PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley senior guard Will Franklin (Houston, Texas/Alief Hastings H.S.) scored a game-high 18 points, including the game-winning basket on a leaning, 13-foot bank shot with 0.5 seconds remaining, lifting Bradley (12-6, 3-3) to a 48-46 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball victory versus Southern Illinois (12-4, 3-2) Wednesday night at Carver Arena.
Bradley came into the game leading The Valley in scoring at 79.9 points per game and the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (.454), but the Braves made a season-low four 3-pointers in 14 attempts (.286) and the 48 points were the fewest in a win since a 48-47 victory at Illinois State Feb. 13, 1982. The Braves had not scored less than 50 in a win since dropping Southeast Missouri State, 49-47, Nov. 17, 1998.
Forward Matt Shaw paced Southern Illinois with 14 points and his frontcourt mate, Randal Falker, put up a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Bradley center Zach Andrews (Rancho Cordova, Calif./Cordova H.S.) was Bradley's only other double-digit scorer with 12 points. Andrews overcame two early fouls to finish with a career-best five steals, including three pivotal take-aways down the stretch.
SIU's oppressive defense held Bradley to 19 points on 6-for-25 (.240) shooting in the first half, marking the first time the Braves had been held to fewer than 20 points in a half this season. The Salukis took advantage of Bradley's struggles early, building a game-high 10-point lead, 18-8, on Tyrone Green's only basket with 10:51 left in the first half.
Although the Salukis shot a respectable 45.0 percent (18-40) from the field for the game, Bradley's pressure forced SIU into 10 turnovers in each half, while the Braves committed only 10 in the game. With nine more field goal attempts than their visitors, the Braves were able to make the most of the extra possessions.
After outscoring Southern Illinois 11-3 over the final 10:51 of the first half, Bradley scored the first six points of the second period to take a 25-21 lead. A Daniel Ruffin layup gave the Braves their first lead of the game, 22-21, 1:02 into the second half. The lead changed hands six more times before Southern Illinois forced the game's final tie, 46-46, on a Falker 3-point play with 3:37 left. Neither team scored again until Franklin's game-winner.
After SIU's Jamal Tatum missed a straight-away 3-pointer, Franklin came up with the defensive rebound with 25 seconds left to set up Bradley's final possession. The Braves ran the clock down and ran a clear-out for Franklin, who drove to his left. SIU guard Bryan Mullins appeared to have Franklin well-covered, but after a pump fake, the 6-foot guard was able to get the contested shot off with a lean to his left. The shot banked off the glass, then hung on the rim before finally dropping for his first career game-winning basket as a Brave. Franklin is well-remembered for his halftime, buzzer-beating 30-footer to give the Braves a 10-point halftime lead in the first-round NCAA Tournament upset of Kansas last season.
Bradley will be back on the road for two tough Valley games, visiting Indiana State Saturday at 6:35 p.m. (CST) and Creighton Jan. 18, before returning home to host Wichita State Jan. 20 at Carver Arena.
