Feb. 1, 2006
Box Score
PEORIA, Ill. -
Holding Illinois State scoreless for the first seven minutes of the second half, the Bradley Braves came out firing in with a 16-0 run ignited by Daniel Ruffin on a three-point basket. The Braves held Illinois State to only 14 second half points to defeat the Redbirds, 73-44 in Missouri Valley conference play at Carver Arena in Peoria in front of 11,164 fans.
Illinois State falls to 8-12 overall and 3-9 in Valley play, while Bradley improves to 13-7 overall and 7-5 in the league.
In the opening minutes of play Bradley's Patrick O'Bryant sparked an 8-0 run with a tip-in basket, followed up with two consecutive lay-ups by J.J. Tauai and another lay-up by Tony Bennet. It wasn't until the 16:24 mark when ISU halted Bradley's run with a Nedu Onyeuku lay-up.
Extending the lead to nine with 5:58 to play, the Braves went on another run, 6-0, extending the score to 26-17. Mike Vandello chipped in two points on a lay-up, while Khalif Ford scored on a lay-up and hit a three-point basket within 40 seconds to bring the `Birds within four. A Greg Dilligard dunk with 50 seconds left in the half knotted the game at 30, sending the two teams to the locker at halftime.
The Braves 16-0 run in the first minutes of the second half was stopped with an Onyeuku lay-up at 13:02. Dana Ford answered with a steal and a lay-up to bring the `Birds within 14, but Bradley continued its offensive attack with a 12-0 run extending the lead to 62-36. Bradley held ISU to only 28 percent shooting in the final 20 minutes, and kept them scoreless from behind the arc.
Bradley's O'Bryant led all-scorers with 14 points including eight rebounds and five blocked shots. The Braves had two other players in double figures, Will Franklin and Lawrence Wright with 10 apiece. Onyeuku led the Redbirds with 12 points, while Khalif Ford chipped in 10.
Next up for the Redbirds will be a 7:05 p.m. match-up against Evansville on Saturday, February 4, in Evansville, Ind.
