Despite a late surge and double-digit efforts off the bench by junior Ja’Shon Henry and sophomore Ville Tahvanainen, Bradley lost to Indiana State 60-57 in Terre Haute on Sunday afternoon.
The loss extends the Braves’ losing streak to five – the longest skid since the team started Missouri Valley Conference play 0-5 in 2019.
“It’s just frustrating to lose, especially in close games, on the road, having a chance to win,” Tahvanainen said after a 17-point performance. “I think I played decent, but we didn’t get the win, so [we] could’ve played better. Should’ve played better.”
After trailing the Sycamores 45-35 with 12:23 to play in the second half, the Braves were able to chip away at the lead. After keeping the deficit at one possession for multiple minutes, Bradley eventually pulled ahead thanks to a 6-0 run that included back-to-back makes by redshirt freshman Rienk Mast and a go-ahead layup by Henry at the 2:37 mark.
The bucket put the Braves up 57-56, but it turned out to be the team’s final score of the game.
Bradley wasn’t without chances in the final possessions, however. Down by two with 18 seconds remaining, Bradley snagged a defensive rebound and called a timeout.
Out of the timeout, the Braves looked to get the ball inside to senior Elijah Childs, but he was blanketed by the Sycamore defense. Instead, senior Danya Kingsby drove the lane and missed a layup. Henry managed to corral the rebound, but his layup try missed as well.
With two seconds left, Bradley was forced to foul and never got another shot attempt.
“They guarded it well… bad play call by me,” Wardle said. “They sat on it, they knew it was coming. So we’ve got to be a little bit more creative there.”
Despite the comeback effort falling just short, Wardle remained pleased with the effort; particularly from those who were on the floor in the final seconds – Kingsby, Mast, Childs, Henry and Tahvanainen.
“Those five… they showed Bradley toughness there,” Wardle said. “That’s the toughness that’s won us back to back championships and three years of 20-plus wins. We’ve got to get back to that toughness right there.”
After struggling entering the game, Tahvanienen’s 17 points led the Braves. Henry was right behind with 14, and Mast chipped in 12, 10 of which came in the second half.
Perhaps some of Tahvanienen’s success can be credited to a lineup change. For the first time since Dec. 4, the sophomore came off the bench and Kingsby was placed in the starting lineup.
“We just wanted to try it out,” Tahvanienen said. “Last year Danya started and he’s a good defensive player and he brings a lot of toughness… It doesn’t matter to me if I come off the bench or not.”
With the loss, Bradley falls to 9-9 on the season and 3-6 in MVC play. It’s the first time the Braves have dropped to the .500 mark since they lost by one point at Xavier on Nov. 26.
So, what will it take for the Braves to snap out of it and earn the series split with the Sycamores tomorrow at 4 p.m?
According to Wardle, it comes down to one word: consistency.
“We don’t have consistency right now in players,” Wardle said. “You’ve got to do the hard things, and you’ve got to do them consistently, and we have not been doing that … We’ve been doing them in segments and that’s not good enough.”
