PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley and Providence played a game of role reversal in the first round of the 2007 MasterCard National Invitation Tournament and the change of pace worked in favor of the home team as the host Braves (22-12) pulled out a 90-78 overtime victory against the visiting Friars (18-13) Wednesday night in front of 8,304 fans at Carver Arena.
In his last career home game, 6-foot-3 Bradley senior guard J.J. Tauai turned in his first career double-double with 17 points and a career-best 17 rebounds, the most for a Brave since current NBA sophomore Danny Granger pulled down 20 boards Nov. 22, 2002 against Pepperdine. Tauai was one of five Braves to score in double figures, topped by senior guard Will Franklin's 23 points and game-high five assists. Junior point guard Daniel Ruffin added 15 points, junior guard Jeremy Crouch added 14 and senior center Zach Andrews chipped in with 10. Weyinmi Efejuku scored a career-best 28 points for Providence, including a 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds left in regulation to force the extra period. Center Herbert Hill added a double-double of his own with 19 points and 14 rebounds and guard Sharaud Curry finished with 10 points.
Bradley came into the game leading the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (.427) and second nationally with 335 treys. Often utilizing a four-guard attack, Bradley also entered the game last in the Missouri Valley Conference in rebound margin at -7.0 boards per game and the Braves were matched against a much bigger Big East squad that was outrebounding its opponents by 7.0 boards per contest. After making its first three 3-pointers, however, Bradley finished the night just 5-for-17 (.294) from long range, but countered by outrebounding the Friars, 47-37. Bradley's 47 rebounds were a season-best and the +10 rebound margin matched Bradley's best effort of the season, a 38-28 advantage Jan. 13 at Indiana State.
Although Bradley tried to pull away early, grabbing a 19-10 lead on a Crouch 3-pointer with 11:58 left in the first half, the game settled into a back-and-forth affair with 13 ties and 11 lead changes. Trailing 63-59 with 7:43 left, Ruffin and Franklin combined for nine straight points as Bradley pulled ahead 68-63 with 5:04 left. Providence came right back with a 6-0 run for a 69-68 lead when Efejuku hit a jumper from the top of the key with 2:38 remaining in regulation. Ruffin eventually put the Braves back on top, 72-71, by sinking two free throws with 1:11 left, then Franklin extended the lead to 74-71 with two more free throws with 8.8 seconds remaining. Providence quickly worked the ball up the court, however, and Efejucku forced the overtime with a 25-foot rainbow from the left wing.
Bradley's backcourt combination of Ruffin (seven points) and Franklin (six) combined for 13 of Bradley's 16 points in the extra session, helping the Braves run their non-conference home winning streak to a Valley-best 25 games and their winning streak against Big East competition to six consecutive games. Bradley is 3-0 against the Big East this season (DePaul, Rutgers and Providence), helping The Valley to a perfect 6-0 record against the BCS league this season.
Hill gave the Friars their only lead of the overtime session, 76-75, by scoring on a putback with 3:49 left. Ruffin gave the Braves the lead for good, 78-76, by sinking three free throws with 3:29 to go, the second time the Braves converted all three attempts after being fouled on a 3-point shot. Bradley suddenly solved Providence's 2-3 zone as Franklin darted into the middle of the defense and scored on back-to-back 10-footers to push the lead to 82-76. Franklin added another 10-footer from the right baseline for an 84-77 lead with 1:34 remaining and the Braves put the game out of reach when Matt Salley slammed home two points in transition with 31 seconds left for an 86-78 bulge.
Ruffin made four straight free throws to complete the scoring. After poor free throw shooting cost the Braves in the 53-51 semifinal loss to #14 Southern Illinois at the State Farm MVC Tournament, Bradley made a season-best 27 charity shots in 32 attempts (.844) Wednesday night. Bradley also used a season-high-tying 17 steals to force 23 Providence turnovers.
After snapping its three-game NIT losing streak, Bradley advances to a second-round game Saturday at Mississippi State (19-13), the top seed in the tournament's North Bracket. Saturday's 11:05 a.m. contest will be televised nationally on ESPN. Second in NIT history with 21 appeances and four championships, Bradley improved to 26-17 all-time in the NIT.
Saturday's game will be the first-ever men's basketball contest between the Braves and Bulldogs, but Bradley is 2-0 all-time in the Magnolia State, downing Ole Miss, 63-61, Dec. 28, 1993 and Southern Miss, 56-43, Dec. 21, 2005. The Braves are 3-0 against both Ole Miss and Southern Miss, including this year's 83-73 win against the Golden Eagles Dec. 23 at Carver Arena.
