PEORIA,
IL - (2-5-2003) — The
host Bradley Braves (8-13, 4-6) overcame an early 3-point barrage from Indiana
State (5-16, 1-9) to earn a 63-51 Missouri Valley Conference home victory in
front of 8,871 fans Wednesday night at Carver Arena.PEORIA,
IL - (2-5-2003) — The
host Bradley Braves (8-13, 4-6) overcame an early 3-point barrage from Indiana
State (5-16, 1-9) to earn a 63-51 Missouri Valley Conference home victory in
front of 8,871 fans Wednesday night at Carver Arena.
In the loss, for the Sycamores, freshman guard David Moss led Indiana State with 13 points and his fellow backcourt mate, Wilfred Antoine, added 12 first-half points to complete the double-digit scoring.
The Sycamores scored their first 24 points from behind the 3-point line and finished the first 20 minutes by shooting 9-of-16 (.563) from behind the arc. The early long range attack sparked the visitors to a 21-9 lead after Matt Broerman drained a trey with 10:19 left in the half. Meanwhile for host Bradley, Phillip Gilbert (8) and James Gillingham (6) combined for 14 of Bradley's 16 points in the final 10 minutes, however, as the Braves steadily fought back to within 29-25 at the break.
Following the halftime break, a Brian Giesen 15-foot jumper pushed Indiana State's advantage to 33-28 2:12 into the second half. However, the Braves embarked on a 19-3 run to break the game open. After assisting a Michael Stewart layup, Mike Suggs nailed a 3-pointer with 16:08 left to forge a 33-33 tie and point guard Marcello Robinson went coast-to-coast on the next possession to put the Braves on top for good.
Indiana State got no closer than eight points the rest of the way and Bradley's lead did not dip below 10 points in the final five minutes.
Indiana State concludes a two-game roadswing Saturday, Feb. 8 at Illinois State. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. CST in Redbird Arena. The Redbirds (3-16, 2-9 MVC) are coming off an 85-71 Missouri Valley Conference loss at Wichita State on Feb. 4th. The game will be televised locally in Terre Haute by WTWO-TV. Live Internet Audio Streaming coverage on USA-365.com begins with the pre-game show at 1:40 p.m., CST.