Final Score (W-L)  1   2   F
Bradley (5-27)    29  37  66
Loyola (15-16)    29  45  74
Attendance: TBA | Officials: John Higgins, Mark Whitehead and Kelly Self

The Lead
Loyola Chicago forward Montel James posted a double-double with 20 points and 17 rebounds, leading the eighth-seeded Ramblers to a 74-66 win against ninth-seeded Bradley in the opening game of the 2016 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championship Thursday night at Scottrade Center. In a game that featured six ties and 18 lead changes, Loyola used an 8-0 run to pull away from that sixth tie with, 41-41, with 12:36 remaining. A James free throw with 12:16 left broke the tie to give the Ramblers the lasting lead.

Game-Sealing Sequence
With Bradley still scrapping and within six points, Donte Thomas appeared to generate a steal by poking the ball away from Milton Doyle on a cross-over dribble. With several players diving for the loose ball at midcourt, Loyola's Ben Richardson flipped the ball backward toward the Loyola baseline, where Montel James collected the ball before it went out of bounds and laid in an uncontested basket for a 65-57 Ramblers lead with 1:25 left. After a Bradley turnover, Earl Peterson drained a 3-pointers with 1:07 left for a 68-57 advantage.

Bradley Leaders
Bradley sophomore forward Donte Thomas turned in his fourth double-double of the season, finishing with 14 points and a career-best 14 rebounds. Freshman guard Ronnie Suggs added a double-double of his own with 16 points and a career-best 10 rebounds. Freshman guard Guard Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye added 14 points and freshman guard Antoine Pittman chipped in with 12.

Tourney Experience
Bradley's starting lineup for Thursday's tournament opener included sophomore Donte Thomas and four freshmen, a quintet with two career games, 19 minutes and three points of previous Arch Madness experience, all obviously by Thomas in last year's MVC Tournament.

Halftime Buzzer-Beater
Bradley freshman guard Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye beat the halftime buzzer with a 40-footer that hit just about every part of the rim before falling in to force a 29-29 halftime tie. Lautier-Ogunleye's shot has been nominated for ESPN SportsCenter Top Plays.

Quick Start Cools
Bradley opened the game by making its first five field goal attempts on four driving layups and a spot-up 3-pointer. After the quick start, however, Bradley made only five of its final 19 first-half field goal attempts. The Braves stayed in the game, however, by limiting Loyola to 9-for-28 (.321) field goal shooting in the first half and outrebounding the Ramblers, 21-14, in the opening period.

Series Update
In the 55th meeting between the two programs, Loyola trimmed its deficit against Bradley to 33-22 and the Ramblers improved to 4-0 all-time in neutral-site games against the Braves. Included in those four neutral-site games are wins in both MVC Tournament matchups between the two programs.

Up Next
Loyola advances to Friday's first quarterfinal game, a noon matchup against regular-season champion Wichita State.