Thanks to a season-high scoring performance from junior guard Terry Nolan Jr. and a double-double from senior Elijah Childs, Bradley (10-10, 3-7) snapped a six-game losing streak with a 74-66 victory over Southern Illinois on Saturday afternoon.
“It feels amazing,” Nolan said. “I hate losing. So, to finally snap that six game [losing] streak, it feels great… We were more locked in, we were more together.”
While Bradley led for 33 minutes of the game – including the entire second half– it was a closely-contested matchup.
After the Braves opened up a 9-point lead with 10 minutes remaining in the first half, the Salukis came back to open a 28-25 lead of their own with 2:33 remaining in the frame. Bradley responded with four free throws and a layup by sophomore Ville Tahvanainen to regain the lead and never trailed again.
A large part of the Braves’ success came thanks to hot shooting from beyond the arc. After shooting 21 percent from 3 in the last three games, the team bounced back to knock down 10 of 23 long balls this afternoon.
Another marked improvement came in the free throw department, as Bradley made all but one of its 21 free throws.
“We finally shot the ball well in Carver,” Bradley head coach Brian Wardle said. “We had some legs under us, obviously and hopefully that builds some confidence and increases that for tomorrow.”
Following a 10-game absence, junior guard Kevin McAdoo made his return to the lineup by making an appearance in the starting lineup for the first time in his Bradley career. The Braves had an open spot in the rotation following the news that sophomore guard Sean East II would be unavailable this weekend due to “medical reasons.”
Despite missing the start of conference play, McAdoo was able to contribute 30 minutes and four points.
“I think he’s just going to get better and better,” Wardle said. “I loved his composure on the court… We got after it in practice and he performed and played very well, so obviously I put him right [in] and gave him that opportunity because we needed a little energy, we needed a little spark. And I do think he gave us that.”
“It’s great,” Nolan said on McAdoo’s return. “That was my roommate last year, so it kind of hurt a little bit, but having him back, it feels amazing.”
After struggling throughout the losing streak, Nolan scored 23 points, shooting an efficient 7-10 from the floor. The junior fell one point short of his career high.
Childs was a force on both ends of the floor, scoring 15 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks and four steals.
While no other Brave reached double figures, all nine players who checked into the game scored.
Bradley will return to action tomorrow to wrap up the season series with the Salukis at 3 p.m. in search of back-to-back wins for the first time since Jan. 17.
“At the end of the day, we feel like we’re supposed to be doing this,” Nolan said of the victory. “So, we just chalk it up, go back to the drawing board, because we’ve got a game tomorrow.”
