Bradley falls back to .500 after OT loss at Indiana State

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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.

Bradley snaps home losing streak with OT win against Sycamores

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Midway through the second half, Bradley had blown yet another big lead and were looking at yet another home loss. But the Braves made enough plays in the end and found a way to beat Indiana State 91-85 in overtime.

Junior guard Andrew Warren had a huge game, scoring a career-high 26 points with seven rebounds, two assists and a block. Fellow junior guard Sam Maniscalco tied a career high himself of 21 points (5-of-9 from beyond the arc) while chipping in five assists and two steals.

Bradley (7-7, 2-2 MVC) looked to be heading for a blowout victory after another convincing first half of basketball. The Braves finished the final five minutes on a 20-4 run which was capped off by a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Maniscalco.

Probably the most interesting stat from the first 20 minutes was that Bradley had 14 assists to only one turnover. Combine that with 8-of-12 from 3-point range and 53.1 percent shooting overall and it wasn't tough to see how the Braves got so far ahead.

But as is what often happens in basketball, shots started bouncing out for the Braves and Indiana State capitalized. Freshman guard Jake Eastman made a wide open layup off an inbounds play to give Bradley a 53-39 lead with 14:30 to play. In less than three minutes, the lead completely evaporated.

The Sycamores got incredibly hot from long distance, throwing in a few shots that at best were difficult and at worst were foolish attempts. Bradley's offense had one of its classic dry spells which included two bad turnovers, two open 3-point misses and a botched short-range shot.

Head coach Jim Les did something that he doesn't normally do that may have been a turning point - he called a second timeout during the run. Les' style has been to usually let his teams try and play through runs by the opposition. But he noticed that the team was really out of sync and needed an additional breather.

Even though Indiana State did push its lead out to five points during the next stretch, the home squad showed more poise in drawing two fouls (making all four free throws) and getting better looks on offense. Rashad Reed, who was one of four Sycamores in double figures, kept his team ahead with two challenging 3-pointers as the game moved past the five-minute mark and Indiana State still led 68-63.

The game may have slipped away if it weren't for two big shots by Warren, a pull-up jumper and a three from the corner to tie the game. Sophomore center Will Egolf, who wasn't having one of his better games, drew two charge calls on defense that seemed to fire him (and the team) up for the remainder of the game.

The roller coaster half continued during the final few minutes as Bradley lost a 74-71 advantage as Maniscalco committed two turnovers and missed a 3-point shot. Jordan Printy nailed his fifth 3-pointer of the game with just 24 seconds to play, giving Indiana State a 76-75 lead.

Senior guard Chris Roberts was fouled with 16.9 left and stepped to the line with a chance to seal the victory. Having already missed his first four free throws, Roberts had his first attempt rim out as well, but did manage to tie the score at 76-76.

Maniscalco made a great defensive stop on the Sycamores' Harry Marshall, forcing the talented point guard into a traveling violation with 0.9 seconds to play. Warren attempted a half court shot at the buzzer but it fell short.

Sophomore forward Taylor Brown, who returned to action after missing last game due to a "coach's decision" had had a poor second half. He started overtime by getting blocked on Bradley's first possession and then missed two free throws the next time down (had been 15-of-15 in conference games).

Brown said on the postgame show that he felt badly about how he'd been playing and wanted to make a play. Brown did exactly that, helping the Braves gain their first lead of overtime 80-78 by making an observant steal and unselfishly dished an assist to Warren for a layup.

Three possessions later, Brown made the most important shot in overtime, nailing a three from the corner and the Braves had a two-possession lead at 86-82. Poor free throw shooting (which plagued Bradley the entire game) prolonged the game longer than it needed to be, but the Sycamores long-range luck ran out.

A different feel

Even though Bradley let multiple leads slip away again, this game didn't have as deflating of a feel to it. Part of that can be attributed to the fact that Indiana State was just chucking in shots from all over the floor. Maybe we're all just getting used to this team not being able to play a full 40 minute game.

Credit the team for finally gutting out one of these close games. Sustaining these large leads will still have to be addressed - something had to change coming out of the locker room. But at least the team got one, which looked to be weighing on the players. The Braves needed to finish someone off for their own (and maybe their fans, as well) sanity. Confidence is such a critical aspect of the college game.

Still no "Croatian assassin"

Freshman forward Milos Knezevic seems to have completely lost his spot in Bradley's rotation. Maybe the best pure shooter on the team, Knezevic didn't get in again tonight, making that a total of two minutes in the last three games.

Since we don't get a chance to see the Braves practices, it is hard to speculate on what the true cause of this is. The rumblings have been that Les isn't happy with Knezevic's defense and maybe there are other things that are causing him to lose playing time. The freshman has certainly made his fair share of inexperienced mistakes in games this season.

This is a case where it'd be unfair to criticize Les, not knowing the inside scoop. But whatever the problem is, with as dynamic of a shooter as Knezevic is, hopefully he works hard to earn more time back on the floor. Warren and Maniscalco can't be as hot from long range every night as they were against Indiana State.

Big stretch ahead

Conference play doesn't get any easier in the near future. Bradley has two games against Missouri State on the next two Saturdays with a nationally televised game at conference-leading Northern Iowa sandwiched in the middle.

The surprise Bears started the season 12-1 with non-conference wins over Auburn, Tulsa and St. Louis. But now Missouri State has lost two in a row, including a home loss tonight against Wichita State. Not only is this team better than everyone outside of Springfield, Mo. expected, but it will likely be an angry team that is trying to rebound from its first losing streak of the season.

At least Bradley doesn't have to play at the dreaded Hammons Student Center, where it was 3-14 all-time. The Braves managed to win its inaugural game at the new JQH Arena last season, 63-57. Though Missouri State has exceeded expectations so far this season, this still should be a winnable game for Bradley. A win would really boost the team's confidence going out to Cedar Falls next week.

In Case You Missed It

Missouri Valley

Indiana State 88
Nebraska Kearney 58

Local story (Tribstar.com)
Statistics (.pdf, University website)

Northern Iowa 71
Nebraska Kearney 65

Local story (WCFcourier.com)
Statistics (University website)

National

The first big upset, as Rider wins at No. 18 Mississippi State, 88-74.

BYU's coach gets an contract extension.

Considering his track record and how the Cougars looked against Bradley tonight, it appears well-deserved.

Northwestern star forward Kevin Coble may need surgery.

Arkansas goes crazy, including an incredible shooting performance by Rotnei Clarke.

SI.com writer Michael Rosenberg writes an interesting article about players being "forced" to attend college.

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.

Game Seventeen Recap: Bradley @ Indiana State

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When Bradley plays strong defensively, the team is unbeatable — literally. The Braves are now 11-0 when holding opponents under 70 points.

Bradley's effort included 10 steals and held Indiana State (4-13, 2-4) to 34 percent shooting en route to a 63-52 victory in Terra Haute, Ind. The Braves (11-6, 5-1) continue to hold a share of first place in the Missouri Valley Conference with Northern Iowa, who also won tonight at Evansville.

The rugged pressure applied by the Braves helped cover up many offensive inefficiencies. Bradley made just 2-of-13 attempts from beyond the 3-point line (15.4 percent) as well as hitting just 13-of-24 free throws (54.2 percent). If either of these statistics are at a normal percentage, Bradley probably blows out the Sycamores.

The teams traded baskets for much of the first half until center David Collins scored three straight baskets, the last putting Bradley up 22-16 with 7:36 to play. The Braves would maintain that same advantage going into halftime at 28-22, though it could have been a much wider margin.

Bradley called a timeout with 40 seconds in the half to set up a play. But, the Braves made a bad turnover and allowed Sycamore forward Jay Tunnell to make a wide open 3-pointer as the final seconds were ticking away.

Once the second half rolled around, the game had a similar feel to the last game against Creighton. The Sycamores would constantly be trying to make a run and close the gap. But Bradley always seemed to have an answer.

Indiana State cut the lead to 32-30 with 15 minutes to play, but guard Chris Roberts answered by nailing an open jumper in the lane on the next possession. Fellow guard Sam Maniscalco followed that with a dazzling reverse layup to push the Braves lead back to six.

The Sycamores trimmed the Bradley advantage to 40-37 after a sparkling individual effort resulting in a slam dunk by forward Josh Crawford. Again, the Braves would answer.

Guard Dodie Dunson scored five of his game-high 15 points to help Bradley go up by eight at 45-37.

The Braves finally took control of the game with more defensive intensity. Leading only 51-48 with 6:39 to go, Bradley held the Sycamores without a field goal for almost the rest of the game.

Maniscalco hit 4-4 from the free throw line, keeping his percentage in conference play at 100 percent (19-for-19).

For all of the players who made contributions above, the two most important players on the floor were forward Theron Wilson and guard Eddren McCain. Wilson (10 points, 7 rebounds) displayed the leadership needed from a senior, finding seams along the baseline all night and getting critical points when Bradley really needed them.

McCain also scored some big baskets in his eight point effort, but shined more importantly as the Bradley point guard. The freshman had seven assists, zero turnovers and two steals. He's already more under control than a young Daniel Ruffin was, a player Bradley fans won't forget anytime soon from that position.

Overall, head coach Jim Les should be very pleased with this performance. Sure, the shooting was bad, but that isn't this team's strength anyway. Even Les acknowledges that at this point and it has a direct correlation upon how well this team is succeeding. The players are contributing with their strengths and not being forced into a "system" that doesn't suit them.

Next game:

No Valley road game is easy, but so far the Braves have taken care of business in all three. Arguably though, the wins are over the worst three teams in the conference. The other "play-in" team may be Southern Illinois, Bradley's next opponent.

Make no mistake about it though, the SIU arena is another house of horrors for the Braves. No matter how down the Salukis are this year, this will be the toughest Valley road test yet.

Luckily most of the current roster hasn't played in Carbondale, so the intimidation won't be as great. Sunday's game will be televised on ESPNU at 6:05 p.m.

7. Indiana State

Preseason poll: 7th

Most teams that lose their best returning player aren't thought of very highly by pollsters. But, with Indiana State, the "addition by subtraction" scenario might be working.

Marico Stinson, who averaged 12 points per game, left the program in early October. No official explanation has been given other than "personal reasons," but it's reasonable to assume that something happened which would have been detrimental to the team. Whether or not he had a family emergency or disliked his coach, any of these would likely hurt his ability to contribute to the team.

To make matters worse, guard Harry Marshall (6'0" Jr.) was declared academically ineligible for the first semester of the season. Marshall (10.1 PPG, 2.3 APG) will almost certainly take over the starting point guard role once he's allowed to play with the team.

So how can the Sycamores finish as the best of the "play-in" teams?

Start inside with forwards Jay Tunnell (6'8" Sr.) and Isiah Martin (6'8" So.). They combined for more than 13 points and 8 rebounds per game last season. Both must be key contributors on the interior if the Sycamores are to have success.

An even more intriguing prospect is forward/center Josh Crawford (6'11" Jr.). Even though he played sparingly, Crawford's first college stop was at Iowa, so it's clear he has talent. Let's see what he can do when given some playing time at the Division I level.

Similar to the front court players, Indiana State will rely on a combination of returnees, freshman and transfers to fill out their lineups. Transfer guard Rashad Reed (6'1" Jr.) will undoubtedly be asked to fill Marshall's shoes while he's out. The Sycamores also have talented guard Carl Richard (6'4" Fr.) coming to Terre Haute.

Lastly, who could forget this guy??

Okay, maybe that's the wrong Nick Carter.

But this Nick Carter (6'4" So.) should be able to knock down some 3-pointers for Indiana State this season (23-of-71 last year).

With the loss of Marshall and a tough non conference schedule, there's a good chance that the Sycamores will have the worst record of MVC teams going into conference play. But, similar to Bradley's team last year, some of the new faces will get a quick baptism into Division I basketball. This will make Indiana State stronger when facing conference foes.