CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - The Braves had the final possession of the game Tuesday night, but a back-door lob to sophomore center Will Egolf (Juneau, Alaska/Douglas H.S.) to tie the game fell short as time expired, giving Northern Iowa (15-1 overall, 6-0 MVC) a 52-50 Missouri Valley Conference victory over Bradley (7-9 overall, 2-4 MVC) at the McLeod Center.
The Panthers opened the game with a 10-2 run, but a three-pointer by junior guard Sam Maniscalco (Chicago, Ill./St. Patrick H.S.) ended the Panthers' surge and cut the UNI lead to five, 10-5. A layup from sophomore forward Taylor Brown (Atlanta, Ga./Dunwoody H.S.) tied the score at 14, while an offensive rebound and put-back by Egolf kept the score knotted at 20.
Bradley took its first lead of the game with 2:30 remaining when senior guard Chris Roberts (Fort Worth, Texas/Dunbar H.S.) buried a three to make the score 23-20. A basket by freshman guard Dyricus Simms-Edwards (Washington, Ill./Washington H.S.) increased Bradley's edge to five, 25-20, but Northern Iowa responded with a 6-0 run to retake the lead. Maniscalco drained a jumper to end the half, giving Bradley a one-point advantage, 27-26.
Northern Iowa scored the first five points of the second half before Roberts connected from long range to pull the Braves within one, 31-30. The Panthers' advantage ballooned to 10 with a 7-0 run, but Maniscalco hit back-to-back threes to make it a four-point game, 45-41. With 22 second remaining, Maniscalco knifed through the lane for two, cutting the UNI lead to one, 51-50. The Braves had a chance to tie the game as time expired, but Northern Iowa's defense batted down the back-door lob to seal the victory, 52-50.
Maniscalco scored a game-high 15 points, tying him with head coach Jim Les on the Bradley all-time scoring list with 922 career points, while Roberts and junior guard Andrew Warren (Indianapolis, Ind./Brebeuf Jesuit Prep) added 11 and 10 points, respectively. Egolf pulled down a team-best nine rebounds, all in the first half, as Bradley out-rebounded Northern Iowa 37-28.
The Braves will return to action Saturday, Jan. 16 against Missouri State in a 2:05 p.m. tip at Carver Arena. Missouri State beat Bradley 88-69 last Saturday in Springfield, Mo.
