PEORIA, Ill. -- For the first time in his all-star career at Bradley, senior forward Marcellus Sommerville (Peoria, Ill./Central H.S.) has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week. The league office made the announcement this afternoon based on Sommerville's play in a pair of Valley victories last week.
Sommerville averaged 22.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.5 assists in Bradley's two wins last week, an 86-76 home triumph Wednesday versus Missouri State at Carver Arena and a 79-76 overtime victory Saturday at Evansville. Sommerville made 17-of-27 (.630) field goal attempts during the week to move up to second in the Valley scoring race at 15.2 points per game and six of his seven rebounds came on the offensive end.
In Wednesday's game, Sommerville scored 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the field, while adding three boards, three steals and two assists. His inside basket just over two minutes into the game gave the Braves the lead for good and he scored eight points during the 12-4 burst that started with that basket to help quickly break the game open.
Sommerville turned in one of the best games of his career Saturday by equalling his career-high with 28 points and coming up with the game's pivotal play in the closing seconds of overtime, helping the Braves end their program-record 14-game Valley road losing streak. Sommerville scored 23 points after halftime by making 9-of-11 field goal attempts after the intermission. Of his 10 total baskets in the game, five either tied the score or gave the Braves the lead, including four lead-changing baskets after halftime.
After junior forward Lawrence Wright hit the go-ahead basket with 9.2 seconds left in overtime, Sommerville forced a jump ball with a steal at halfcourt to deny Evansville's attempt at a go-ahead basket. He was then fouled after taking the ensuing inbounds pass and made two free throws with 2.7 seconds left to help ice the win.
A first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection following each of his first two seasons at Bradley and a six-time Valley Newcomer of the Week during the 2003-04 season, Sommerville previously had not won the league's Player-of-the-Week award. A third-year player at Bradley, he enters Wednesday's game versus Illinois State 18th on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,264 points. He also is just the third player in school history to record more than 500 rebounds (563) and 100 3-pointers (131), joining former league Players-of-the-Year Hersey Hawkins (1987 and 1988) and Anthony Parker (1996).
Led by Sommerville's play, Bradley (12-7, 6-5) will shoot for its fourth consecutive win Wednesday when the Braves host Interstate 74 rival Illinois State in a 7:35 p.m. clash at Carver Arena. Wednesday's game versus the Redbirds (8-11, 3-8) is approaching a sellout as approximately 500 tickets remain. Fans may purchase upper bowl tickets at the Robertson Fieldhouse Ticket Office (309-677-2625), at the Peoria Civic Center box office or any TicketMaster location.
