SÃO CARLOS, Brazil -- Bradley senior guard Chris Roberts scored a game-high 30 points, while junior guard Sam Maniscalco added 22 and sophomore forward Taylor Brown chipped in with 21, leading Bradley to a 101-81 victory versus XV de Paracicaba in the third-place game of the COPA EPTV Basketball Tournament Saturday evening at Gimnásio Milton Olaio Filho.
Bradley broke open a close game by outscoring XV 31-18 in the fourth quarter and the Braves completed their 10-day, preseason tour of Brazil with a 4-1 record, including a 3-1 mark against the four Brazilian National League teams it faced in São Carlos.
"Playing four games in four days is difficult under any cirmcustance," said Bradley head coach Jim Les, "but the fact that we dominated the fourth quarter tonight after all that we have experienced on this trip shows how tough this team can be.
"This trip has been an outstanding experience from start to finish, both on the court and off," added Les. "The guys will bring home great memories and we have established a great foundation to build from as we prepare for the season."
After a slow start, Bradley quickly heated up and built a 23-12 lead deep into the first quarter, only to see XV pull to within 29-25 on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the period. XV carried the momentum into the second quarter, burying four straight 3-pointers to start the second stanza en route to a 37-34 lead. Although XV made 6-of-11 3-pointers in the quarter, Bradley was able to keep pace and when the Brazilian squad cooled, the Braves closed the half on an 8-1 run to lead 53-47 at the break.
Roberts (18), Brown (13) and Maniscalco (12) combined for 43 of Bradley's 53 first-half points.
The offensive pace slowed in the third quarter as both teams struggled to consistently make shots. After Roberts slammed home his second alley-oop from Maniscalco to start the third quarter, the Braves missed 10 of their next 12 field goal attempts before Maniscalco canned a 3-pointer to end the period and give the Braves a 70-63 lead.
After Sam Singh, who added 12 points, made 1-of-2 free throws to start the fourth quarter, senior guard Ryan Phillips provided the spark that allowed the Braves to break the game open. The 6-foot-3 guard first collected an offensive rebound, then finished the possession by swishing his first 3-pointer as a Brave for a 74-65 lead. He added a transition dunk on the next possession to launch the Braves on a 15-3 run that broke the game open.
Singh added 12 points and shared team-high rebounding honors with Brown, both with nine boards. In addition to his 30 points, Roberts added six rebounds, two assists, a blocked shot and three steals.
Notes: The Braves began the day by visting the childhood gymnasium of Nene, Meneghelli, which is located in a São Carlos favella ... A native of São Carlos, Nene plays in the NBA for the Denver Nuggets ... Sophomore point guard Eddren McCain injured his right pinky finger during the first half of Thursday's game versus Lupo Araraquara and played the last two games with his pinky finger in a splint, taped to his ring finger.
