Wichita State survives scare from Bradley

PEORIA, Ill. — When the 16th-ranked Wichita State Shockers opened up a 17-point first half lead and repelled an early second half run by the Bradley Braves to regain a 14-point advantage, no one thought it would come down to the final seconds.

Yet the Shockers needed a mistake by the Braves to erase a chance at a game-tying 3-pointer Wednesday night at Peoria Civic Center.

Guard Evan Wessel stole an inbounds pass in the final seconds and Wichita State barely survived Bradley’s game-ending 14-3 spurt, leaving town with a 62-59 Missouri Valley Conference win.

“I’m not going to take anything (away from) a win,” Shockers coach Gregg Marshall said. “Any time you can win on the road, you’re going to take it.”

After point guard Fred VanVleet sank two foul shots with 4.6 seconds left to give Wichita State (20-3, 10-1) a three-point lead, the Braves (7-17, 2-9) tried to set up a response to force overtime.

Forward Donte Thomas aimed a baseball pass to forward Auston Barnes just across the midcourt line, but it sailed over Barnes’ head and right to Wessel on a bounce. Bradley didn’t foul Wessel until the clock ticked down to 0.8 seconds.

Although Wessel missed both free throws, the Braves weren’t able to heave a desperation shot as time expired.

“It was my fault,” Barnes explained of the turnover. “I started my cut before the ref handed (Thomas) the ball. He’s looking for me to cut from the corner towards the middle. Now I’m doing it again and I was trying to post up (guard Ron) Baker, but the ball went over my head.

“I should have waited until the ref handed (Thomas) the ball.”

Bradley coach Geno Ford said the play’s design — similar to the play which Valparaiso’s Bryce Drew executed to hit a game-winning 3-pointer against Ole Miss in the NCAA Tournament back in 1998 — was to hit Barnes near midcourt and have him pass to a teammate streaking down a wing.

Marshall wasn’t even looking to force a turnover.

“We were hoping to make them throw it as close to their basket as possible,” he said. “We wanted them to take three or four dribbles and then foul with a second or two left.”

Instead, Wessel got the steal and the Shockers escaped with a result which allowed them to tie Northern Iowa for first place in the MVC.

Baker led Wichita State with 14 points. Forward Darius Carter and guard Tekele Cotton each scored 10 as the Shockers won despite not converting a field goal for the game’s final 12:38.

Point guard Tramique Sutherland scored a game-high 18 points for the Braves, who dressed just 10 players due to injuries and suspensions. Barnes added 13 points off the bench, guard Omari Grier tallied 12 in a reserve role and forward Josh Cunningham hit for 10.

Despite sinking just 35.7 percent of its field goal attempts, Bradley stayed in contention by grabbing 16 offensive rebounds, leading to 16 second-chance points. It also forced 14 turnovers from an opponent which averages just 9.9 per game.

However, it wasn’t enough to give the Braves what would have been their biggest win in Ford’s four seasons as coach.

“I thought we battled the whole game,” he said. “They have a great team over in that other locker room. I thought we swung and fired as many punches as we were able to. It’s disappointing to lose, that’s for sure, but I have no regrets about the effort.”

NOTES: Wichita State G Fred VanVleet entered Wednesday night’s game 19-1 in his career against schools from Illinois. VanVleet hails from Rockford, which is just over two hours north of Peoria. … Bradley Gs Warren Jones and Ka’Darryl Bell were suspended for a second straight game due to a legal issue. Braves G Omari Grier was reinstated after sitting out Saturday’s loss at Indiana State. … Braves G Anthony Fields (knee) was ruled out for the season’s remainder after being diagnosed with a torn meniscus. Fields started Saturday at Indiana State, scoring a career-high 11 points.