In the first semifinal game of the 2006 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Championship on Saturday afternoon at the Savvis Center, No. 5 Bradley (20-9) pulled off another upset defeating No. 1 seed Wichita State (24-8), 60-52. The one-two punch of Marcellus Sommerville and Patrick O'Bryant was too much for the Shockers to handle as both recorded double-doubles. Sommerville finished with 17 points and 14 boards, while O'Bryant also tallied 17 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked five shots.
Lawrence Wright was the third Brave to register double figures in scoring with 11 and Daniel Ruffin had a solid game notching eight points and dishing out six assists in the win.
Sean Ogirri led the Shocker offense with 19 points and league MVP Paul Miller chipped in with 15 points and six rebounds. Junior forward Kyle Wilson, who came up big for the Shockers on Friday, was held scoreless against the Braves.
Bradley advances to Sunday's championship game and will await the winner of today's second semifinal game between Southern Illinois and UNI. Bradley is seeking its third tournament title and looks to become the first No. 5 seed to win the MVC Tournament since Indiana State pulled off the feat in 2001 and only the second in the tournament's history.
