NORMAL, Ill. -- Illinois State sophomore guard Osiris Eldridge scored a game-high 24 points and point guard Boo Richardson made 1-of-2 free throws with 8.0 seconds remaining to secure a 72-68 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball victory versus Interstate 74 rival Bradley (14-11, 7-6 MVC) Saturday night at Redbird Arena. The Redbirds (17-7, 9-4) snapped Bradley's six-game overall winning streak, while also ending a six-game slide against their rival Braves.
Bradley got a pair of 17-point efforts from senior guard Jeremy Crouch (Pekin, Ill./Pekin H.S.) and junior forward Theron Wilson (Topeka, Kan./Highland Park H.S.). Senior point guard Daniel Ruffin (Peoria, Ill./Central H.S.) scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half, while sophomore guard Andrew Warren (Indianapolis, Ind./Brebeuf Jesuit Prep) chipped in with 10 points for the Braves. Illinois State junior forward Anthony Slack scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half and his frontcourt mate, Dinma Odiakosa, added 13 points.
The game was marked by a series of runs, but Illinois State took advantage of the biggest spurt. Bradley built a game-high 12-point lead, 27-15, when Wilson converted a 3-point play with 8:34 left in the first half, then earned another 12-point advantage, 31-19, on a Wilson dunk with 5:24 left in the period. Illinois State used a 12-2 push to close the half, trailing just 33-31 at the break, then scored the first eight points of the second half to build a 39-33 lead. Slack, who finished the night 6-for-6 from the field, scored the first three baskets of the second half.
The Redbirds eventually stretched their lead to as many as 10 points, 50-40, on an Emmanuel Holloway jumper with 11:29 left in the game and took a second 10-point lead, 53-43, on a pair of Odiakosa free throws with 8:37 left.
Bradley did not go down without a fight, however, as the Braves twice closed to within two points. Ruffin penetrated the lane then dished to Matt Salley for a layup to pull Bradley within 66-64 with 1:52 remaining. Slack answered with an inside basket, but Crouch drove the lane for another layup to get the Braves within two again, 68-66, with 52 seconds to go.
Eldridge hit a big 18-foot jumper for a 70-66 Illinois State advantage with 21 seconds left and the Braves traded one Odiakosa free throw with 13 seconds to go for two by Ruffin with 8.0 seconds left to remain within one possession, 71-68. Warren fouled Richardson on the ensuing inbounds play, however, and the Redbird point guard recovered from a miss on his first attempt to make the game-sealing charity shot on his second try.
Bradley entered the game as one of the top 3-point shooting and free throw shooting teams in the country, but the Braves made just 6-of-19 (.316) attempts from behind the arc and 10-of-16 (.625) from the stripe. Getting 20 assists on its 28 field goals, Illinois State shot 58.3 percent (28-48) from the floor. The Redbirds also won the rebound fight, 31-27.
Bradley will return to action Tuesday when the Braves visit The Valley's other ISU, Indiana State, in a 6:05 p.m. (CST) contest at the Hulman Center in Terre Haute. Tuesday's game will be televised throughout Central Illinois by Comcast (Peoria channel 44). The Braves then will return home to host Creighton next Saturday in a 1:05 p.m. contest at Carver Arena. The Bradley athletic department will sponsor its third t-shirt giveaway of the season against the Bluejays in support of a “Redout” at Carver Arena.
