Peoria Standard

Bradley wins an instant classic vs Illinois State

Game Recap
1st Half - It just means more in the I-74 Rivalry. Bradley and Illinois State met for the 135th time in series history on Wednesday night and much like their prior encounters this one turned into an instant classic. Illinois State controlled most of the first half as neither offense found much room to operate outside the occasional three pointer for either team but Zek Montgomery would give Carver Arena its first chance to roar late in the first half by hitting a big three and following it up with a steal and slam that sent the Carver Crazies into a frenzy. Illinois State would get the last say of the first half off a combination of a shooting foul on a 3-point shot and a technical foul to Bradley's bench. That gave ISU the 40-36 edge headed in to the locker room. Bradley was lead by Malevy Leons who did a little bit of everything for BU with 16 points, 11 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 blocks, and solo assist on 4-7 shooting from the floor in 42 minutes played. Meanwhile ISU was led by Seneca Knight who gave the Redbirds 19 points, 7 rebounds and solo steal.

2nd Half - As the second half got under way Illinois State built up a 10-point second half advantage off the backs of Malachi Poindexter and Seneca Knight, however Bradley would respond in a big way as BU's 5' 8" PG Duke Deen drilled back to back triples following a Darius Hannah blocked shot. This sparked a 10-3 Bradley scoring run which saw the ISU lead evaporate to just one possession. Connor Hickman was the next man to step up for BU with roughly three minutes left in the game as the sophomore guard connected on massive 3-point shot to tie the game 63-63. Illinois State would take a late 2 point with just 10 seconds left in the contest but Zek Montgomery once again came up huge after getting fouled on a three point shot with just 3.8 second remaining. Montgomery after missing his intial attempt converted on his next two free throw to force overtime for just the ninth time in series history (both teams with a 4-4 series record in OT). Illinois State jumped out to an early four point lead in the extra session but once more Connor Hickman stepped up with another huge 3-pointer to give BU a two point lead with less than 60 seconds to go in OT. Illinois State was never able to respond as BU pushed their lead to four points and after a massive Leons defensive rebound the Braves closed out the game out scoring ISU 10-6 in the overtime session to claim win number 70 in the I-74 Rivalry. 

Original source can be found here