NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State guard Austin Hill banked home a 6-footer with 2.7 seconds left, lifting the Redbirds (12-17, 4-13 MVC) to a 51-50 home victory against Bradley (10-19, 3-14) Tuesday night at Redbird Arena and a sweep of the annual Interstate 74 Rivalry.

Bradley stormed out to a 17-6 lead in the first 8:55 of the game, but the Braves managed just one field goal the rest of the first half, allowing the hosts to pull within 25-21 at halftime.  Reserve forward Jackie Carmichael fueled the Redbird rally with 12 points and nine rebounds in the half.  He finished the game with game-highs of 19 points and 13 rebounds and gave the Redbirds their first lead of the night, 47-46, on a baseline move with 1:09 remaining in the game.

Following a wild scramble for a loose ball at the Bradley end, senior guard Dodie Dunson gave the lead back to Bradley, 48-47, on a layup with 34.7 seconds left.  Hill converted two free throws with 15.7 seconds left, but Braves sophomore guard Dyricus Simms-Edwards quickly answered with a short jumper for a 50-49 Bradley lead with 9.1 seconds remaining.

The Redbirds advanced the ball up the floor quickly and Hill drove the right side of the lane.  Bradley guard Jake Eastman attempted to draw a charge on Hill's drive, but the Redbird guard converted his bank shot as Eastman fell to the floor.  Following a Bradley timeout, Dunson was able to work the ball to midcourt for a last-second heave, but the potential game-winner banked off the rim as time expired, sending the Braves to their fifth straight loss in the series.

Simms-Edwards scored a team-high 15 points and senior guard Andrew Warren, who entered the game leading The Valley in scoring at 18.9 points per game, was held to 10 on 4-for-16 shooting.  Freshman center Jordan Prosser equaled his season high with 10 rebounds for the second straight game.  Hill was Illinois State's only other double-digit scorer, finishing with 10 points.

On a cold shooting night for both teams, Illinois State's plus-1 advantage at the free throw line proved to be the difference.  Both teams made 18 field goal attempts and two 3-pointers - Bradley was 18-for-56 (.321) overall and 2-for-15 (.133) from 3-point range, while Illinois State was 18-for-49 (.367) overall and 2-for-19 (.105) from behind the arc.  The Redbirds topped Bradley's 12-for-18 (.667) showing from the free throw line with a 13-for-19 (.684) effort.