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69 | 75 |
The 2009-2010 Bradley Braves simply can't turn the corner. After knocking off nationally ranked Northern Iowa on Saturday, the Braves (13-13, 8-8 MVC) didn't put together a complete performance and fell at Indiana State, 75-69 in overtime.
The "other" Aaron Carter led all scorers with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Doing his best impression of the famous pop singer, Carter made numerous big plays including the game winning shot with 40 seconds to play in overtime.
Bradley freshman guard Dyricus Simms-Edwards continues to blossom scoring a career-high 14 points to go along with four assists and two rebounds. Even though he lacks experience, Simms-Edwards had the guts to attempt and make a long 3-pointer with less than two minutes remaining in overtime. At the time, his shot tied the game at 66-66.
After Carl Richard made a jumper on the following possession, Simms-Edwards continued to show his confidence with a hard drive to the basket. The shot didn't fall but sophomore center Will Egolf grabbed the rebound and fed junior guard Andrew Warren for an open 3-pointer to give the Braves a brief 69-68 lead with 1:00 to play.
The Sycamores (16-11, 8-8 MVC) were having some success driving to the basket late in the game and head coach Kevin McKenna drew up the perfect play to capitalize on that. Jordan Printy drove quickly to the basket and the entire Bradley defense bit, leaving multiple shooters open on the perimeter. Printy found Carter in the corner and it was a lead that would not be relinquished.
Simms-Edwards tried to score for the third straight possession but his contested jumper simply wouldn't fall in the hoop. A few free throws later and Bradley had fallen squarely backward in the conference standings.
The statistics were fairly even on the game as both teams shot about 40 percent from the floor. But the Braves committed 17 turnovers and shot 10 less free throws than Indiana State did.
Warren and junior guard Sam Maniscalco combined for just 3 points in the first half, but helped lead the charge to get back into the game after trailing by 10 at the break. Maniscalco led Bradley with 15 points and 5 assists while Warren added 13 points of his own.
Sophomore forward Taylor Brown was solid as well, pulling down his sixth double-double of the season (14 points, 13 rebounds). Even though senior guard Chris Roberts had a quiet scoring night (5 points), he did contribute 11 rebounds and three assists.
So, if so many of the Braves had decent games, why did Bradley come up short in Terre Haute? Well, the Will Egolf factor was in effect again - as he goes, so do the Braves. The sophomore center simply wasn't sharp, making 2-of-7 from the floor, committing three turnovers and fouling out in overtime.
This isn't to be too harsh on Egolf, as he certainly wasn't the main reason Bradley lost. Everybody made mistakes and these all combined together to result in a frustrating defeat. The Braves lack of interior players (other than Egolf) makes the team so reliant on him to be good game after game. And when he does have an off night (as every player does during the course of a season), Bradley usually struggles to pull out a victory.
This loss really puts a lot of pressure on the Braves now, who would have held tiebreakers over Drake and Indiana State and almost assured themselves a top six finish in the Valley. Now only two games remain against second place Wichita State and at Creighton, both teams that will be a major challenge to secure a victory. If Bradley doesn't get either of these games, a trip to the play-in game would be very possible.
But everyone has seen the capability of this team to beat the upper echelon programs in the league. Even after close losses (vs. Creighton, vs. Illinois State, at Northern Iowa), Bradley has proven it can beat any of these teams.
The BracketBuster
Bradley hosts Drexel on Saturday night in Peoria at 7:05 pm. This final regular season non-conference game is part of the BracketBusters series that helps the mid-major schools try and strengthen a resume to get invited to the NCAA tournament.
Because of how average the entire conference has been all season, only Northern Iowa (who hosts Old Dominion on Saturday) really has a chance to enhance or hinder its at-large bid consideration. Though Bradley certainly wishes it had something more significant to play for in this game, it does provide a good test against a solid east coast program.
The Dragons are 15-13 overall after falling big at VCU tonight, 73-54. The interesting aspect to watch will be how Bradley can handle Drexel's depth. While Bradley is essentially playing a 6-7 man rotation now, the Dragons are playing 8-9 deep.
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