ST. LOUIS — After everything they had endured and overcome, the last 1.5 seconds of their 63-61 victory over Drake on Friday afternoon constituted an agonizing eternity for the Bradley Braves.
They had just taken the lead in their Missouri Valley Conference tournament quarterfinal, on a rebound putback by Donte Thomas. But Drake had quickly inbounded the ball and De’Antae McMurray had fired a 65-foot rainbow shot toward the Bulldogs goal.
It looked perfect as summer at the beach.
“No way,” Bradley junior Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye said. “That was not our game to lose. I wasn’t worried.