PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley sophomore center Patrick O'Bryant (Blaine, Minn./Blaine H.S.) led a balanced attack with 14 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots and the Braves steadily pulled away for a 74-62 exhibition victory versus NCAA Division II Southern Illinois-Edwardsville in the preseason opener for both teams Thursday night at Robertson Memorial Fieldhouse.
Senior forward Lawrence Wright (Beale A.F.B, Calif./Wheatland H.S.) added 12 points and a game-high seven rebounds for the Braves, while senior forward Marcellus Sommerville (Peoria, Ill./Central H.S.) chipped in with 11 points and three assists. SIU-Edwardsville put four players in double-figures, led by guard Anthony Jones' game-high 16 points. Guard J.B. Jones and center Doug Taylor each scored 14 for the Cougars and guard Ryan Belcher added 11 points.
The remaining six SIU-Edwardsville players who saw action, however, combined for just seven points and only five off the bench. Bradley countered by playing all 13 of its available players, and while the Braves only put three in double-figures, the other 10 players combined for 37 points, 21 rebounds, 18 assists and six steals.
The first 15 minutes of the game featured six ties and four lead changes before Bradley finally started to gain some space. After Belcher's layup gave the Cougars a 26-25 lead wtih 6:15 left in the first period, the Braves countered with a 7-0 spurt to take the lead for good. Andrews started the surge with a free throw, O'Bryant followed with a second-chance bucket and a short hook shot and Wright capped the burst with an alley-oop dunk for a 32-26 lead with 2:15 left in the period. J.J. Tauai's tip-in basket at the buzzer gave the Braves a 37-30 lead at the break.
The team's exchanged baskets for the first three minutes of the second half before the Braves finally stretched their lead to double-digits. O'Bryant gave Bradley a 45-36 lead with a layup and Jeremy Crouch drained his only 3-pointer of the game for a 48-36 edge with 16:27 left. The lead never dipped below double-digits the rest of the way, but never grew to more than the 17-point bulge the Braves twice enjoyed in the final five minutes, 68-51 with 4:55 left and 72-55 with 2:37 remaining.
Both teams shot 46 percent from the field, but Bradley grabbed eight more offensive rebounds than the Cougars and enjoyed a +8 turnover margin (20-12). Those numbers helped the Braves get off 18 more field goal attempts.
Bradley will conclude its preseason schedule Nov. 12 by hosting another NCAA Division II program, Minnesota State, in a 7:05 p.m. tip at Carver Arena. Like SIU-Edwardsville, Minnesota State played in the 2005 NCAA Tournament. The Mavericks return six of 12 lettermen from its 2004-05 squad that posted a 24-8 overall record and tied for third in the tough North Central Conference.
