The Salukis men’s basketball squad welcomed the Bradley Braves as part of a post-Valentine’s doubleheader at Banterra Center Sunday, Feb. 15. The Salukis felt the heartbreak of a 70-60 defeat that dropped them to 6-10 in Missouri Valley Conference play.

Both offenses seemed to be affected by the early afternoon start, going a combined 35% from the floor through the first four minutes of play. A 3-pointer from Bradley forward Corey Thomas gave the Braves an early 7-4 advantage.

It didn’t take much longer for Bradley to find their rhythm. They immediately went on a 9-2 run that forced Saluki head coach Scott Nagy to call his first timeout of the contest with 13:19 to play in the first half down 16-6. The immediate returns didn’t look good for SIU, as they missed their next four shots after the timeout.

Just as fast as they heated up, the Braves went cold. They missed six consecutive shots and didn’t score for nearly four minutes. The Salukis weren’t able to take control however, and trailed 20-14 with 7:05 remaining in the first half.

Saluki guard Davion Sykes did his best to get the Salukis back in the game, with two and-1 layups in the span of two minutes. Between that and Bradley’s scoring drought reaching seven minutes, the Braves lead was cut to 23-19.

SIU briefly took the lead thanks to an 11-2 run powered entirely by Sykes and guard Quel’Ron House. A 3-pointer from Bradley guard Alex Huibregste tied the game at 28 at halftime.

House led all scorers after 20 minutes with 10 points, with Sykes’ 8 points following close behind.

Both teams came out of the locker room at halftime the same way they did at the beginning of the game: very slow. The teams combined for 6 points in the first four-and-a-half minutes of the second half. That left the Braves with a 32-30 advantage.

The second half continued to repeat as Bradley dominated the next four minutes of play. A multiple-minute scoring drought for the Salukis and a 6-0 run for the Braves gave the visiting side a 44-35 lead.

Anyone who watched the first half knew what came next: Bradley went on a two-minute scoring drought while SIU went on a 7-0 run. What was once a 13-point lead for the Braves was cut to a 51-46 lead with eight minutes remaining in regulation.

The Salukis got as close as 1 point over the next four minutes thanks to a stifling defensive presence. The Braves were able to hold off the Salukis for the moment, leading 59-54 at the final media timeout.

House brought the Salukis within 3 points with two minutes remaining after successfully converting an and-1. A 3-pointer from Huibregste and a basket from guard Jaquan Johnson for the Braves immediately after made any Saluki comeback effort an uphill battle with the score 68-60 and 51 seconds remaining in the matchup.

Two free throws from Johnson locked the final score at 70-60 Bradley, with chants of “B-U” from the Braves bench and visiting fans filling the Banterra Center.

House tied a season-high with 26 points to lead all scorers. He was joined in double figures by Sykes with 12 points. Poor 3-point shooting became an issue yet again for SIU, as they went 0-15 from deep in the game.

“I have coached a lot of games, almost 1,000. I don’t know if I’ve ever coached a game where we didn’t make a three,” Nagy said postgame. “If you shoot 33% that’s a whole different ballgame.”

The now 12-15 Salukis turn their attention to the Drake Bulldogs, who they’ll face on Wednesday Feb. 18 in Des Moines, Iowa.

Sports Reporter Eli Hoover can be found at [email protected] or on Instagram @hoovermakesart

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