A single made free throw by sophomore guard Lance Jones with 2.3 seconds remaining in the game boosted Southern Illinois to a 69-68 victory over Bradley on Sunday night in Peoria. The loss is the Braves’ 7th in eight games.
After being down by as many as nine points with 8:19 remaining in the second half, the Braves climbed back into the game thanks to six straight points by junior forward Ja’Shon Henry in the final three and a half minutes.
“The plays were opening up and I was able to get good looks at the rim,” Henry said.
Henry’s final bucket – a layup with 1:24 remaining – tied the game at 68 all. After the Braves picked up a stop on the defensive end, they took a shot clock violation with 22 seconds remaining, setting the Salukis up for a chance to win the game.
The Braves fouled Jones with 8 seconds remaining. Off the Salukis inbounds pass, the 6-foot, 1-inch drove into the paint and was fouled on a layup attempt, sending him to the line with 2.3 seconds remaining. His one make at the stripe was all it took, as a deep shot by Braves’ junior Terry Nolan fell short at the final buzzer.
“It was miscommunication and it ultimately falls on me, though” Henry said. “I was supposed to foul, and I didn’t, when [Jones] was at the top of the key… That falls on me. As an upperclassman I should know better.”
“It’s just, again, late game situations that we’ve got to continue to get better at,” Wardle said.
It was a tale of two halves for Bradley, who led 43-37 at the halftime break. The team shot 57 percent in the first half, including a 50 percent mark from deep.
In the second frame, those same shots weren’t falling, as Bradley went just 2-12 from long range and shot a dismal 33 percent from the floor.
“I don’t know [what happened],” Wardle said. “The second half, there was no rhythm, no fluid on offense and that affected our defense.
While Henry found success late and led the team with 17 points, the rest of the Braves’ usual scoring suspects has a quiet afternoon. Senior forward Elijah Childs scored a season-low 7 points, shooting just 2-10 from the floor – marking just the second time this season he’s fallen short of double-figures.
Nolan also scored 7, following a season-high 23 points in yesterday’s Bradley victory over the Salukis.
“We’ve got to have everybody show up on a game,” Wardle said. “We’re very streaky individually and we’re streaky as a group right now because of that.”
The loss drops the Braves back to 10-11 on the season and 4-8 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
The Braves will head to Valparaiso on Wednesday for a rematch of their double-overtime loss to the Crusaders on Jan. 28. On Sunday, Valpo handed No. 25 Drake its first loss of the season, beating them 74-57.
While the Braves remain in seventh place in the conference, they remain within striking distance of Evansville and Valparaiso in the standings. Despite that, it was hard for Wardle to be positive in the defeat.
“That’s the glass half full, I love, but right now I’m not really thinking that way,” Wardle said. “I’m just really disappointed that we couldn’t get out this win.”
