Feb 15, 2020 at 2:54 PM
CARBONDALE — With his Southern Illinois team trailing Bradley by 18 points at halftime Saturday at Banterra Center, Salukis coach Bryan Mullins had a message for his squad.
“That's an NCAA Tournament team,” he told them about the Braves. “They're fully healthy. They were coming in here determined to win, and I challenged the guys to be that type of team.”
The Salukis were up to the challenge, surging to a one-point lead with 7 minutes, 8 seconds left. But Bradley regrouped down the stretch, using a combination of timely baskets and stingy defense to pull out a 69-67 Missouri Valley Conference victory.