NORMAL, Ill. ? Bradley senior forward Theron Wilson scored a game-high 17 points and pulled down nine rebounds, but Interstate 74 rival Illinois State (18-4, 7-4 MVC) held on for a 69-65 victory over the Braves (13-9, 7-4 MVC) at Redbird Arena, Saturday afternoon. The loss drops the Braves into a tie for second place in The Valley standings with Illinois State, three games behind first-place Northern Iowa.
Emmanuel Holloway led four Redbirds in double-figures with 15 points. Champ Oguchi added a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, while Osiris Eldridge chipped in with 13 points and Dinma Odiakosa added 11 points. Bloomington native Dodie Dunson scored all 15 of his points for the Braves in the second half and Bradley guard Sam Maniscalco added 14 points to complete the double-digit scoring.
Playing in front of a sold out crowd of 10,200, Illinois State scored seven of the game's first nine points, then built its lead to a game-high 10 points, 19-9, when Osiris Eldridge drained a 3-pointer with 10 minutes left in the first half. Despite shooting just 36.7 percent from the field in the first half, Bradley clawed back and used a 16-4 run to take a 25-23 lead on a Darian Norris transition basket with 5:29 left in the half. The Braves managed only a Wilson bucket and two Chris Roberts free throw the rest of the half, however, as Illinois State took a 34-29 lead into the break.
After Bradley pulled even, 36-36, with a 7-2 flurry to start the second half, Illinois State embarked on an 11-2 run to snare a 47-38 lead with 13:36 remaining. The Redbirds still led 55-47 with 8:20 remaining before Bradley made a hard charge.
Dunson sandwiched a pair of 3-pointers around one by Maniscalco to highlight a quick 9-0 Bradley run that gave the Braves a 56-55 lead with 5:42 remaining. After a pair of interior baskets by Illinois State, Maniscalco again pulled the Braves even, 59-59, by draining his fourth 3-pointer of the night with 3:21 left.
After both teams missed shots, Odiakosa gave Illinois State a lasting lead, 61-59, by scoring inside with 2:03 left. Oguchi split a pair of free throws before Wilson made two to get the Braves within 62-61 with 52 seconds left. Bradley appeared to force a turnover when Illinois State's ensuing inbounds pass appeared to hit off the bottom of the backboard, but the officials ruled the ball hit the bottom of the rim and the Braves eventually fouled Sampay after a scrum for the loose ball. Sampay made both free throws to complete a 6-for-6 individual effort at the line.
With Bradley trailing 64-61, Dunson scored on a driving layup with 30 seconds left and was fouled on the play, but he could missed the potential game-tying free throw. Holloway stretched the lead back to three, 66-63, by making a pair of free throws. Maniscalco set up center David Collins for a dunk to pull Bradley back within 66-65 with 15 seconds to go and the Braves had one last chance when Odiakosa was called for a lane violation on his second free throw with 14.4 seconds left. Maniscalco split a Redbird double team at the top of the key to free himself for a driving layup, but the game-tying shot fell off the rim. Oguchi rebounded the miss with five seconds left and made two free throws to secure the four-point win.
Illinois State's defense limited Bradley to just 34.4 percent (22-64) shooting from the field and the Redbirds outrebounded their visitors 40-30. Bradley did use 13 offensive rebounds to outscore the Redbirds 17-10 in second chance points and the Braves committed only five turnovers in the game. Bradley's perimeter defense held Illinois State to 5-for-19 (.263) from long range.
Bradley faces another tough challenge Tuesday when the Braves will host league-leading UNI in a 7:05 p.m. game at Carver Arena. Tickets ranging from $8-20 still remain for Tuesday's game, which will not be televised, and may be purchased in advance at the Shea Stadium Box Office, the Carver Arena Box Office or online at www.BradleyBraves.com. Tuesday's game will be preceded by the third Bradley Braves Club Gameday Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. at the Michel Student Center. The luncheon's featured speakers include Bradley head coach Jim Les and Major League Baseball pitcher Brian Shouse. Gameday Luncheon tickets are available by contacting the Braves Club Office (309-677-2667).
