EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- Bradley junior forward Lawrence Wright (Beale A.F.B., Calif./Wheatland H.S.) led the Braves in scoring for the second straight game, sharing game-high honors with 18 points, but it was not enough to help Bradley (12-11, 5-10) overcome a cold start as host Evansville (11-12, 5-10) earned a 76-66 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball victory Wednesday night at Roberts Stadium.
Valley scoring leader Marcellus Sommerville (Peoria, Ill./Central H.S.) turned in his fourth double-double of the season with 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, but his 10 points came on 5-of-17 shooting from the field. Freshman center Patrick O'Bryant (Blaine, Minn./Blaine H.S.) contributed 11 points and six boards, while junior guard Tony Bennett (Chicago, Ill./Westinghouse H.S.) scored 10 points. Kyle Anslinger led four Evansville players in double-figures with 18 points. Lucious Wagner had 17 points and six assists, while Andre Burton turned in 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists off the bench.
Bradley scored 19 first-half points, its lowest scoring half of the season, by sinking just 7-of-23 (.304) field goal attempts during the first 20 minutes. Turnovers also were a problem in the first period as nine first-half miscues helped Evansville to a 16-6 first-half advantage in points off turnovers, leading to a 33-19 Purple Aces lead at the break.
Evansville increased its lead to a game-high 15 points on a Matt Webster free throw for the first point of the second half before the Braves began to rally. Bradley cut its deficit to five points on four occassions in the second half, but could not get over the hump.
After Bennett's first basket of the game, a 3-pointer with 14:39 left, cut the deficit to 36-31, Evansville countered with an 8-0 run to regain command. The Braves pulled within five again with 6:29 left, 53-48, on a Sommerville basket and once more with 5:04 to go, 55-50, on an O'Bryant bucket. Evansville again countered, this time with a 12-4 burst for a 67-54 bulge with 1:42 left.
Combining three quick baskets from Bennett and a Danny Adams 3-pointer with some missed Evansville free throws allowed the Braves to again close to within five, 69-64, with 48 seconds left, but the Purple Aces closed the game out by making seven of their final eight free throw attempts.
Bradley's cold-shooting night was most evident from behind the 3-point line, where the Braves made only 5-of-31 (.161) attempts. The 31 3-point tries were the second most in school history, only two less than the 33 attempts versus Loyola-Chicago on Jan. 2, 1988. The team's top two 3-point shooters, Sommerville and freshman Jeremy Crouch, combined to make only one trey in 16 attempts.
Bradley, which has now dropped nine straight games at Evansville, fell to 1-9 on the road this season and 0-8 in conference road games. The Braves next face the stiff challenge of taking on Sun Belt Conference leader Western Kentucky Saturday afternoon at Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Ky., as part of the third annual ESPN Bracket Buster Saturday series. The Hilltoppers began the week with a perfect 12-0 home record.
