Final Score (W-L)         1   2   F
SIU (14-2, 3-0 MVC)      41  24  65
Bradley (2-14, 0-3 MVC)  23  21  44
Attendance: 5,639

Early Run
After Bradley took a 6-5 lead on a Callum Barker 3-point play with 17:56 left in the first half, Southern Illinois answered with a 7-0 run to take the lead for good. The Salukis later stretched a 16-11 lead to 16 points, 31-15, with a 15-6 outburst.

First-Half Finishing Flurry
Keyed by consecutive 3-pointers from Leo Vincent, Southern Illinois finished the half on a 6-0 run and took a 41-21 lead, before Ronnie Suggs scored on a scoop shot at the buzzer to pull Bradley within 41-23 at the break. Southern Illinois shot 55.6 percent (15-27) from the field in the first half, including 3-for-6 from 3-point range. Bradley was 8-for-23 (.348) from the floor, 2-for-9 (.222) and 5-of-11 (.455) from the free throw line in the opening 20 minutes.

Statistical Leaders
Bradley freshman reserve Ronnie Suggs scored a game-high 12 points. Although the Salukis were led by Anthony Beane's 11 points, the Valley scoring leader came into the game averaging 21.7 points per game on 49.8 percent field goal shooting. Beane finished 3-for-10 from the field. SIU guard Tyler Smithpeters completed the game's double-digit scoring with 10 points. Salukis forward Bola Olaniyan pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.

Young and Short-Handed
Already with a 12-player lineup consisting of 10 freshmen, a sophomore and a senior, the Braves played their first game without senior guard Ka'Darryl Bell, who suffered a fracture in his right hand late in Sunday's game against Wichita State. The Braves also were without freshman reserve center Scottie James, who experienced concussion-like symptoms after getting hit in the face against the Shockers. Already playing every minute of the season with at least three freshmen on the floor, Bradley played all 40 minutes Wednesday with at least four freshmen on the court, including 17-minutes, 35-seconds of game time with five freshmen together. Bradley's two non-scholarship freshmen – Peter Hanley (14 minutes) and D'Angelo McBride (17) – totaled 31 minutes.

Early Foul Trouble
Just 8:24 into the game, both teams were in the bonus with 15 foul calls. Three Bradley starters – Callum Barker, Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye and Luuk van Bree – each were saddled with two personal fouls inside the game's first 8:03. Three Southern Illinois starters, including season scoring leader Anthony Beane, also were hit with two personal fouls by 10:07 into the game. The foul trouble for Bradley worsened when starters van Bree and Antoine Pittman both had collected their third fouls by 4:45 left in the half.

Turnovers
Southern Illinois extended its halftime lead to 53-26 by turning 10 Bradley turnovers in the first six minutes of the half into 10 points off turnovers. The Braves finished the game with a season-high 28 turnovers and the Salukis benefitted by a 26-12 final margin in points off turnovers.

Second Half Battle
After falling behind by as much as 27 points early in the second half, Bradley steadily closed the margin down the stretch. The Braves outscored Southern Illinois 16-6 during a 10-minute stretch to close within 59-42, before Tyler Smithpeters pushed the lead back to 20 points on a 3-pointer with 2:49 remaining.

Up Next
Bradley will face The Valley's other 13-win club, Evansville, in a 3 p.m. CST tip Saturday at Evansville's Ford Center. Southern Illinois will host Wichita State, also at 3 p.m. Saturday. The Bradley-Evansville game will be available for viewing on ESPN3, while the Wichita State-Southern Illinois game will air on CBS Sports Network.