TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Bradley junior guard Tony Bennett scored a game-high 20 points, but Indiana State (8-13, 3-7) rode a 17-3 run midway through the first half to a 73-63 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball victory Saturday afternoon at the Hulman Center.
Bradley (11-7, 4-6) went with a new starting lineup for the first time in 15 games, replacing Jeremy Crouch, Patrick O'Bryant and Daniel Ruffin with Lawrence Wright, Brandyn Heemskerk and J.J. Tauai. The switch failed to jumpstart the Bradley offense as Indiana State scored the game's first four points and never allowed the Braves to catch up.
Junior forward Marcellus Sommerville scored 14 of his 15 points in the second half, but he was the only other Bradley player to reach double figures. Indiana State's David Moss and Gabriel Moore each scored 16 points for the Sycamores. Amani Daanish added 14 points and Jerod Adler chipped in with 13.
After a slow start, Bradley used an 8-1 run on two Bennett 3-pointers and a Michael Rembert layup to pull within 17-14 with 11:55 left in the first half. The Sycamores countered with a 17-3 spurt that ended with a Moore layup with 3:52 left for a 34-17 lead. Indiana State closed the first half by shooting 53.8 percent, compared to 37.5 percent for the Braves. While Bradley heated up considerably in the second half (47.2 percent), Indiana State remained hot (50.0 percent) and held off a late Bradley rally.
After Indiana State scored the first two baskets of the second half to increase its advantage to 42-23, the Sycamores still held a 46-28 lead with 14:48 to go. Bradley finally got back into the game with a 17-7 run and pulled within 53-45 on a Sommerville 3-pointer with 7:15 to go. Consecutive turnovers prevented Bradley from getting closer and Indiana State closed the game by making 12-of-20 free throw attempts in the final 6:43 to keep the Braves at a distance.
Bradley has now lost two straight and will try to avoid its first three-game losing streak of the season when the Braves host Southern Illinois Wednesday night at Carver Arena.
