PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley senior point guard Daniel Ruffin (Peoria, Ill./Central H.S.) scored all of his team-high 16 points in the second half and forwards Matt Salley (Charlotte, N.C./North Mecklenburg H.S.) and Theron Wilson (Topeka, Kan./Highland Park H.S.) made two key plays down the stretch, helping the Braves (3-1) fight off Florida Gulf Coast (1-3) for their 28th consecutive non-conference home win in the second round of the South Padre Island Invitational Tuesday night at Carver Arena.

Florida Gulf Coast senior forward Adam Liddell pumped in 20 of his game-high 25 points in the second half and his frontcourt mate, junior forward Landon Adler added a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Eagles. Ruffin led four Bradley players in double-figures. Wilson and senior guard Jeremy Crouch (Pekin, Ill./Pekin H.S.) both scored 13 points and sophomore guard Andrew Warren (Indianapolis, Ind./Brebeuf Jesuit Prep) chipped in with 11.

After dispatching Maryland-Eastern Shore 98-71 Sunday afternoon in the opening game of the tournament, it appeared Bradley would rout its second straight opponent when the Braves raced out of the gate to a 28-8 lead. After starting cold from the field, the Eagles made just three of their first 17 shots, Florida Gulf Coast hit nine of its final 16 shots i with n the half to pull within 44-32 at the break.

Bradley briefly extended the lead to 14 points, 48-34, on a Ruffin steal and Wilson transition dunk, but the Eagles countered with a 17-5 run, capped by a Lidell reverse layup, to pull within 53-51 with 13:21 left. Ruffin immediately drained a transition 3-pointer to give the Braves some breathing room, but Bradley was unable to put the guests away until Wilson and Salley came through with their game-sealing plays.

With the Braves nursing a 75-71 lead, Ruffin misfired on a tough drive into the lane, but the 6-foot-5 Wilson was able to rise above the scrum and tip out the rebound to Warren, who was fouled and made both free throws for a 77-71 lead with 0:33 remaining. On the ensuing FGCU possession, Salley picked Adler's pocket at midcourt and got the ball to Ruffin, who also made two free throws with 0:23 to go for a 79-71 advantage. After Adler drained a long 3-pointer, Warren (1-2) and freshman guard Sam Maniscalco combined to make 3-of-4 free throws to end the game's scoring.

Wilson led the Braves with eight rebounds, helping Bradley win the battle of the boards, 42-36, for the fourth consecutive game. Bradley also limited FGCU to 40.3 percent shooting from the field and forced the visitors into 18 turnovers. For the second consecutive game, however, Bradley was loose with the ball, committing 22 turnovers of their own.

With two rounds at the campus sites complete, the eight-team tournament now moves to the South Padre Island (Texas) Convention Center for the final two rounds Friday and Saturday. The Braves will take on Iowa in Friday's 6:30 p.m. (CST) third-round game with a matchup against either Utah State or Vanderbilt looming in Saturday night's final round.

Friday's game against the Hawkeyes will be televised nationally on CSTV, a premium sports channel that is available locally as part of Insight Communications' Digital Choice (channel 531) package, on DISH Network's America's Top 120 (channel 152) package or DIRECTV's Total Choice Premier (channel 610) package. Saturday's game will not be televised, but both rounds will be streamed on the internet by JumpTV. Visit www.southpadreinvitationaltv.com for more information the video streaming packages.