Box Score
PEORIA, Ill. - Chicago State men's basketball dropped a non-conference contest at Bradley 77-64 on Friday (Nov. 15) evening at Carver Arena. The Cougars cut what was once a 25-point deficit to seven points in the second half.
Bradley opened the game on an 11-0 run. Their lead was at nine points at 21-12 with 12:03 remaining in the first when Bradley opened their lead further thanks to a 13-4 run over the next five minutes. The Cougars pushed Bradley to early fould trouble, as four Braves finished the half with multiple fouls. But the Cougars could only make 7-of-10 free throw attempts in the opening half. The difference came from the floor. The Braves shot 18-of-30 (60 percent) in the first including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Chicago State shot 9-of-31 (29 percent) and made just one of 12 attempts beyond the arc in the opening frame.
The Braves couldn't keep their hot hand going in the second. Chicago State chipped away at the deficit and first made it a 10-point game at 63-53 on a layup by senior
Nate Duhon (Lansing, Mich./Sexton) following a steal in the backcourt by freshman
Kurt Karis (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North ) at the 5:12 mark. Down the stretch, a layup by
Matt Ross (Dixon, Ill./Dixon) cut the score to 67-59 at 2:49. However Bradley made enough free throws the rest of hte way to ice the game.
The Cougars limited Bradley leading scorer Walt Lemon Jr. to just nine points after he fouled out midway through the second half. However Bradley made up for it with 19 points from Omari Grier, 15 by Auston Barnes and 11 by Xzavier Taylor.
Chicago State was led by Ross' 18 points. He added 11 rebounds for a double-double. Duhon also recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Senior
Quinton Pippen (Hamburg, Ark./Hamburg) scored 15 points.
The Cougars out-scored the Braves 38-31 in the second half as Bradley shot just 8-of-25 (32 percent) in the second.
"The team we saw in the second half is what we are trying to be," Chicago State head coach
Tracy Dildy said. "You can't spot a team a 20-point lead and expect to win. With all that said we had it to single digits down the stretch. That's the positive we will take away."
Bradley moves to 4-0 with the win while the Cougars return to .500 at 2-2. The Cougars travel to Alabama State on Monday for a 7 p.m. start with the Hornets.
