In life, it’s the little things that matter.
Holding the door for a stranger, a quick word of encouragement to a friend or telling a loved one that you love them ever so often.
In basketball, it’s boxing out, communicating ball-screen coverages or rotating when a teammate concedes a drive.
It’s these little things — the microcosms of the game that don’t stick out to the casual viewer that can make or break a game.
The Bradley men’s basketball team isn’t doing those things well, and it’s broken them for the fourth time this season.
Through seven games, the Braves are allowing teams to shoot 46.9 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from three. Both rank in the 30th percentile nationally.
“We’re just not a good defensive team right now,” head coach Brian Wardle said. “I don’t think we have bought into it yet — the importance of competing, defending and rebounding every single game, every minute, every possession that we can. We have to protect each other on defense. Until we buy into and consistently do it, we’re going to lose to good teams.”
Tuesday, the good team was the University of California, San Diego, which handed the Braves an 87-77 loss in the semi-finals of Terry’s Chocolate Invitational in Kissimmee, Florida. The Tritons shot 46.4 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from three.
But to begin the game, it looked as if those little things meant the world to Bradley.
Braves throw the first punch
The Braves started the game on a 13-4 run and appeared to be continuing their momentum from a blowout win against Princeton the night prior. Bradley was disciplined defensively. They ran UC San Diego off the three-point line, stunted in the gaps, created turnovers and rebounded well.
Offensively, they pushed the pace in transition, moved the ball and shot open shots confidently. The Braves started the game five-for-seven from the field and three-for-four from behind the arc.
During this stretch, junior guard Alex Huibregtse led the way with six of Bradley’s 13. The Wright State transfer had struggled to knock down shots before the trip down to Florida, but over the last three games, he has begun to get it going.
“I don’t get caught up in a bad couple of games,” Huibregtse said. “I know that the percentages are going to play out and that eventually the shots will start dropping.”
The same could be said for the Tritons, who came into the game as one of the best offenses in the country but shot two-for-eight to begin the game.
At some point, their percentage would go up, and when the shots started to fall, they fell in bunches.
Tritons punch back
Sophomore guard Aidan Burke hit a three-pointer to cut UC San Diego’s deficit to six, and from that point on the team caught fire.
Over the next 14:26, the Tritons outscored the Braves 37-20. The reigning Big West Conference champions shared the rock, set off-ball screens and knocked down tough shots to take control of the game.
UC San Diego increased its defensive ball pressure, which led to Bradley turnovers. The Braves’ offense became stagnant without enough ball movement or off-ball actions. Additionally the Braves lost focus defensively, which led to open shots and fouls.
The Triton went on a 12-2 run to close the half and led 44-33 at the break.
“Our communication died down,” sophomore point guard Jaquan Johnson said. “When we had energy and communication, we got stops. We knew that they were a very skilled, very high-IQ team. We just have to keep communicating and knowing our personnel.”
12th Round Knockout
The second half opened with Bradley attempting to claw its way back into the fight. For every bucket the Braves landed, UC San Diego seemed to counter with one of their own, keeping the margin hovering around 10. Both teams traded runs — momentum swinging like a pendulum, but never quite swinging far enough in Bradley’s direction.
Midway through the period, Bradley strung together an 8-2 run, energizing the bench and trimming the deficit to single digits. Just as quickly, the Tritons answered with a burst of their own, capitalizing on defensive lapses and untimely fouls to restore separation.
Still, Bradley refused to fold.
With just under three minutes to play, the Braves ramped up their defensive aggression. They jumped passing lanes, pressured the ball and finally forced UC San Diego into mistakes. What followed was the most explosive minute of basketball they’ve played all season — an 11-2 run in just 60 seconds, tightening the game to 78-76 with 1:58 remaining.
Alex Huibregtse and Jaquan Johnson fueled the surge, the latter pouring in a staggering 19 second-half points. Johnson attacked downhill, hit pull-up threes and got to the free-throw line. Huibregtse spaced the floor, knocked down timely shots, and kept the Tritons’ defense on their heels.
Suddenly, Bradley had life.
But just as quickly as they’d risen, the same issues that plagued them throughout the season resurfaced. A missed rotation here. A rushed possession there. A late closeout. A turnover.
The little things.
UC San Diego seized the opportunity, rattling off a 5-0 run to rebuild a seven-point cushion. The Braves never recovered.
“When we made the run, the energy and effort were high with our guys,” Johnson said. “Guys were excited because we really wanted to make it to the championship game, and we knew that’s what it would take, but then they went on that 7-0 run, and we couldn’t keep our composure. Guys kinda stopped communicating and doing the little things to help us win.”
The Braves fell to 3-4, but their four losses have come to good teams with a combined record of 20-4 and they’ve been competitive in every game.
Coach Wardle has been impressed with his team’s ability to fight through adversity, but coming close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.
“I am proud of how hard we fight back,” Wardle said. “We’re competitive, I mean that’s what we do in practice every day. We compete, compete, compete, with intensity and passion. We can never give in — never give up. They’ve shown that already this year against good teams, but there are no moral victories here. We need to be better, and we need to take pride in our defense; that’s how you beat good teams.”
Bradley’s next challenge will be on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. vs. Liberty University for a chance at third place.
