Bradley Goes Cold in Second Half, Falls at Creighton, 79-65

Bradley University Men's Basketball 2/12/2009 5:00:00 AM

OMAHA, Neb. ? Bradley senior forward Theron Wilson turned in his fifth double-double of the season with 15 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, but it wasn't enough to help the Braves (13-12, 7-7 MVC) overcome a cold-shooting second half as Creighton (20-6, 10-4 MVC) pulled away late for a 79-65 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball win Wednesday night at Qwest Center. The loss extended Bradley's season-long skid to four games and left the Braves in a fourth-place tie in The Valley standings with Saturday's home opponent, Evansville (15-9, 7-7 MVC).

Creighton senior guard Booker Woodfox led five Bluejays in double-figures with a game-high 18 points. P'Allen Stinnett added 15 points, reserve center Kenton Walker added 11 and Justin Carter and Kenny Lawson, Jr. both chipped in with 10. Bradley sophomore guard Sam Maniscalco scored 13, all in the first half, and junior forward Chris Roberts added 11 off the bench for the Braves.

Creighton stormed out to a 23-13 lead during the first 10 minutes of the game, but the Braves regrouped and took a 39-37 lead into halftime after Maniscalco rattled home a half-court shot at the buzzer. The final basket left the visitors shooting 57.1 percent (12-21) from the field, including a 6-for-8 effort from 3-point range in the first period. Creighton was nearly as hot, however, making 14-of-27 (.519) first-half field goals, including a 5-for-12 (.417) effort from behind the arc.

The lead changed eight times in the first 10 minutes of the second half before the Braves suddenly went cold. Wilson's steal and transition layup gave the Braves a 56-55 lead with 10:49 left in the game, but Bradley did not score another basket until freshman forward Taylor Brown converted a putback off a missed free throw with 1:06 remaining. Roberts pushed the lead to 57-55 by splitting two free throws with 10:00 remaining, but the Bluejays took advantage of Bradley's cold shooting by outscoring the Braves 15-3 over the next 7:53.

Stinnett capped the run by draining a corner 3-pointer for a 70-60 Creighton lead with 2:03 remaining. Brown's putback trimmed the deficit to 72-65, but the Bluejays scored the game's final seven points to close out the game.

While Bradley made just 8-of-27 (.296) field goal attempts in the second half and missed all six of their 3-point tries after the break, Creighton remained hot by hitting 13-of-23 (.565) attempts from the floor in the final 20 minutes. The Braves further compounded their problems by committing 19 turnovers, which led to 33 Creighton points.

Through 14 rounds of Valley play, Creighton is the only team to score at least 70 points against Bradley and the Bluejays have now eclipsed the mark in both games against the Braves. Creighton scored 73 Jan. 10 in Peoria to hand the Braves their first Valley loss of the season.

Having played five of their last seven games on the road, Bradley will return home for their next two games, beginning with Saturday afternoon's clash against Evansville. A limited number of tickets remain for the 1:05 p.m. game at Carver Arena, which will be the first meeting of the season between the two teams. Single-game ticket prices for Bradley Basketball home games range from $8-20 and may be purchased in advance during regular business hours at the Shea Stadium Box Office, the Carver Arena Box Office or 24 hours a day online at www.BradleyBraves.com.

Bradley also will host Missouri State Tuesday in a 7:05 p.m. contest at Carver Arena, which will be preceded by the final Braves Club Gameday Luncheon of the season. Bradley head coach Jim Les and first-year Missouri State head coach Cuonzo Martin will be the featured speakers during Tuesday's luncheon, which begins at 11:30 a.m. at the Michel Student Center. Contact the Braves Club Office at Shea Stadium (309-677-2667) for more information and to purchase luncheon tickets.