NORMAL, Ill. -- In a game that was pretty even in just about every other category, the difference in the first round of the annual two-game Interstate 74 Rivalry was at the free throw line as Illinois State (16-6, 8-4) took advantage of its advantage at the stripe for a 69-62 victory versus Bradley (11-9, 4-8) Saturday afternoon at Redbird Arena.
Illinois State senior guard Trey Guidy scored a game-high 24 points and fellow Redbird senior guard Vince Greene added 20 points. The duo combined to make 15-of-17 free throw attempts. Bradley junior forward Marcellus Sommerville (Peoria, Ill./Peoria H.S.) led the Braves with 23 points and added a game-high seven rebounds. Freshman point guard Daniel Ruffin (Peoria, Ill./Peoria H.S.) added 12 points and a game-high five assists for the Braves.
After making 4-of-5 free throw attempts in the first half, Bradley managed to make only 3-of-8 attempts in the second half and had a fourth make wiped out by a lane violation. Illinois State was 0-for-2 in the first half, but the Redbirds sank 19-of-23 attempts in the second half, including 9-of-10 in the final 1:09 to secure their second straight win versus the Braves.
In search of its first Valley road win this season, Bradley turned to its defense early and built a 17-5 lead with 10:27 left in the half. Illinois State chipped away at the deficit, though, and closed to within 30-27 at the break. Illinois State scored the first five points of the second half and claimed their second lead of the game, 32-30, when Guidry drained a 3-pointer with 17:59 remaining. Bradley pulled even on five different occassions, the last time a 48-48 with 8:01 left, but the Braves were never able to regain the lead.
Following Patrick O'Bryant's tying bucket, the Redbirds reeled of an 8-0 run, capped by a critical technical foul versus Bradley junior guard Tony Bennett. Bennett, who is Bradley's second-leading scorer for the season, was whistled for his fourth personal foul while trying to come up with a steal, then earned his fifth personal when he was called for a technical after slamming the ball to the ground. Greene sank both free throws for the technical, then hit a jumper in the lane to complete the four-point possession for a 56-48 lead with 6:09 remaining.
Sommerville scored five points on Bradley's next two possessions to get the Braves back within 56-53, then after a pair of Guidry free throws, Ruffin and Jeremy Crouch converted layups on consecutive Bradley possessions to pull the Braves within 58-57 with 3:29 to go. Bradley came up empty on its next two possessions, and after Greene sank two more free throws for a 62-57 lead with 1:09 left, Sommerville made only one of three attempts with 47 seconds to go after he was fouled on a 3-point try in the corner. Crouch and Ruffin each added quick layups, but the Redbirds held off the late rally at the line.
Bradley will try to stop its four-game losing streak Wednesday when the Braves visit surging Southwest Missouri State. The return game in the Interstate 74 Rivalry will be Feb. 23 (7:35 p.m.) at Carver Arena.
