Vince Greene finished 6-of-6 from the free throw line in the final 1:09 against Bradley on Saturday as the Redbirds recorded a 69-62 victory over the Braves in front of 10,200 at Redbird Arena.
Illinois State moves to 16-6 overall, 8-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference, while Bradley drops to 11-9, 4-8 in the Valley.
The Redbirds took the first lead of the game on a Gregg Alexander three-pointer, but Bradleys inside game dominated the Birds early on. The Braves scored 22 of their 30 first half points inside the paint, with Patrick OBryant (6 points) giving his team the early momentum with the first two baskets.
Bradleys lead rose to 17-5 with 10:07 left on the strength of a 9-0 run. Trey Guidry (24 points) stopped the bleeding with a three-pointer, stopping the Redbird scoring drought. Illinois State cut into the Braves lead by halftime as they were only down 30-27 at intermission.
A Guidry three-pointer at the top of the key gave the Redbirds their first lead since early in the game, 32-30. The Redbird lead moved to five at 46-41, thanks to a 12-5 rebounding advantage in the first nine minutes of the second half.
Bradley came back to tie the score at 48-48 thanks to a three by Daniel Ruffin and a hook shot by OBryant. Two Alexander (7 points) free throws and a lay-up by Guidry after a Greg Dilligard steal gave the Redbirds back the lead, 52-48. Then, a technical foul by Bradleys Tony Bennett resulted in two free throws by Greene.
Greenes (20 points) jumper put the Redbirds up 56-48, but the Braves were ignited by the play of Marcellus Sommerville, who sparked a 9-2 run thanks to a rebound basket and three-pointer, cutting the Illinois State lead to 58-57.
A lay-up by Gordon (6 points), followed by a missed jumper by Sommerville (23 points), gave the Redbirds the lead and the momentum, which they would never relinquish. Sommerville also missed 2-of-3 free throws after Guidry fouled him behind the three-point line.
Guidry knocked down a pair of free throws with 10 seconds left for the games final score.
The Redbirds return to action Thursday when they take on Wichita State for a 7:05 p.m. tip-off at Redbird Arena.
Game Notes:
The win over Bradley on Saturday was the second in a row for the Redbirds, the first time Illinois State has accomplished the feat since the 2001-02 season.
Ronnie Carlwell had a career-high eight points, and led the way with four offensive rebounds against the Braves.
