PEORIA, Ill. -- Drake senior guard Adam Emmennecker got three shots at the basket in the game's closing seconds and his third attempt as the buzzer sounded extended a pair of streaks Wednesday night at Carver Arena. Thanks to the former walk-on's heroics, Drake (15-1, 6-0) extended its program-record winning streak to 14 games, while also sending host Bradley (8-10, 1-5) to its fifth straight home defeat, a 69-68 Missouri Valley Conference heartbreaker.
Bradley freshman guard Sam Maniscalco briefly played the game's hero when he drained a deep 3-pointer from the right wing with 10.7 seconds remaining to give the Braves a 68-67 lead. After both teams used 60-second timeouts, Drake inbounded to Emmenecker, who sped up the court and drove into the lane for his first shot. After that attempt rimmed out, Emmenecker came up with the rebound and got off another attempt. This time the carom was tipped out by the Braves, but the loose ball again fell into Emmenecker's hands on the left side of the basket and he got off one more attempt from about six feet as the horn sounded.
Sophomore guard Andrew Warren led the Braves with a game-high 21 points and senior guard Jeremy Crouch chipped in with 14, while Maniscalco, who has taken over as the starting point guard as the Braves continue to play without senior Daniel Ruffin, finished with 13 points, seven assists, six rebounds and two steals. Leonard Houston paced Drake with 19 points, while forward Jonathan Cox and Emmenecker both finished with 12.
In a game that featured nine ties and 16 lead changes, Bradley appeared to finally take control when Maniscalco went coast-to-coast for an old-fashioned 3-point play to give the Braves a 61-54 lead with 3:46 remaining. Klayton Korver answered with a corner 3-pointer on Drake's next possession, however, to pull the Bulldogs within 61-57. After Bradley forward Theron Wilson was called for travelling on a tie-up in the backcourt, Houston scored on the resulting inbounds pass to pull the Bulldogs to within 61-59.
Wilson then missed a pair of free throw attempts on Bradley's next possession and Houston followed by making 1-of-2 charity shots at the other end to get the Bulldogs to within 61-60 with 2:38 remaining. While Crouch and senior forward Matt Salley both made a pair of free throws on Bradley's next two possessions, Emmenecker split a pair of charity shots in between, leaving the Braves with a 65-62 lead with 1:35 left. Emmenecker made up for his earlier miss at the stripe, however, by converting a 3-point play with 1:27 remaining to forge a 65-65 tie.
Korver then tipped Wilson's inbounds pass and the Bulldogs grabbed a 67-65 lead on a Houston layup with 1:07 left. Both teams exchanged missed baskets, setting the stage for the game's final two dramatic scores.
The Braves will get another chance to end their home skid Saturday when they host Evansville (5-11, 0-6) in a 7:05 p.m. contest at Carver Arena. Bradley will induct five new members -- baseball players Mike Grace, Doug Robertson and Jacob Schaffer; women's basketball player Tammy Van Oppen; and men's basketball sharpshooter Aaron Zobrist -- into the Athletics Hall of Fame during a halftime ceremony Saturday. Tickets for Saturday's game range from $8 to $18 and may be purchased in person at the Robertson Fieldhouse Box Office, the Carver Arena Box Office or online at www.BradleyBraves.com.
