PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley head coach Jim Les shook up his starting lineup and the entire roster responded as the Braves (9-6, 3-4) ended a three-game losing streak with their most-lopsided Missouri Valley Conference victory in nearly seven years, a 90-62 triumph versus Evansville (5-8, 1-5) Saturday afternoon at Carver Arena.
Bradley put five players in double-figures, led by regular starters Patrick O'Bryant and Daniel Ruffin, who shared team-high honors with 15 points apiece. Fellow regular Tony Bennett added 12 points. Forwards Zach Andrews and Lawrence Wright swapped starting and reserve roles and both players responded with 10 points. In his first start since O'Bryant's return to action seven games ago, Andrews added a game-high nine rebounds, while Wright added a career-high five assists in his first reserve assignment of the season.
Evansville junior forward Matt Webster led all scorers with 19 points before leaving with an ankle injury late in the game. Shy Ely added a career-best 16 points for the Purple Aces.
Bradley turned in a dominating performance in just about all areas of the game. The Braves shot a season-high 57.1 percent from the field, while limiting the Purple Aces to only 34.9 percent. Including a season-best six rejections by O'Bryant, Bradley set the school single-game record with 12 blocked shots. The Braves also recorded a season-high 29 assists, outrebounded Evansville 42-30 and forced 19 Purple Aces turnovers, 14 from steals.
The 28-point margin of victory was Bradley's widest in a Valley game since a 98-65 decision versus Evansville Jan. 23, 1999. The 29 assists were the most by the Braves since turning in 31 Dec. 29, 2002 versus Alcorn State in the second round of the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic in Honolulu. They were the most at Carver Arena since dishing out 31 versus UC-Irvine Dec. 19, 1987.
Mired in a 3-game scoring slump, O'Bryant set the tone of the game on Bradley's second possession, accepting a pass over the top of the Evansville defense from Bennett for a one-handed slam and a 2-0 lead. Bradley led the rest of the way, using a 19-6 burst to claim a 25-11 lead with 9:23 left in the first half. Ruffin scored eight points during the outburst, draining the first of his two 3-pointers to start the run with 15:03 left, and his backup, Will Franklin, drained a trey of his own from the left corner to complete the run.
Junior guard J.J. Tauai replaced two-time All-MVC forward Marcellus Sommerville as Bradley's fifth starter Saturday. Tauai turned in one of the best all-around games of his career, finishing with eight points, four rebounds, four assists, a steal and no turnovers in his 20 minutes. Sommerville also was solid off the bench, scoring nine points and adding seven rebounds in his 25 mintues.
Bradley will return to action Wednesday night by visiting Creighton in a 7:05 p.m. contest at the Qwest Center in Omaha. Wednesday's game will be televised by the MVC-TV Network and will be carried live FSN Midwest. The Braves will return home to open another two-game home stand next Saturday (7:05 p.m.) versus Indiana State.
