In a season of ups and downs, the Bradley Braves hit rock bottom Saturday at Redbird Arena.
Illinois State dealt BU a 66-47 shellacking before a soldout crowd that witnessed a Bradley team get pummeled in every facet of the game.
The Braves’ point total was the lowest in this series since 1992, their .286 field-goal percentage the worst in more than three years and their 19-point loss the worst to their Interstate 74 rivals since the 76-56 debacle at the Missouri Valley Conference tournament six years ago.
“I told ’em after, there’s two ways to go as players: they can decide if winning’s more important or their numbers are more important,” BU coach Jim Les said. “We’ve got guys making decisions that their numbers are more important, and that’s hurting the team. It snowballed (today).”
The remarks refer to a BU team that played the first half like there was a 15-second shot clock, tossing up quick off-balance shots and firing four passes out of bounds, three of them untouched.
“Our lack of ball movement and patience, five assists, says it all,” Les said. “When we play like that, we score in the 40s. Playing faster is usually quite a bit of a negative for us. You’re giving them more opportunities, and that’s an explosive team.”
Impatience was the least of the Braves’ worries in the second half. Trailing 35-26 at halftime — after forging a 21-21 tie at 4:16 — BU missed 14 of its first 15 shots while continuing to allow the Redbirds total control of the interior.
Illinois State (15-7, 6-5) extended the nine-point lead to 17 in the first 5:10 of the period as center Dinma Odiakosa quickly scored six inside.
For the game, ISU outscored BU 24-2 on second-chance points and 34-10 in the paint. The hosts held a 50-28 bulge on the boards. Odiakosa scored a career-high 25.
“That’s unbelievable,” ISU coach Tim Jankovich said of the numbers. “I didn’t see this coming at all. I have a lot of respect for Bradley and for Jim. I’m so proud of our team.
“A lot of these stats are effort. To a coach, there’s nothing more rewarding than that because you can control that. We obviously needed this game badly and our guys really dug deep. That’s probably why this took place.”
Bradley (10-11, 5-6) needed it just as badly. Entering the game, the two teams were locked in a four-way tie for fourth place in the Valley.
“We just let it get away from us,” said BU guard Andrew Warren, who scored a team-high 11. “We got outrebounded. That gave them second-chance opportunities. If we eliminate those, it’s a closer game.”
But there was no stopping the Redbirds on this day.
“We tried to come out and throw the first punch and come out with more intensity,” ISU guard Osiris Eldridge said. “It’s just like any other win, but it’s a little better beating Bradley.”
A flurry of ISU turnovers helped allow the Braves to close to within 52-40 on Warren’s 3-pointer at 6:44.
But it took the Redbirds 73 seconds to push that margin to 20, keyed by 3-pointers by Lloyd Phillips and Eldridge.
An indication of how poorly the Braves shot in the final 20 minutes is this fact: only two of the team’s five made baskets (in 28 attempts) were not layups.
“Bradley has some really good weapons,” Jankovich said. “They had a tough night. Maybe our defense wasn’t that good. I’ve seen (Bradley) get it going on film. We worked very hard (in practice) at (stopping the drive). Today was very surprising.”
In so many ways, it was for the Braves, as well. Aside from the ugly aforementioned numbers, foul-plagued Will Egolf got off just one shot and Taylor Brown was held scoreless in the second half.
“We got our butt kicked,” Les said in response to a question about rebounding, but could have applied across the board.
“With this group, we need to find a level of consistency rebounding and defense and that’s in our approach daily. When we stray from that, whether it’s a product of our youth or immaturity, but we’ve got to get back to that focus.
“We had a little three-game winning streak, and I’m not sure if that went to our heads. We’ve got to get back to that format, which was pretty good for us.”
Dave Reynolds can be reached at 686-3210 or at dreynolds@pjstar.com.
Box score: Illinois State 66, Bradley 47
