Game Twenty-Two Recap: Bradley @ Illinois State

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Squandering opportunities generally results in road losses.

For as well as Bradley (11-5, 7-4) played during stretches, the Braves couldn't come up with enough big plays to defeat the host Redbirds, falling 69-65. Illinois State (18-4, 7-4) evened the season series with Bradley and kept its home record a perfect 12-0.

Credit the Braves for their usual determination, climbing back even with ISU twice after falling behind by 9-10 points in each half. Forward Theron Wilson exhibited his senior leadership throughout, scoring 17 points, grabbing nine rebounds and making 9-of-9 from the free throw line.

In fact, Bradley had been woeful lately from the free throw line, only making 60.5 percent (23-of-38) during the last two home games. But today the Braves hit 14-of-15, helping keep the game close.

Unfortunately, the only miss came after an aggressive layup by guard Dodie Dunson with 30 seconds left in the game, pulling Bradley within 1 at 64-63. Too bad for the Bloomington native, who scored all 15 of his points in the second half. The miss summed up the day for the Braves, who simply never got any of the bounces to go their way.

Bradley still had a chance to tie or win with 15 seconds to go, trailing ISU 67-65. Guard Sam Maniscalco made a drive through the Redbird defense and had an easy layup bounce off the rim. But don't lay too much blame on Maniscalco, who knocked down two 3-pointers in the last 6:15 of the game. If he doesn't make those, Bradley never has a chance to take the tying shot.

Maniscalco's miss was the final one in a long list of botched close shots, many of which came big men David Collins and Sam Singh. Collins especially had one of his poorer games, missing five shots, all of which were either layups or ill-advised attempts. When Bradley wins, the team gets solid contributions from its big men. Nine points and six rebounds simply isn't enough from this duo on a nightly basis.

Another reason why Bradley managed to stay so close in the game was the lack of turnovers. The Braves only committed five in the game, but also only had nine assists.

For the first time in awhile, both Bradley and Illinois State are good teams. Each were a few points better on its home floor. Hopefully the two will meet up again in St. Louis to break the tie.

Next game:

Bradley's second tough stretch continues as it must host conference-leading Northern Iowa on Tuesday night. The Panthers won its 10th in a row today, beating Indiana State on the road. That makes a perfect 6-0 road record in MVC play for Northern Iowa.

The Panthers now lead the Valley by three games and will be hard to catch with four of its last six at home following the Bradley game. But the Braves need this win to keep pace with Illinois State. According to the league tiebreaker formula (which I plan on releasing the totals in the next couple days), Illinois State holds a pretty wide margin over Bradley in the event the two teams finish the season tied. A victory over the number one team in the MVC would go a long way to closing that gap.

Northern Iowa @ Bradley, 7:05 p.m., Tues. 2/3

Game Twenty-One Recap: Wichita State @ Bradley

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Bradley (13-8, 7-3) took care of business again against another bad Valley team. Even though Wichita State (9-12, 3-7) kept the game close for awhile, at no point did it feel like the Braves were in danger of losing. Beating the cellar dwellers at home is a necessity for any contender for a conference title. But the chances of actually taking that title may very well be decided in the next two games (at Illinois State, vs. Northern Iowa).

The statistics don't lie. Bradley did just about everything better than Wichita State (FG %, 3PT %, rebounding, points in the paint, fast break points, bench points, etc.). If it weren't for some careless turnovers, which still can be expected with how young this team is, Bradley would have won by 20 or more.

Give head coach Jim Les credit. He's had this team well exceed any fans' hopes coming into conference play considering the injuries to Andrew Warren and Will Egolf. Sure the team has lapses (see: the first three minutes when the Shockers led 6-0), but an overall commitment to team basketball has really allowed this team to thrive.

He's also doing a better job of spacing out the minutes. All nine guys who were in the regular rotation played at least 17 minutes. These splits will help the team grow for the rest of this season, be much more ready for next year and also allow everyone to be a bit fresher as the grind of conference play continues.

Bradley hung not one, but two lengthy scoring droughts on Wichita State (zero points for six minutes in the first half, two points for five and a half minutes in the second). The second of these proved to be the most pivotal sequence of the game.

The Braves led 36-34 with just under 15 minutes to go when a steal by guard Sam Maniscalco ignited the run. The play ended in guard Chris Roberts going to the line and missing both free throws. But senior leader Theron Wilson grabbed a pivotal rebound and scored to put Bradley up four.

The next five possessions included four scores: a 3-pointer by guard Dodie Dunson, a great Sam-to-Sam assist (Maniscalco to Sam Singh), a transition hoop by guard Eddren McCain and another 3-pointer, this one by Maniscalco (who had been having a really tough game from the floor). Bradley also had three steals in that stretch and suddenly the lead was up to 48-36.

The Shockers had one last run in them, cutting the score to 53-44 on a J.T. Durley layup with 5:40 left. But the Braves quickly answered on the next possession with another huge 3-pointer from Dunson. Wilson iced the game by taking a charge and then throwing down a huge tip slam dunk at 4:12.

Dunson, who finished with 18 points and seven rebounds, had another impressive game. Wilson's 11 points and six rebounds also helped in securing the win. But others may have had almost as important of an influence on the outcome.

Maniscalco needs to be recognized, as he had an awful game shooting (2-12 from the floor) but didn't let it affect the rest of his performance. His four assists and no turnovers were especially important because McCain had one of his worst games in awhile. Not only was the Bradley freshman making more inexperienced turnovers, but he also was playing the game too fast and didn't help the Braves get in sync early. Maniscalco helped settle down the team and show more leadership even though he hasn't been starting lately.

Freshmen Taylor Brown and Darian Norris continue to earn more minutes with their athleticism and work ethic. They also make their share of mistakes, but this can be expected at their age. Unless Bradley gets a junior college forward, nothing should stop Brown from having a good chance at being a starter next year.

Next game:

The last two wins have certainly helped to build some confidence going into two of the biggest games of the season. First up: Illinois State. Not only will the Redbirds be out for revenge in round two of the War on 74, but a disappointing loss at Northern Iowa tonight will have the 'Birds extra angry. Instead of moving one game out of first place, now Illinois State could possibly fall into fourth or fifth place in the Valley.

Even though Bradley beat ISU once, don't expect this game to be any easier — not that records matter in the rivalry. These games are generally close, especially at Redbird Arena. And for once, the ISU fans will actually fill the arena, so expect about the usual hostile environment (especially with all the profanity thrown around inside).

The next two will prove how much of a contender Bradley can really be. A split should be a reasonable expectation, but who knows how far the overachieving Braves can go?

Bradley at Illinois State, 3:05 p.m., Sat. 1/31

Game Twenty Recap: Indiana State @ Bradley

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This year's Bradley team doesn't resemble the 1985-86 squad in talent or success. But it did do exactly what the 32-3 Braves did throughout conference play — win.

Bradley (12-8, 6-3) finished a season sweep of Indiana State (4-16, 2-7) with a 68-56 victory at Carver Arena on Saturday night. Freshman guard Eddren McCain led a balanced attack with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Overall, the Braves shot 56.8 percent from the floor (25-of-44) including 7-of-15 from beyond the arc.

The formula for Bradley's success this season was followed again: make jump shots, play good defense and get to the free throw line. The Sycamores only shot 40 percent from the floor and had to settle for tossing up too many 3-pointers (9-of-31).

The last part of the equation was poor again by percentage, as Bradley only hit 11-of-20 free throws (55 percent). But, the Braves still hit eight more than Indiana State. If Bradley hits an average percentage, this game may have been a rout.

Credit the Sycamores for hanging with Bradley for awhile. Indiana State led 14-10 with 11 minutes to go in the first half when the Braves went on a 10-2 run to take a lead for good.

The game might have been within a few points at halftime though if it weren't for guard Sam Maniscalco. He knocked down two 3-pointers in the final minute, the last of which coming with just a few seconds on the clock. The dramatic finish gave Bradley a 32-24 advantage.

The Braves led stayed around 8 to 10 points until the 9:30 mark of the second half. The home squad went on a 9-0 run for the next four minutes, making the score 59-42.

The exclamation point on the game may have came with 8 minutes to go when forward Theron Wilson stole the ball and ran it down for a thundering dunk. This was just one of 15 steals Bradley had in the game, using its quickness to disrupt Indiana State all night.

Trying to single out a player of the game might be tough, as six different players had at least seven points. Bradley certainly wasn't perfect — the poor free throw shooting and 16 turnovers still need improvement. But the Braves also did what you need to do be a contender in the Valley — win your home games, especially against the bottom of the league.

Note: Maniscalco left the game after stepping on an Indiana State player's foot during a botched alley-oop play near the end of regulation. Hopefully this will just be a little soreness and he'll be good for the next game Wednesday.

Next game:

Bradley has another game it must win coming up Wednesday night against Wichita State. The Shockers have won three in a row, but all of these have been at home. They haven't won a road game all season and the Braves must keep it that way. Just like Indiana State, if you can beat someone on the road, you can certainly win on your home court against them as well.

Wichita State @ Bradley, Wed. 1/28, 7:05 p.m.