PEORIA, Ill. -- Sophomore guard Sam Maniscalco (Chicago, Ill./St. Patrick H.S.) eclipsed his official career high with 18 points, senior forward Theron Wilson (Topeka, Kan./Highland Park H.S.) turned in a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds and senior center David Collins (Toronto, Ontario/Emery Collegiate Institute) added 10 points and four blocked shots as the veteran trio led Bradley to a 74-61 victory versus NCAA Division II Lewis University in the exhibition opener for both teams Monday night at Carver Arena.
On a night when the six Bradley newcomers to see action combined to make just 11-of-34 (.324) field goal attempts during their first action at Carver Arena, five Bradley returning lettermen combined to make 17-of-30 (.567) field goal attempts to help hold off a Lewis rally midway through the second half. That is not to say the new Braves did not make their share of contributions, though. Freshman guard Eddren McCain (Laplace, La./Reserve Christian H.S.) grabbed seven rebounds and shared game-high honors with five assists; junior forward Chris Roberts (Fort Worth, Texas/Dunbar H.S.) had nine points, four rebounds and three assists; freshman guard Darian Norris (Las Vegas, Nev./Mojave H.S.) added nine points of his own and junior guard Dodie Dunson (Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington H.S.) chipped in with seven points, four rebounds, four assists, two steals and no turnovers in 30 minutes.
With Bradley holding just a 30-26 lead following a Jason Genova 3-pointer with 1:48 left in the first half, Wilson came up with steals at midcourt on consecutive Lewis possessions in the final minute and converted transition baskets to help the Braves to a 34-26 lead at the break. The momentum carried over into the second half and it appeared the Braves were poised to break the game open when Roberts threw down an alley-oop dunk in transition from Maniscalco for a game-high 15-point lead, 48-33, with 14:09 remaining.
Genova, who finished with a game-high 20 points, started an 18-4 counter run by Lewis, however, which was capped by a Lonnie Lawrence layup with 7:55 remaining to pull the Flyers to within 54-53. Genova sank three of his five 3-pointers during the run and guard Brandon Dagans scored six of his 19 points during the surge to help bring Lewis back.
A Maniscalco trey with 7:43 left helped stem the tide and the Braves outscored their visitors 10-1 in the final 5:16 to put the game away.
The Braves overcame some cold shooting from both the 3-point line (6-for-20) and free throw line (12-for-25) with a solid defensive effort, limiting Lewis to an even 40 percent shooting from the field (24-60) and forcing 18 turnovers. Benefitting from a 33-9 count in deflections, Bradley held a 14-3 advantage in steals and turned the defensive work into a 21-6 advantage in transition points.
Bradley will have nearly a week to prepare for their final exhibition game, a Sunday afternoon tilt against NCAA Division III Wisconsin-Platteville. The game against the Pioneers will cap a Bradley Basketball doubleheader at Carver Arena, as the 4:05 p.m. tip for the men's game will follow the 1:05 p.m. exhibition between the Bradley women and Truman State. The men's game against UW-Platteville is the first game in Bradley's season-ticket package, while individual ticket prices range from $8-20, based on location. A men's ticket will be good for general admission seating to the women's game.
