Final: BU 65, WSU 50:Not the followup effort you would have liked from WSU. I would give most of the credit to BU. When the Braves played D hard, they were very tough. Marshall not happy with Roberts’ three at the buzzer.
2:14 remaining: BU 62, WSU 46. As we saw in WSU’s three home games, the visiting bench often doesn’t play as well on the road. WSU’s depth was a plus in those three wins. Tonight, WSU reserves are 0 for 6 from the field with two points on free throws by Hatch.
3:52 remaining: BU 58, WSU 44. Wilson’s tip dunk is a show-stopper.
7:20 remaining: BU 51, WSU 40. WSU can’t get enough shots to fall to get any energy going. BU’s defense gets a lot of the credit. David Collins is much more of a defensive force tonight than he was in Wichita.
11:26 remaining: BU 45, WSU 36. When Braves turn up their defense, WSU is in a bad position. Especially when freshmen are handling the ball. WSU has five turnovers this half.
12:54 remaining: BU 43, WSU 36. Durley’s been a much improved defender in recent weeks. But he just made a bad play and heard about it from Marshall. He gambled to steal a pass and missed, allowing Sam Singh a layup. Singh’s not much of a scorer, so Durley was better off to let him catch it. WSU had to call timeout with the momentum going Bradley’s way. WSU is 11 of 32 from the field, 2 of 7 from three. BU is out-rebounding the Shockers 24-17.
15:46 remaining: BU 34, WSU 33. WSU can tie with a free throw by Hawkins.
Halftime: BU 30, WSU 25. Shockers fortunate to be that close after a bad shooting half. They would feel better had Hannah made his free throws with 6.6 seconds to play. Could be worse. Could be better. WSU is 7 of 25 from the field. Murry 1-7, Ellis 0-3, Hawkins 1-4, Durley 1-4. BU is up in rebounds 19-15.
3:33 remaining: BU 26, WSU 18. WSU has missed nine straight shots. Its only points since Hannah’s three-point play are from the line. BU’s quickness is taking over on defense. The Shockers can’t get an open shot and every pass is a dangerous one.
7:41 remaining: BU 18, WSU 15. WSU is scoreless since Hannah’s three-point play with 13:35 remaining. Three turnovers in that span.
10:14 remaining: BU 17, WSU 15. BU picked up its pressure with Reggie Chamberlain at point and that’s a bad combination for WSU. Hannah will check back in.
15:53 remaining: WSU 8, BU 5. WSU shows no respect for BU’s interior defense. The Shockers are throwing the ball inside for layups. If you remember the first meeting, WSU’s Garrett Stutz scored easily against David Collins early and Collins sat most of the game.
WSU starters - Durley, Hawkins, Hannah, Murry, Clemente. BU - Norris, McCain, Dunson, Collins, Wilson.
Bradley is wearing its throwback uniforms from the 1985-86 season again tonight. The Braves went 16-0 in the MVC that season with coach Jim Les as captain.
Peoria is my favorite trip. I like staying downtown, at an old hotel (Pere Marquette) where Oscar Robertson probably stayed when the Bearcats used to come to town and play at Robertson Field House. Now, you can walk to the game at Carver Arena. You can walk across the street to Hoop’s to get a slice of pizza. The crowd is always good. I spend more time in some cities than other. For example I don’t always spend the night in Omaha, Des Moines or Springfield So this isn’t a scientific recommendation. My advice to any WSU fan contemplating a road trip is that Bradley should be on the top of your list.
Plus, it’s Associated Bank ice-scraper night at Carver Arena.
WSU has won four of its past six games in Peoria, which is the best run the Shockers have ever had in this city. BU is 47-15 against WSU at home, including 18-8 at Carver. Can WSU win again? The most important thing would be to continue to play hard, as the Shockers have for three straight games. Winning would be nice, as well as unexpected. Bradley is in the MVC race at 6-3, but has lost three of its past five games. The race really heats up when the Braves play Illinois State on Saturday and Northern Iowa next week. Can WSU catch BU looking ahead?
Around the Valley
- Weather is beating up the MVC schedule. Missouri State’s game at SIU and Evansville’s game at Drake are postponed until Thursday. WSU plays Drake on Saturday. The WSU women are also affected. Their game at SIU starts at 5:30 p.m., Thursday. The men play at 8 p.m.
- The night’s big game is in Cedar Falls, where first-place Northern Iowa plays second-place Illinois State (tied with Bradley). The Panthers are trying to avoid getting comfy with a two-game lead.