Southern Illinois University
8-9, 2-2MVC
Bradley
12-5, 3-1MVC
Bradley's second-half surge pushes Braves past Salukis
01/11/2020 | 9:21:00 | Men's Basketball
"Give credit to Bradley. How they started the second half really changed the momentum," SIU head coach Bryan Mullins said. "We didn't come out the right way, with the right intensity and focus in the second half, and I think that led to our performance in the second half. It was a game of two halves."
Bradley (12-5, 3-1 MVC) improved to 10-0 at home this year, while the Salukis (8-9, 2-2 MVC) fell to 0-6 in true road games. But the young Salukis surprised the veteran Braves, jumping out to a seven-point lead at the midpoint of the first half. Offensively, all eight Salukis who played in the first half scored. Defensively, SIU held Bradley to its second-lowest scoring half in a home game this season.Â
"(In the first half) We played with energy and intensity. In terms of knowing their personnel and knowing some of their sets, we did a good job taking away some actions we went over," Mullins said. "In the second half, it just wasn't there. With our inexperience, we need to learn to play two halves, especially on the road, and especially against a team as good as Bradley."
Bradley, picked No. 2 in the MVC preseason poll after an NCAA Tournament appearance last season, started the second half on a 9-0 run and expanded its lead from there. SIU committed nine second-half turnovers. Bradley had only eight points in the paint in the first half but piled up 24 points in the paint after halftime.Â
"I loved how we started (the game); we just need to do a better job of taking care of the ball," Mullins said. "We have a young team, and we're teaching them how important every single possession is, especially to win on the road in The Valley. Bradley has a lot of senior guards and veteran guys. They've been to the NCAA Tournament, and they showed it in the second half."
Bradley star guard Darrell Brown controlled the game with 21 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Ja'Shon Henry was a difference-maker after halftime, scoring 14 of his 16 points in the second half. BU big man Koch Bar had three of his game-high five blocks in the second half, doing his part to limit SIU to just 19 second-half points and 6-of-28 (21.4%) from the field after halftime.Â
For SIU, Marcus Domask had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, his second double-double of the season. Barret Benson added 10 rebounds, and Eric McGill had nine points.Â
UP NEXT: SIU is off until Thursday, January 16, when the Salukis visit Loyola for a 7 p.m. game that will televised on the MVC TV Network.
MVC TV Network » Fox Sports Midwest, NBC Sports Chicago, Fox Sports Kansas City, Fox Sports Indiana and ESPN+ or ESPN3 (subject to blackout)
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