In any sport, it is hard to beat a team three times in a row, much less seven. Yet the Bradley men’s basketball team (21-7, 12-5 MVC) had the opportunity to do just that when they traveled down I-74 to face a familiar foe: Illinois State (16-12, 8-9 MVC).
Heading into the game, the Braves had won six straight and 11 of the last 14 in the matchup. Considering the recent history, it seemed as if the Redbirds would need an outlier performance to relight the flame of the rivalry.
Unfortunately for the Braves, that outlier performance came Wednesday night when Illinois State freshman Jack Daugherty caught fire, knocking down seven threes and scoring 25 points to snap Bradley’s three-game win streak. It was Daugherty’s first time scoring 20 or more points against a Division I opponent.
Turnovers traumatize the Braves
The Braves have struggled with turnovers all season. In their losses, the team averages 14 turnovers, leading to a lack of flow in their offense and easy buckets for the opposing team.
Bradley turned the ball over six times in the first half, which led to 15 points for the Redbirds. The turnovers allowed Illinois State to get out and run, create an easy offense and find confidence after a slow start to the game.
The Braves were able to keep the game relatively close only because they shot well from behind the arc. At the half, Bradley trailed 35-27.
Game of runs
The Braves made multiple attempts at a comeback in the second half and, at one point, got the deficit down to three when they trailed 40-37 with 14:38 to play. However, every time Bradley got it close, the Redbirds hit a three, got to the free-throw line or forced a turnover.
Illinois State established a cushion near the midway point of the second half, going on a 14-4 run over a 3:15 span in which the Braves shot two-for-seven from the field and committed four personal fouls.
With 8:14 left, the Redbirds led 57-45, were in the double bonus and Bradley had only one timeout. Things looked bleak for the Braves. It seemed like it would take a miracle for the team to leave Normal with a win, and for a split second, senior guard Duke Deen looked like a miracle worker.
The star guard made three straight pull-up threes to cut the deficit to six with 4:28 remaining, forcing Illinois State to take a timeout. Bradley’s offense seemed to have finally awakened from its slumber and would pull out a miraculous win.
But Daugherty had something to say about it.
The six-foot-eight wing knocked down his seventh and final three-pointer to push the lead back to nine and extinguish the Braves’ flame. Bradley attempted to battle back down the stretch but could only get within five, ultimately losing 81-72.
The loss put the Braves a full game behind Northern Iowa and two games behind Drake in the conference standings, with three games to play before Arch Madness.
Bradley will have another opportunity to climb the standings when they return home to play Murray State at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
