PEORIA, Ill. ? Senior forward Theron Wilson led Bradley with 18 points and 18 rebounds and the Braves (19-14) opened the inaugural CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament with an 81-74 victory against Austin Peay (19-14) Wednesday night at Carver Arena.
Austin Peay senior forward Drake Reed recorded a double-double with game-highs of 24 points and 11 rebounds and three other Governors ? Kyle Duncan, Wes Channels and Anthony Campbell -- scored 11 points apiece. Sophomore guard Sam Maniscalco added 15 points for Bradley, while freshman point guard Eddren McCain turned in a solid all-around game with 13 points, five assists, five rebounds and four steals and junior guard Chris Roberts added 12 points.
The Braves enjoyed their second-best 3-point shooting game of the season by draining 11-of-20 (.550) from beyond the arc. Ironically, the team's best game of the year from 3-point range came against another opponent from the state of Tennessee, a 13-for-24 effort Nov. 29 against East Tennessee State. Maniscalco buried 4-of-7 long range attempts and his trey with 2:27 remaining gave the Braves some breathing room, 70-64.
Although the Braves shot just 63.2 percent from the free throw line, Bradley outscored the Governors, 24-5, from the stripe. Austin Peay was whistled for 24 fouls, resulting in 38 Bradley free throw attempts. The Braves made 11-of-14 attempts in the final 1:44 to close the game out.
Bradley led by double-digits in both halves, only to see Austin Peay repeatedly rally. The Braves went on a 10-0 run to grab a 21-11 lead with 12:35 left in the first half, but after Taylor Brown sank two free throws to regain the double-digit cushion, 23-13, the Governors used a 12-2 push to pull even once again. The lead changed hands four times, before the Braves managed a 40-26 advantage at the break.
The Braves steadily built the lead to a game-high 11 points, 60-49, with 7:15 left, but Reed got Austin Peay back into the game by scoring eight points during a 15-7 surge to pull the Governors to within 67-64 with 2:43 remaining. Maniscalco answered with his momentum killing 3-pointer from the top of the key and the Governors got no closer than five points the rest of the way.
Although Bradley's quarterfinal opponent likely will not be announced until Thursday, the Braves will host their next game in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament at 7:05 p.m. Monday at Carver Arena. Repeating the process for the first-round game, season-ticket holders may claim their regular-season seats at the Shea Stadium Box Office from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. both Thursday and Friday. The general public may begin purchasing all open seats Saturday morning online at www.BradleyBraves.com. General public also may purchase seats in person beginning Saturday at 9 a.m. at the Carver Arena Box Office or beginning Monday morning at the Shea Stadium Box Office.
Ticket prices once again will range from $9-30, based on location. Fans may take advantage of a 2-for-1 offer on all Priority IV $9 tickets when purchasing their seats in person at the Shea Stadium Box Office.
