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65 | 79 |
Games like these are when Bradley really misses players like Andrew Warren and Jeremy Crouch.
Creighton proved why its a perennial Missouri Valley Conference powerhouse, outlasting a gutsy performance by the Braves 79-65. The Bluejays (20-6, 10-4) kept pace with Northern Iowa, who beat Southern Illinois easily tonight, holding onto second place in the Valley, two games back. Bradley (13-12, 7-7) has lost seven of 10 conference games now after starting 4-0 in league play.
Unlike the flat performance at Drake, Bradley battled hard in an arena (Qwest Center) that the team has never won. After allowing a 3-pointer to start the game by guard Dodie Dunson, Creighton ran eight straight points on the Braves. For a long time, the game simply looked out of reach.
The Bluejays always had an answer to any run the Braves made. Two free throws by forward/center Sam Singh trimmed the Creighton lead to 25-23 with 5:50 left in the first half. But a bad four possessions (two turnovers by forward Theron Wilson, two tough shots made by Booker Woodfox) quickly extended the lead back to six, 29-23.
Bradley looked as if it would surely trail going into the half, but a half court buzzer beater by guard Sam Maniscalco gave Bradley its first lead going into halftime, 39-37. Creighton had played a really sloppy half and still only trailed by two. With how inconsistent Bradley's shooting has been all season, it would be hard to imagine how the team could put up another big scoring half.
And unfortunately for the Braves, they didn't. Bradley could have folded, falling behind 55-47 in the midst of an 8-0 Creighton run. Instead, the team stormed back, and went on a 10-0 run of its own.
But the offense was nonexistent for the final nine minutes and the Bluejays finished the game scoring 24 of the final 32 points. Not only were the Braves not making shots, but they also were turning the ball over too much. Just like at Drake, Bradley finished with 19 turnovers.
Maybe living with the center David Collins, whose soft play can often be brought into question, is rubbing off on Wilson. His overall stat line doesn't look bad on paper (15 points, 11 rebounds), but he also made numerous bonehead mistakes and just hasn't been himself since defenses have committed to shutting him down. He's really going to need to get it together and start playing like the leader he showed to be earlier in the season.
Guard Chris Roberts, who can be frustratingly inconsistent, had one of his good nights. He had 11 points, three rebounds, a steal and a block — filling up the stat sheet as he generally does during his positive games. If only he could put together games like this nightly, he'd start every game.
Maniscalco also finished in double figures with 13. But as much as Sam can be praised for his heart, determination and overall basketball IQ, even he made some silly turnovers that helped seal Bradley's fate.
Without Warren and Will Egolf, this team just isn't that great. If the team had a finisher, like Creighton has P'Allen Stinnett and Woodfox, then a few of these close games would have likely swung in Bradley's favor. Fortunate for them, as the rest of the league isn't that impressive either. This has helped the team stay afloat through the last difficult part of the schedule.
Up next:
Realistically, Bradley will finish somewhere between fourth and sixth once conference play ends. Which, considering what was lost, isn't the worst end result to the season. If the Braves are to assure fourth place (or attempt an outside chance at third), the winning must start again Saturday. Evansville comes to Peoria, who shares fourth place currently with Bradley.
Teams as average as Evansville must be beaten at home. Expect Bradley to finish the season strong, with all five games (two with Evansville, one with both Missouri State and Drake and the Bracketbuster at Loyola) being winnable. As big of a rut as this team has been in closing out games, the talent level for the Braves still is superior to all of the remaining opponents.
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