Bradley BRAD 4-3

Eastern Illinois EIU 4-3

Bradley BRAD

4-3

Final

Nov. 29, 2016

Eastern Illinois EIU

4-3

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	OT 1	F
Bradley BRAD	41	31	15	87
Eastern Illinois EIU	37	35	11	83

Box Score

Bob Hunt - Photographer

Bradley Tops Eastern Illinois in Overtime, 87-83

Box Score (PDF)

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 11/29/2016 10:39:00 PM

CHARLESTON, IL – The Bradley men's basketball team overcame a seven-point deficit in the final five minutes of regulation before earning an 87-83 road victory at Eastern Illinois on Tuesday night. With the win, the Braves improve to 4-3 on the season, while the Panthers drop to 4-3.

Five players scored in double figures for the Braves, led by career-best totals of 17 points and 14 rebounds from rookie Koch Bar. Junior JoJo McGlaston also poured in 17 points, while freshman Darrell Brown recorded 14 points, sophomore Luuk van Bree had 11 and sophomore Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye chipped in 10 points with a team-best five assists.

The Braves weathered an early storm before the offense clicked to give the team the lead. After falling behind, 14-7, Bradley used a 20-6 run to grab a 27-20 advantage. BU scored on nine-straight possessions during the stretch and made eight-straight field goals at one point. The Bradley advantage grew to as many as eight points in the first stanza, 41-33, before the Panthers scored four points in the final 30 second of the half as the teams headed to the intermission with the Braves ahead, 41-37.

Bradley shot 60 percent overall during the first half, including a 4-of-7 mark from beyond the arc (57.1 percent). On the other end, the Panthers made 48.4 percent of their field goals in the opening 20 minutes.

The Braves maintained their lead in the second half for the first nine minutes only to see a 7-0 Eastern Illinois run turn a 52-49 deficit into a 56-52 advantage. The Panthers stretched their lead to as many as seven points in the second half, 70-63, with 4:53 remaining in regulation but the Braves responded on both ends of the court.

With Bradley down seven, McGlaston quickly finished three layups – one off an offensive rebound and another off a steal – for a 6-0 run on his own to pull the Braves within one, 70-69. Eastern Illinois then nailed its final field goal of regulation with 2:46 remaining to reclaim a three-point lead, 72-69. Van Bree responded with one made free throw with 1:13 left before Brown calmly knocked down two more with 23.3 seconds remaining to square the game at 72. McGlaston then forced a tough 3-point attempt on the final possession of regulation as the teams headed to overtime.

The Braves struck first in the extra session with Bar blocking a layup opportunity before McGlaston finished a transition layup for a BU lead it would not relinquish. Overall, Bradley scored the first five points of overtime and led by as many as seven points, 81-74, with 1:15 left. The Panthers finally made their first field goal of overtime with 58 ticks left – ending a 6:48 drought where EIU missed 12-straight shots – but the Braves connected on their free throws late – making 11-of-12 in overtime – to secure the 87-83 victory.

Overall, Bradley shot 51.8 percent from the field, while knocking down 5-of-12 3-point attempts. Eastern Illinois forced the Braves into 24 turnovers but converted just 40.3 percent of its shots and 7-of-28 3-pointers.

The Braves are back in action on Saturday with a home game against Nevada. First tip at Carver Arena for the Mountain West – Missouri Valley Conference Challenge is set for 7 p.m.

Game Notes: The Braves won in overtime for the first time since Jan. 6, 2010, ending a six-game losing streak in games that go more than 40 minutes … Bradley won its opening road game of the season for the first time since defeating IUPUI during the 2012-13 season … The last time five Braves scored in double figures was on Feb. 16, 2013 against Indiana State … Bradley held the Panthers' top scorer, Montell Goodwin, to just six points on 1-of-15 shooting … The Braves outrebounded Eastern Illinois by a 53-30 margin … Bradley improved to 7-5 all-time against Eastern Illinois, including a 3-1 mark in Charleston (the schools met for the first time at Eastern Illinois since 1926) … The Panthers entered the game with a 4-0 record at home before Bradley ended the perfect start on Tuesday.

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