CHICAGO ? Bradley sophomore guard Sam Maniscalco scored 18 points in his return home and reserve swingman Chris Roberts shared team-high honors with 18 points, sparking the Braves (16-12) to an 86-75 non-conference win Saturday afternoon at Loyola-Chicago (14-16) in a contest created through the ESPNU BracketBusters concept. Bradley improves to 5-1 all-time in the February games created through its participation in the series.
After Loyola scored the game's first four points, Bradley exploded for the next 15 and eventually built a 25-point lead, 38-15, with 3:58 left in the first half before allowing the Ramblers to threaten in the second half. Bradley made 28-of-34 (.824) free throw attempts in the second half, including one stretch of 17 consecutive makes, to fend off the Loyola rally.
Loyola guard Justin Cerasoli scored 18 of his game-high 26 points in the second half and his backcourt mate J.R. Blount added 13 of his 20 after the break to pace the Ramblers. Bradley senior forward Theron Wilson, who came off the bench for the first time this season, contributed 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists for the Braves, while Bradley junior guard Dodie Dunson completed the double-digit scoring with 13 points.
Bradley sank 16-of-29 (.552) field goal attempts in the first half, including 6-of-13 (.462) from 3-point range, and limited the Ramblers to just 11-for-28 (.393) shooting in the first 20 minutes. The tables turned in the second half, however, as Loyola made 22-of-37 (.595) field goal attempts after the break, compared to just an 8-for-19 (.421) effort by the Braves.
Loyola used the discrepancy to trim its deficit to single-digits for the first time, 47-38, on a Blount layup with 15:45 remaining in the game. The Ramblers eventually got to within six, 65-59, on a Courtney Stanley 3-pointer with 5:50 left, but Roberts answered with two free throws and neither team scored again until Wilson fed center David Collins for a dunk and a 69-59 lead with 2:59 remaining. Dunson added two free throws for a 71-59 lead with 2:23 left and the Ramblers got no closer than eight points the rest of the way.
Bradley's effort at the line marked the second time in three games the Braves made 30-of-37 (.811) attempts, as they hit those same numbers last Saturday in a similar 86-79 home win against Evansville. In Bradley's season-opener against the Chicagoland Horizon League team, UIC, the Braves made 33-of-47 free throw attempts in a 67-61 victory.
Winners of three straight, Bradley will return to action Wednesday by visiting Evansville in a 7:05 p.m. Missouri Valley Conference game. A win against the Purple Aces would secure the No. 4 seed in next month's State Farm MVC Tournament in St. Louis.
