TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Bradley started slow in each half, then faltered down the stretch as host Indiana State (10-12, 3-11) pulled out a 75-63 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball victory Wednesday night at the Hulman Center.
Indiana State senior guard David Moss led the victors with 22 points, nine rebounds, six assists and a pair of steals. Point guard Gabriel Moore added 17 points and freshman center Jay Tunnell chipped in with 11 points, while fellow frosh Adam Arnold pulled down 10 boards for the Sycamores. Bradley senior forward Marcellus Sommerville scored a team-high 14 points for the Braves and sophomore center Patrick O'Bryant added 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds off the bench.
Indiana State scored the game's first 11 points on baskets from five different players and twice took a 14-point lead before the Braves rallied. After Tunnell's dunk gave Indiana State a 24-10 lead with 7:44 left in the half, Bradley went on a 17-2 run and claimed its first lead, 27-26, on a Tony Bennettt layup with 1:29 left. Despite the slow start, Bradley took a 31-29 lead into the break.
The second half started in similar fashion as Indiana State opened the period with a 7-1 spurt to reclaim the lead and eventually pulled out to a 45-37 advantage on a Moss jumper with 13:22 remaining. The Braves again fought back and eventually took a 59-58 lead on a Bennett 3-pointer from the left corner with 4:39 remaining. Bradley missed its next six field goal attempts, however, and Indiana State capitalized with a 6-0 run to take the lead back for good. The Sycamores then closed the game by making 9-of-10 free throw attempts in the final 55 seconds to prevent a final Bradley comeback.
After shooting 14-for-25 (.560) from the field in the first half, Bradley allowed Indiana State to shoot the exact same numbers in the second half. The Braves also were burned by 19 turnovers, as well as a 6-for-12 shooting effort at the free throw line.
By dropping the second straight game in its season-long, three-game road swing, Bradley fell to 13-9 overall and 7-7 in the Valley. The Braves will try for a regular-season sweep versus Interstate 74 rival Illinois State Saturday afternoon with a 4:05 p.m. contest at Redbird Arena.
