsed SOU's previous single-game steals mark of nine and also had seven points, five assists and four rebounds – got sufficient help defensively from Durand (five steals), Casey Williams (five steals) and Demi Sahlinger (four steals), though Multnomah outshot the Raiders from the field (46 percent) and the 3-point line (9-of-15).

Eight minutes into the game, the Raiders were up 29-4. They've won 38 consecutive regular-season home games and, dating back to last season, 23 consecutive CCC games. Their lead in the conference standings remains 1 ½ games (but two in the loss column) ahead of 17th-ranked Eastern Oregon and No. 25 Oregon Tech.

Warner Pacific visits Mountain Avenue Gym at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Schmillen's 24 points and four assists paced the Lions.