A 14-point first half lead, 10-0 run in the final minutes of regulation and a miraculous game-tying shot by senior Elijah Childs at the end of overtime weren’t enough to will Bradley over Valparaiso on the road on Thursday night, as the Braves fell 91-85 in double overtime.
The loss is Bradley’s fourth straight, dropping the team’s record to 9-8 overall and 3-5 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
“We’re still finding out how to win, how to close out games,” Childs said. “The locker room is pretty down, because everybody thought we should’ve had that one.”
Ironically, just five minutes of gameplay before the game went final, Childs thought the Braves did have it.
Following a made free throw by Crusaders sophomore Ben Krikke with just three seconds left on the clock, Bradley was down by two with the length of the floor to run. Redshirt freshman Reink Mast heaved the ball one-handed to Childs, who was standing just in front of the free throw line on the other side of the floor.
The 6-foot, 8-inch forward caught the pass, turned to his right and shot a fadeaway jumper that banked high off the glass and in to tie the game at 70 with seven tenths of a second remaining in the period.
Following the make, Childs sprinted down the court, pounding his chest in celebration – he thought the shot had put the Braves ahead.
“I thought it was a two to go up by one,” Childs said. “I missed a game-winner last year, so I was just trying to step up for my team.”
Instead, the game went into a second overtime, where Valpo freshman guard Sheldon Edwards scored 11 points, including three 3-pointers to help the home team prevail. The effort was even more notable considering that two of the Crusaders’ other top scorers – sophomore Donovan Clay (15 points) and Krikke (18 points) – had fouled out.
However, the Braves’ scorers put forth an effort that was nearly enough to carry the Braves to a come-from-behind victory. Junior guard Terry Nolan Jr. scored 11 of his 20 points in overtime. Childs scored 10 of his career-high 27 in the extra periods, going 4-5 from the floor.
“Some of our guys definitely battled,” Bradley head coach Brian Wardle said. “Other guys got to step up and turn their effort level a little higher, especially defensively.”
One player who Wardle pointed out was junior Ja’Shon Henry. The forward returned to the lineup after missing three consecutive games with a head injury. After shaking a slow start, Henry scored 10 points to pair with nine rebounds.
“Elijah and Ja’Shon are very consistent right now,” Wardle said. “Everyone else, we’ve got to get more consistent, on the whole team. And, so that’s a lot of players who were inconsistent and that’s what’s causing us to play inconsistent and lose these games.”
According to Wardle, concerning numbers were abundant in the box score.
Bradley fouled Valpo 30 times, leading to 38 free throws, 28 of them makes. The Braves themselves went 9-17 at the stripe – just 52 percent. Wardle’s squad also turned the ball over 15 times, leading to 10 Crusader points.
“We just had too many mistakes, all of them controllable,” Wardle said. “We’ve just got to play smarter.”
An already tough stretch won’t get any easier for the Braves.
The team will be back in action in just three days as Bradley is set to take on Indiana State in Terre Haute on Sunday and Monday. The Sycamores (8-7, 5-5) are on an upward trend, having won four straight.
For Childs, the Braves’ current slide reminds him of another tumultuous time in his career – when Bradley started conference play 0-5 in the 2018-19 season.
“I’ve been here before, going 0-5 in the conference,” Childs said. “I know what it takes to turn it around. You just have to stay positive and keep plugging away… It’s all about the guys in the locker room, the guys in the locker room have to want to turn it around.”
The Braves will attempt to jumpstart a turnaround in its first game with Indiana State on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m.
