Jan. 6, 2009
Box Score | Gameday Blog
PEORIA, Ill. -
Junior guard Osiris Eldridge recorded his second double-double of the season - and just the fourth of his three-year career - but it was not enough for the Redbirds, as the Illinois State men's basketball team (14-1, 3-1 Missouri Valley Conference) suffered its first loss of the season, 56-52, to Bradley (10-5, 4-0 MVC) Tuesday night at Carver Arena in Peoria, Ill. The loss snapped Illinois State's school-record 14-game winning streak to start the season, which was tied for the longest winning streak in the nation.
The 56-52 victory for Bradley marked the lowest-scoring Illinois State-Bradley game played in Peoria, Ill., since the Redbirds defeated the Braves, 57-54, Jan. 21, 1998. Illinois State has now suffered seven-straight losses to Bradley in Peoria, Ill., dating back to the 2003 season.
Eldridge's double-double came by way of 17 points on 6-for-14 shooting from the field (5-of-11 from three-point range) and 10 rebounds. Junior forward Dinma Odiakosa connected on 6-of-8 shots from the field for 12 points, while senior guard Emmanuel Holloway rounded out the majority of the Redbirds' scoring with 10 points.
Bradley's Theron Wilson and Chris Roberts fueled the Braves' scoring with 12 points apiece.
Illinois State shot just 37.3 percent for the game, while Bradley connected on 42.3 percent of its shots from the field. After being out-rebounded for much of the first half, Illinois State evened the rebounding tally with Bradley, with each side coming away with 32 boards.
Illinois State and Bradley both struggled from the field early in the game, as the Redbirds failed to connect on their bread-and-butter shot, the three-pointer, on several attempts during a three-minute stretch. Bradley wasn't any more successful, as the Braves were held scoreless as well, leading up to the 10-minute mark in the first half.
Illinois State went scoreless for 4:59 until Holloway connected on a short jumper to cut the Bradley lead to two points at 14-12. The lead was short-lived, however, as the Braves scored baskets off two-straight offensive rebounds late in the first half to secure a 22-16 lead near the final media timeout.
Another five-minute scoring drought for Illinois State late in the first half allowed Bradley to build up a 12-point advantage (30-18), as Illinois State's lone points during that period came off a 10-foot jumper from Holloway. Eldridge got ISU back into a mini scoring groove in the waning minutes of the first half with a three-pointer, but Bradley held a 30-21 advantage at the intermission.
The Redbirds' shooting woes continued at the start of the second half, as Bradley pushed its lead to 14 points (35-21) before Eldridge drained a three-pointer two minutes into the period. Another three-pointer by Eldridge cut the Bradley lead to just seven points before a Braves' tip-in off an offensive rebound, followed by a made jumper, gave Bradley another double-digit lead (38-27).
A short-lived 6-0 run by Illinois State got the Redbirds to within six points at 45-39 with a little over seven minutes left in the game. A pair of made free throws by Lloyd Phillips with less than two minutes remaining saw Illinois State within striking distance, down by just five points (50-45), but a short jumper and two-straight blocks by Bradley's Sam Singh, ended any chance Illinois State had at earning the comeback victory over the Braves.
Illinois State will return to action at 6:05 p.m. CST Saturday when it takes on Indiana State in Terre Haute, Ind. The game will air live on Comcast (channel 74) in the Bloomington-Normal area.
