The Bradley men’s basketball team led 67-55 with seven minutes to play on the road in Evansville and were well on their way to ending a three-game losing streak on Saturday.
However, Evansville had an ace up their sleeve and responded by going on a 12-4 run over the next 4:10 to cut the lead to four.
The Braves were in danger of losing four straight games and dropping to fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference standings, but Bradley’s seniors, who their head coach had criticized for not stepping up to the plate, had different plans.
Seniors make a statement
After the Purple Aces cut the lead, Zek Montgomery, Duke Deen and Christian Dave made plays down the stretch of the game to secure the 80-74 win.
“Naw, naw, naw, that wasn’t going to happen,” Deen said about potentially losing four straight games. “We had to give a different type of effort. Shots may not fall, but we had to make an effort and not turn the ball over. If we give effort and don’t turn the ball over, we will be hard to beat the rest of the year.”
Since losing to Belmont, the Braves took a few days to refocus.
“As the leaders of the team, it was tough,” senior forward Darius Hannah said about the loss to the Bruins. “It burned us a lot, but you know, we had to give that extra effort to get back in the gym, and that’s what we did. We just have to build off of this and keep rolling.”
Bradley remembered the sting of losing back-to-back games and used it to stay level-headed in the face of adversity.
“We saw how the second half went, but I feel like we all stayed level,” Deen said. “I feel like we were going to win the game the whole time; even with the officiating, it really didn’t matter. As long as we could keep doing what we were doing the whole time, I was confident that we’d win the game the whole time.”
Braves head coach Brian Wardle took a backseat on Saturday, allowing his veterans to step up and lead the team.
“Very proud of the guys and the resiliency,” Wardle said. “I love the fact that our seniors led all the huddles. It was a player-led team today. The energy was good. It was good vibes in there. If we can continue that, it usually leads to good and aggressive play for everyone.”
“I think one of the best lessons we learned is all that we have is that locker room,” Wardle added. “No one else matters. No one else’s opinion matters. I think they learned that from the last 10 to 12 days of just no one reaching out to them, no one saying anything. I told them not to believe all the positives and not all the negatives. Stay off social media, and just work, work, work, work, work.”
Why so confident?
Deen likely felt Bradley deserved to win because the Braves controlled the game throughout the first and most of the second half.
The team played like their backs were against the wall. Bradley swarmed Evansville defensively, holding the Aces to eight-for-28 (28.6%) from the field and one-for-10 (10%) from three. The Braves got into passing lanes and disrupted the flow of Evansville’s offense, converting nine turnovers into ten points.
After a slow start, Bradley’s offense fed off of its defense. The team used a balanced scoring attack and was efficient at all three levels. At halftime, the Braves led by 18, and every player who stepped on the court scored a point.
Aces make it interesting
Evansville made it a game because they relentlessly attacked the rim and got Bradley in foul trouble. The Aces got to the line 31 times and knocked down 21 free throws. For most of the year, the Braves have been one of the best teams in the conference at avoiding fouls, but recently, it has become something they struggle with.
“They lived at the free throw line,” Wardle said. “They put their head down, drove full speed and just threw it up at the rim. That looked like their offense, and it worked. We had 28 team fouls, which was crazy because, for ten straight games, we weren’t fouling at all, and now all of a sudden, we start fouling a lot these last two games.”
“There was no flow to the game,” Wardle added. “There was a lot of whistle-blowing in the second half. I thought that hurt us. When there was a flow to the game in the first half, we played well. But we found a way. Zek made a couple of big shots, Duke stayed aggressive and was hunting all night and we found a way to win the game.”
Deen finished the matchup with 16 points, five rebounds and four assists in what was his best game in nearly a month.
“The last four or five games, I felt like I was not aggressive the whole time,” Deen said. “Even if I miss shots, I’m a shooter. Shooters shoot. These guys need me to be aggressive, so we have a chance. I’m just going to keep doing that for the rest of the year.”
Bradley will need Deen to be aggressive for their next test when the Salukis come into town on Wednesday fresh off returning to .500 in league play.
