Bradley blows out Evansville 83-63

83	63

Bradley completely dominated Evansville this afternoon and won by 20 points on road. The Braves got contributions from up and down the roster during this impressive performance.

Expect a full recap tomorrow on bradleybasketball.blogspot.com.

Egolf's late baskets lead Braves to 67-65 victory

65	67

Fans have been watching a reoccurring plot at home all season: Bradley plays a really solid first half but lets the lead slip away in the second 20 minutes. Luckily for players, coaches and fans, this game finished with a better ending as Bradley found a way to secure a big home victory against Drake, 67-65.

Sophomore center Will Egolf grabbed an offensive rebound and tossed in a fall away shot attempt that broke a 65-65 tie with 1.8 seconds left in the game. "I saw the rim for about a second," Egolf said during the post game radio show.

And though he didn't have a huge stat line (eight points, five rebounds), Egolf was a critical component in the Bradley (11-11, 6-6 MVC) victory.

With the Braves leading 63-62, head coach Jim Les called a timeout with 59.6 seconds remaining. Bradley would eventually get a shot for junior guard Sam Maniscalco, who had been the carrying the Braves the last eight minutes of the game. Maniscalco missed a 3-pointer from the top to the key but Egolf used his long, athletic reach to tip in the miss and extend the lead to three.

Drake's Josh Young slashed to the basket on the next possession and found an open Adam Templeton for a 3-pointer to tie the game with 16 seconds to go. Maniscalco tried a long shot from just inside the arc but it rattled out again. But Egolf was in the right place again and threw in what most would call a "lucky" shot to win it.

Strangely enough, even though Drake (11-13, 6-6 MVC) had three timeouts remaining and 1.8 seconds left, the Bulldogs elected not to call a timeout and missed a long heave at the buzzer.

Even though Maniscalco missed those two late opportunities, he was a true leader on the court the entire game, pacing all scorers with 21 points. One of his favorite offensive moves, the turnaround jump shot after driving into the lane, was really on display. He finished the game playing 38 minutes, making 9-of-14 from the field with three rebounds, six assists and three turnovers.

But it wasn't just Maniscalco's offense that was so critical to the Braves' victory. After Ryan Wedel lit up Bradley for 15 points in the first half, Maniscalco was switched over to guarding Wedel for the majority of the second half. The result: Wedel had zero points and didn't look like the same player.

To cap it all off, Maniscalco became the first Brave since Phillip Gilbert to reach the 1,000 point club in his junior year.

His play was a big reason why, even though Bradley shot 55 percent in the first half, only led by seven points going into the break. When Wedel disappeared from the Drake offense, there was Josh Young. One of better players in the conference during the past three seasons, Young's combination of shooting and slashing to the goal caught the Bulldogs up in the game.

Bradley had an opportunity extend a seven point lead on five separate possessions with the score 54-47 and just under 12 minutes remaining. Young took charge, nailing two 3-pointers and scoring 12 of Drake's next 14 points.

The Braves seemed to have a "bend, don't break" style the entire second half, never pulling away but also never letting Drake take the lead either.

Freshman guard Dyricus Simms-Edwards turned in another dynamite performance off of the bench, logging seven points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and one turnover in 17 minutes. His energy always seems to resonate throughout the whole team whenever he's out on the court - something a box score simply can't tell you.

Senior guard Chris Roberts appeared to gain some confidence after a few shaky performances as of late. He had nine points (3-of-3 from beyond the arc) and could have had more if it weren't for him missing four easy layups. For as explosive of a player as he can be, it's truly baffling how much Roberts struggles to finish near the basket. Give him credit though, he hit a couple big shots when Bradley really needed them and hopefully will build on a good game.

The tenacity from sophomore forward Taylor Brown was back as he nearly had another double-double (14 points, eight rebounds). Even though he's still developing, it's hard to argue that Brown has the talent to be a force in this league for the next two seasons.

With so many positives, like 6th year senior center Sam Singh grabbing nine rebounds off the bench, the only downside had to be the game from junior guard Andrew Warren. His shooting touch has been really shaky, making less than 50 percent of his shots in the last seven games (21-of-60). A lack of confidence has appeared to affect his decision making too, with four questionable turnovers tonight.

Even in Warren's case, who has been a focal point of opposing team's defensive game planning, he managed to come up with a couple important steals. He has such a likable demeanor off the court that it'd be tough not to root for him to snap out of this funk.

Importance of this game

Looking at this game from a bigger perspective, Bradley now holds the tiebreaker over Drake, which could be critical for seeding purposes in the conference tournament. This was the only game in the Valley tonight but tomorrow could create an even more muddled mess.

With Illinois State on the road (where it really struggles) and Missouri State playing at the suddenly vulnerable SIU Arena, the night could end with a five-way tie for fourth place at 6-6. Bradley would be just a game out of third place while also being in danger of being part of the play-in round.

Look for a post sometime after tomorrow's games that publishes my first edition of the tiebreakers for the MVC standings.

Don't be the first

The Braves have until Saturday to prepare for a game at winless Evansville. Though the Purple Aces (6-15, 0-11 MVC) are short on experience and talent, no games are ever a gimme in the Valley. They have given multiple MVC teams a good game at home (lost to Southern Illinois 65-57, to Drake 72-65 and to Indiana State 63-56).

Bradley must get this game if it hopes to rise above the murky middle of the conference sludge.