PEORIA — A sparkling start came undone in a hurry Tuesday for Bradley against Missouri State. And the Braves, who let a 12-point lead dissolve to one at halftime, knew they were in for it from coach Brian Wardle as they trudged to the locker room.
"He got into us, he definitely got after us," said BU forward Donte Thomas. "We need that sometimes and we know it’s all love. We knew we had to show up and play better in the second half."
They would do so in spades, using an early 16-0 run to capture a 72-52 victory. It was Bradley’s most lopsided Missouri Valley Conference win in eight years and it came against the league favorites.
"We delivered on the defensive end and that led to a lot of great things on the offensive end," said guard Darrell Brown.
Indeed, the Braves held the Bears to a frigid 28 percent from the field after halftime and dominated the boards 25-14. On the other end, they shot 49 percent in those last 20 minutes, assisted on 11 of 16 baskets and committed just two turnovers (and a season-low five for the game).
"I did not like how we competed the last 10 minutes of the first half," Wardle said. "Our defense stopped working, we didn’t rebound and we got stagnant on offense. Talk would be a nice word. I'm a passionate, energetic coach.
"I challenged a couple of players to step up in the second half. And everybody responded. They needed a wakeup call that we needed to put 20 minutes together to beat this team."
To be fair, "this team" from Springfield, Mo., did not resemble the group picked to win the Valley. Two players — Reggie Scurry and Abdul Fofana — were sidelined with a bizarre medical condition.
They suffered foot blisters during a cryotherapy treatment Monday night at their home facility and didn’t dress. Scurry is a significant rotation player for the Bears.
"It’s no excuse, but it’s been a tough 24 hours," said MSU coach Paul Lusk.
The Bears’ woes continued less than two minutes into the game when their NBA prospect, forward Alize Johnson, picked up two quick fouls. He came back in at 10:10, but would get whistled for No. 3 two minutes later.
"He’s in foul trouble immediately and then he can’t get in any flow," Lusk said.
Said Thomas: "We knew he was their go-to guy and without him in the game, we could step on their throats. He’s a monster on the glass and tough to box out."
The throat-stepping worked for a stretch as BU jumped to a 20-8 lead. But even without Johnson, the Bears pulled a reversal with an almost identical 20-9 spurt, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Ronnie Rousseau to take all the momentum into the other locker room.
"Coach made the point at halftime that they have other players and we can’t let them get going," Thomas said. "That’s what we did in the first half."
But Lusk did not start Johnson to begin the second half, saying he didn’t want his star to pick up a fourth foul quickly. As the game was being decided with the big Bradley run, though, Johnson was only on the court sparingly. He played just nine second-half minutes without getting foul No. 4.
"You can sit there and say you should have (played him), but he can be foul-prone in that situation," Lusk said. "It was hard. He’s our one inside threat other than (Scurry) and we really struggled to score."
Of course, Bradley’s defense was a part of that event. The Braves stayed active and together on the defensive end.
Wardle singled out Nate Kennell and Jayden Hodgson for their defensive efforts, an uncommon compliment for those offensive-oriented guards.
"Every single day in practice we stress defensive fundamentals," Wardle said. "It’s our identity. It’s what we do and what we need to do. Tonight it helped us open up the game.
"It’s hard to win on the road. You saw Missouri State get cold for a segment (going scoreless for 8:14) and the game can get put away pretty quick. I was happy we got the lead, sustained it and kept attacking. We scored by committee."
It’s a recipe for success and largely descriptive of how Bradley has played — and won — at home this season. It's halfway through the league season and the Braves are 5-4, winning all at home and losing all on the road.
"If we defend like we did tonight and don’t turn the ball over, we have a chance to be in a lot of games down the stretch here," Wardle said.
That’s an understatement for the contests at Carver. It would be a big bonus for this team if the combination could work on other courts as well.
DAVE REYNOLDS covers Bradley men's basketball for the Journal Star. He can be reached at 686-3210 or dreynolds@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @davereynolds2.