Game Sixteen Recap: Creighton @ Bradley

73	64

No Woodfox? No problem.

A short-handed Creighton team showed why it was picked to win the Missouri Valley Conference Saturday at Carver Arena, handing Bradley (10-6, 4-1) its first loss in MVC play. The Bluejays (13-4, 3-2) didn't have leading scorer Booker Woodfox (16.8 PPG), but still produced a solid team effort to secure a 73-64 road win in Peoria.

Bradley never really got in a good rhythm the entire game on either side of the floor. The defense wasn't terrible, but when the team needed stops, Creighton scored. The offense looked disjointed and the Braves got back into "chuck" mode, launching 18 attempts from beyond the 3-point line.

Post player Kenny Lawson Jr. as well as guard Cavel Witter helped Creighton stretch its first half lead to 10 points with 5 minutes left in the half at 27-17. But the lackadaisical Braves awoke for the last five minutes, scoring the last nine points and trailing 27-26 at the break.

Bradley even stretched that run into the second session, taking a 30-26 lead after a Eddren McCain layup and Theron Wilson dunk. But the Braves wouldn't make another field goal for eight minutes, letting Creighton build its lead back up to seven points.

This game had the classic feel of one that Bradley simply would never get over the hump. Creighton hit big shot after big shot, never allowing the Braves to make a run.

The biggest back breaker might have come with just under 12 minutes to play and Bradley within three points. The Braves had a great defensive possession, forcing the Bluejays to use the entire shot clock. As the buzzer sounded and guard Josh Dotzler threw up a wild shot in the lane, Lawson was there to tip the ball right back into the basket, pushing the score back up to 40-35.

Though the game felt almost unwinnable at that point, the lead was still five points with five minutes to play. A critical four possessions iced the game for Creighton.

First, guard Chris Roberts made a bad decision and committed a turnover. Bluejay star guard P'Allen Stinnett, who was having a terrible game up until that point, nailed a tough jumper to put Creighton up seven. Then McCain made another turnover and Stinnett would take the ball in transition, score and get fouled by guard Sam Maniscalco. In less than a minute, Bradley went from down five to down 10 and the game was essentially over.

And though some Bradley players had good stat lines, nobody really had two good halves. Maniscalco had a huge first half, scoring 11 of Bradley's 26 points. But then Maniscalco was nearly invisible in the second half, making only 1-of-5 attempts.

Conversely, nobody else really showed up for the Braves in the first half. Guard Dodie Dunson had all but three of his 16 points during the final 20 minutes. Nine of McCain's 12 points also came in the second half.

Bradley also only got a combined three points from inside players Taylor Brown, Sam Singh, and David Collins. When the Braves have been successful, they've gotten major contributions from the big men.

Overall, this was a very disappointing loss and a frustrating game to watch. Luckily this wasn't a bottom feeder in the league and nobody expected Bradley to go 18-0 in conference play.

Up next:

The schedule doesn't get any easier for awhile as the Braves now go on the road for three straight (at Indiana State, Tues., at Southern Illinois, Sun., at Northern Iowa, Weds. 1/21). Bradley needs to win two of these if it really wants to continue to consider itself a contender for the conference title.

Any road win is great in the Valley, but the Braves two road wins were against two of the worst teams in the league. Bradley needs to take care of business against Indiana State and SIU, as the Braves are clearly superior on the talent side.

More pictures:

Check out the slideshow of pictures I took at the game.

Click the photo above to view a slideshow.

(Updated at 11:45 PM with full recap.)