Shockwaves

Final: BU 60, WSU 58.

.09 remaining: BU 60, WSU 58. Singh with a follow shot. Not the guy you pick as a killer, but there he was. Maniscalco’s runner rolled off the rim and Singh put it back in.

20.2 seconds remaining: BU 58, WSU 58. Steal by Clemente. Three by Murry to tie. BU ball.

1:08 remaining: BU 58, WSU 55. BU isn’t a great free-throw shooting team – 68.4 percent. Shockers need one stop.

1:47 remaining: BU 58, WSU 53. McCain with a great pass to Wilson for a layup.

3:27 remaining: BU 54, WSU 49. Murry at the line for three when we return. WSU is doing a better job on defense. BU is not playing as loose and confident as the clock winds and the crowd gets into it. WSU in double-bonus. BU in the one-and one. WSU is 3 of 7 from the line, which will be a killer if the Shockers lose.

4:42 remaining: BU 50, WSU 46. WSU can’t get off BU’s end of the court. Stutz missed the front end of a one-and-one that could have cut the lead to two points.

7:28 remaining: BU 50, WSU 46. Durley and Hatch with baskets to cut it to five. Crowd is going a little bit. This is a chance WSU can’t waste. BU shooting 48.8 percent with one three-pointer.

8:23 remaining: BU 50, WSU 41. WSU plays a good defensive possession, then Maniscalco gets loose for a runner as the shot-clock buzzer goes off. That’s a killer. That basket made it 48-39.

11:55 remaining: BU 44, WSU 37. BU ball. Shockers need to find a way to get a few stops. RIght now, I don’t know if they are up to it. BU freshman Eddren McCain is playing very well.

15:56 remaining: BU 42, WSU 33. Murry hit a three to cut the lead to 36-30. BU shut off that run quickly. BU 9 of 9 from the line. WSU 3 of 5. WSU’s defense is under much stress.

Halftime: BU 36, WSU 27. In a twist, good offensive half for WSU except for turnovers and one or two bad shots. Bad defensive half. The Braves are doing whatever they want with the ball, except make three. Stutz leads WSU with 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Hawkins has seven. Wilson leads BU with 10 points. Singh has eight. WSU has eight turnovers, leading to 11 BU points. BU also leads the rebounding battle, 13-12.

1:30 remaining: BU 34, WSU 26. Hawkins at the line when we return. WSU has cooled off BU a little bit. It needs a stop or two before halftime. WSU is 12 of 24 from the floor. BU is 12 of 23.

2:48 remaining: BU 32, WSU 24. Bradley is driving past the Shockers whenever it wants. Durley with back-to-back baskets forces BU to call a timeout. The Braves are the quicker, more athletic, more aggressive team.

7:36 remaining: BU 17, WSU 15. Bradley’s quickness is giving the Shockers problems. The Braves are out in the passing lanes looking for lazy passes. WSU has seven turnovers, leading to seven BU points. Wilson at the line after an intentional foul on Ellis after a Wilson steal. Clemente has two fouls. He will sit most of the second half for a second straight game.

11:55 remaining: WSU 11, BU 10. WSU’s momentum disappeared. Three straight turnovers, two by Chamberlain and one by Hatch. I like zone against BU. Stops their penetration and makes them shoot threes. BU’s big men aren’t scorers.

15:59 remaining: WSU 9, BU 4. WSU’s zone defense has BU a little frazzled. Back to back turnovers for the Braves. WSU has made 4 of 5 shots. WSU got Stutz the ball right away and he scored on nice move past Collins. He has four points.

BU starters - McCain, Collins, Maniscalco, Wilson, Roberts. WSU - Hannah, Stutz, Clemente, Murry, Hawkins.

Happy New Year.

Three afternoon MVC games. Don’t those people work?

• Stop the “Evansville is the next Drake” talk. Drake didn’t lose to anybody by 30 last season.
• Drake avoids an 0-2 start with an easy win over Missouri State. The Bears are without Chris Cooks, their most indispensable player. He has missed two games with a concussion.
• Dana Altman won his 500th game, and it only seems like 400 of them are over Wichita State.

Q&A with Bradley beat writer Dave Reynolds

Q. What got into the Braves on Sunday in their rout of SIU?

A. They finally put together, for 38 minutes, what we’ve seen glimpses of all season. It started with making eight of their first 10 shots and that seemed to provide them a confidence that carried over to every other phase of the game. The other big thing was the return of Sam Singh, a fifth-year senior who’s a backup center. He’d missed the previous couple of games with a broken nose and that made them way too thin in the middle. His presence bolstered the frontcourt and kept them from going too deep into the bench.

Q. Theron Wilson seems to be a good player who gets little attention. What does he do for the Braves?

A. You’re just saying that because he’s a Kansas kid. No, seriously, Theron has been their MVP this season. He scores, he rebounds, he draws fouls, he plays solid defense. Plus he’s a great kid. Bradley’s really going to miss him next year.

Q. New Year’s Eve in Wichita – Did you slip Doug Elgin a twenty to get you here on this night?

A. I suppose I deserved this one. Bradley’s only had one road New Year’s Eve game in the 18 previous years I’ve covered the beat. Not that Wichita is a bad place to be on Dec. 31 or any other time. I really enjoy coming here. Some of the best restaurant choices in the league and the weather is always pretty decent. My wife just isn’t so thrilled that I’ll be in Kansas at midnight and not Peoria.