PEORIA, Ill. -- In his first game of the season, Bradley sophomore center Patrick O'Bryant turned in a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds and senior forwards Marcellus Sommerville and Lawrence Wright came up with clutch plays down the stretch, leading the Braves (7-2, 1-0) to a 68-60 overtime victory versus Northern Iowa (10-2, 0-1) in the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both teams Wednesday night at Carver Arena.
Bradley improved to 5-0 at home this season with its fourth straight win overall, while also snapping UNI's seven-game winning streak.
Wright also turned in a double-double performance for the Braves, finishing with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Sommerville added 13 points and seven rebounds, while sophomore point guard Daniel Ruffin scored nine of his 11 points in the extra session. UNI senior guard Ben Jacoboson led all scorers with 23 points. Sophomore center Eric Coleman added 12 points and forward Grant Stout chipped in with 10 boards. Both Coleman and Stout grabbed nine rebounds.
The Panthers used five 3-pointers, including two each by Jacobson and Peoria Richwoods product John Little, in a span of 5:30 to turn a 33-30 deficit into a 47-41 lead with 8:28 left in regulation. Still down 49-43 with 5:57 left, Sommerville started a 6-0 Bradley push with a layup from O'Bryant. The Bradley 7-footer then scored the next two baskets himself to forge a 49-49 tie with 4:19 left.
After Stout made two free throws to put the Panthers up 52-50 with 1:10 remaining, Sommerville drained a tough, leaning jump shot at the free throw line with 40 seconds left for a 52-52 tie. Sommerville's guarded shot hit the front of the rim and bounced around four times before dropping. With the Panthers playing for the last shot, Wright intercepted an entry pass in the lane and raced to the other end of the court, but his 18-foot swish with 2.9 seconds left was waved off because the Braves had called a timeout. The Panthers intercepted Bradley's attempt to inbound the ball to O'Bryant underneath the basket and Jacobson's desparation heave just missed to the right of the basket.
The Panthers took the initial lead in overtime when Jacoboson made 1-of-2 free throws 46 seconds into the extra period, but Ruffin drained his only 3-point basket of the night on Bradley's next possession. Jacobson answered with his fourth triple of the game, but Wright gave the Braves the lead for good, 57-56, by sinking two free throws with 2:23 left. Tony Bennett pushed the lead to 59-56 with two more free throws with 1:53 left, then Sommerville delivered the dagger by draining a deep 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1:16 left for a 62-56 advantage. Ruffin made six straight free throw attempts to close out the game.
Having knocked off the Valley's preseason favorite, the Braves will face another stiff challenge when they return to action Friday night at Wichita State (10-2, 1-0). Bradley's first Valley road game of the season will be televised live on Fox Sports Net Midwest and Fox College Sports at 6:05 p.m. (CST) from Charles Koch Arena and will be tape-delayed one hour later on Comcast SportsNet Chicago.
