'Big plays at big moments': How Bradley broke through for road win at Indiana State

Brian Wardle barked and his Bradley Braves responded with some bite Wednesday in a dominating second half that turned a comeback into a blowout road win over Indiana State.

The Braves, down five at halftime, heard from their coach and responded, none more than wing Zek Montgomery, who poured in 18 points in the second half to drive a 78-67 victory over the Missouri Valley Conference's first-place team before 4,038 at Hulman Center in Terre Haute, Ind.

"I hear all the time I have nice guys but I don't have enough dog on this team, and I hear it from people that are close to me and mentors and around this team every day," Wardle said. "I challenged Zek at halftime. Hard. He's a guy you can challenge and he responds and he responded big time."

That career-high 18 by Montgomery — all in the final 12:56 of the game — included a pair of 3-point daggers in the final 1:48. That allowed Bradley to snap a three-game Valley road losing streak and tighten the race.

"I'm so fired up, I can't even sit still right now," Montgomery said. "Coach Wardle got on me at halftime and I had to respond. Told me I had to compete harder.

"I accepted the challenge."

Box score: Bradley at Indiana State | Preview: BU at Indiana State | Standings: MVC

So did veteran center Rienk Mast, who matched Montgomery's game-high 18 points and added 13 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season.

"Zek went someplace, he was in that zone," Mast said. "It was like he couldn't miss.

"I felt like last couple road games I haven't really helped my team that much. I was focused and determined tonight to not let this chance go by. We only get to play them one time. This was a huge game for us, for both teams. My mindset was to dominate.

"Hopefully, I did that."

Bradley (13-7, 6-3) stepped into a third-place tie with Indiana State (13-7, 6-3), the latter now with three straight losses in the Valley, including two at home.

A tough first half

The Braves were down by five at halftime, hanging close despite 10 turnovers and only one assist in a first half that saw them take eight fouls in the first 10 minutes.

The second half saw starting guards Connor Hickman and Duke Deen handcuffed with four fouls each. Deen eventually fouled out.

But that first half also saw Indiana State peak with a 10-point lead with four minutes left and leave points on the table with 10 consecutive missed 3s.

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The game was still there to be had, and Bradley took it in the second half.

"We wanted to come in and impose our will, play tougher physically and mentally," Wardle said. "Even when we were down we just felt comfortable, guys were still making plays. Everyone had segments that helped us win and that's what it takes to be on the road.

"Big plays at big moments. We were able to make big shots in big moments and they weren't. That's how we came out of it with the win."

A big dog named Zek

Mast hit a floating jumper, and then a hook shot to start Bradley's second-half turnaround.

Then Montgomery drove for a layup and-1 for a 49-48 lead with 12:56 left.

Down the lane he went again, for another layup and-1 and 52-48. Then Montgomery hit a jumper for 54-50 at 11:44.

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Bradley got a bucket from Montgomery and a layin from Ja'Shon Henry for a 64-57 lead with 6:50 left.

Henry ripped away an offensive rebound and turned it into a putback and-1 for 70-60 with 3:52 to go.

Then a bizarre sequence followed during the media break. Referee Gary Maxwell showed up at the Bradley huddle, tried to push his way into it toward Wardle — who was standing in the middle, talking to his players — and called a technical on Wardle.

Indiana State, which was already awaiting two free throws, ended up at the line with four free throws after the technical was added, and made them all to cut BU's lead to 70-64 without the clock moving.

Asked what happened, Wardle smiled slightly, and said: "It's a good team win, guys battled through adversity and a lot of it. They found a way to win. We're going to move on. It was an emotional, competitive game, an intense game. That's what it's all about."

Montgomery indeed made sure the Braves moved on. He hit a pullup jumper for 72-64 with 2:48 left.

Then he drained a stepback 3 at 1:48 for 75-67, and after Mast pulled down a rebound on an Indiana State miss, Montgomery came charging down the floor and launched another 3 for 78-67 with 65 seconds left.

Dagger time.

"He hasn't closed a game like that for us yet in his career until tonight," Wardle said. "His teammates know, when he gets it going let's keep feeding him the ball."

Said Montgomery: "I didn't score in the first half, that's not like me. Shocked myself actually. Don't let up. That was my main focus.

"When teams go on a run we have to come together. As the game went on, they (Indiana State) started to separate and we came to together."

Ville makes a record run

A great footnote in this game was guard Ville Tahvanainen's streak of made free throws. He was 5 of 7 for the game, but he made the first five to run his streak to 34 consecutive made free throws.

He was at the line shooting a pair of technicals at 14:39 of the second half when he made the first one, then missed the second one to end his streak.

He passed Sam Maniscalco (30), Jeremy Crouch (31), Hersey Hawkins (31) and Auston Barnes (32) before settling in a tie with Roger Phegley (1975-76/1976-77) for the fourth-longest free throw shooting streak all-time in BU history.

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In the huddle

• Bradley coach Brian Wardle, when asked if the road win was a breakthrough moment for the Braves: "I have no idea. It's a good win, we needed it because we only play them once. We got to keep our edge. Keep that toughness. We were battling the crowd, a good team and we were battling foul trouble. It was a good character test for us and we needed this win."

• Bradley center Rienk Mast, asked if a T-shirt worn by Wardle in practice during the week, reminding players they had been beaten badly at Drake on national TV, motivated the team Wednesday at Indiana State: "I hope he keeps the same T-shirt, honestly. If we play like this when he wears that T-shirt … I don't care how we get into this mindset, but we need this type of mindset. These games are fun."

• Wardle, on Bradley's guard combination of Zek Montgomery and Ville Tahvanainen late in the game: "(coach) Mike Bargen called a great game offensively. (Coach) Jimmie Foster told me to put Zek at point guard and see what he does, because Duke and Connor had four fouls. It was the right call, and we just kept riding it and riding it and he had the hot hand and he delivered."

• Wardle, on how Bradley's big lineup seemed to deflate Indiana State in the second half: "We wanted length and size in there because we knew they were just putting their heads down and jumping into us. They finished some tough shots in the first half, but in the second half our size and length started to bother them. Length and size is part of our strength as a team. We have to stick to that."

• Sycamores guard Cameron Henry , on leadership, to the Terre Haute Tribune-Star: "I wouldn't say there's one certain guy. We got a lot of people that are old enough and it's their last year. Everybody is a leader in their own way. You got to lead by example. There [are] top dogs and it trickles down. The top dogs basically have to hold up and be accountable for everything. We drop three. I hate losing just as much as the next man."

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Bravely Speaking

The Braves won at Indiana State for the first time since an 81-73 decision on Jan. 28, 2018. They snapped a five-game losing streak at Hulman Center. … Bradley forward Christian Davis missed the game with an ankle sprain. … The Braves bench beat the Sycamores 39-26. … Bradley won the boards, too, 41-33. … Indiana State shot just 37.9% from the field and 4 of 20 from 3. … The Braves got 11 points and 6 rebounds from Malevy Leons, 11 points and 8 rebounds from Ja'Shon Henry and 10 points plus 5 rebounds from Ville Tahvanainen. … BU shot 46.7% from the field. ... Former Bradley wing Jayson Kent had 11 points and 4 rebounds in 20 minutes. ... Cameron Henry had 11 points and 9 assists in 39 minutes for the Sycamores, and Courvoisier McCauley had 12 points and 8 rebounds.

FINAL: Bradley 78, Indiana State 67

Mongtomery daggers

7:55 p.m. : Zek Montgomery hits a stepback 3, then a defensive stop, then hits another 3 and it's a dagger. BU leads 78-67 with 62 seconds left.

Referee goes rogue

7:48 p.m.: Referee showed up in Bradley huddle during timeout and called a T on coach Brian Wardle when they asked him to leave. Sycamores ake 4 free throws to cut to 70-64. Unreal.

Henry with a big play

7:44 p.m.: Leons misses at the rim, but Ja'Shon Henry grabs the rebound, gets the putback and-1 for a 69-60 Braves lead with 3:52 left.

Bradley rolls to 9-point lead

7:40 p.m.: The Braves rolled to a 66-57 lead on another bucket from Montgomery and a layin from Ja'Shon Henry with 6:50 left, then a long two from Tahvanainen with 5:51 to go.

Bradley 60, Indiana State 55

7:32 p.m.: Leons with a layup at 9:06, the a dunk with 8:38 to go gives Bradley its largest lead of the game at 60-55 and forces Indiana State into a timeout

Bradley breaks out

7:23 p.m.: Braves go on an 11-0 run over 2:24 for a 52-48 lead with 11:56 left.

Rienk Mast with a floating jumper, and then a hook shot, followed by a game-tying layup from Zek Montgomery with an and-1 for 49-48 with 12:56 left.

Montgomery drove for another layup and-1 for 52-48. Then Montgomery hit a jumper for 54-50 at 11:44.

Tahvanainen streak ends

7:14 p.m.: The Sycamores were hit with another technical, and again Tahvanainen shot the free throws, missing the second one to end his streak at 34.

It went into the books as the fourth longest free throw made streak in Bradley history, tied with Roger Phegley's run in 1975-76 and 1976-77.

Rally, and fall back

7:12 p.m.: Bradley rallied at the outset of the second half on a hook by Mast and a layup from point guard Duke Deen. The Braves had the ball with a chance to tie, but Deen's attempted 3 was no good.

Indiana State then rattled off an 8-2 run for a 47-40 lead with 15:15 left, with Courvoisier McCauley netting five of those points.

HALFTIME: Indiana State 39, Bradley 34

6:50 p.m.: The Braves hit the break down 39-34.

BU center Rienk Mast has game-high 11 points and six rebounds. But two numbers jump out for the Braves: They had 10 turnovers and produced just one assist in the half.

Indiana State with nine points each from Cameron Henry and former Bradley wing Jayson Kent.

Ville climbing the charts

6:48 p.m.: Ville Tahvanainen shot a pair of free throws off a taunting technical with 25 seconds left in the half to pull Bradley to within 39-34.

That moved him up the BU record book into the fifth-longest free throw streak in program history, one behind Roger Phegley (1975-76/1976-77).

Mistakes

6:41 p.m.: Bradley closed to within five, but a missed dunk by Darius Hannah and turnovers by Rienk Mast and Duke Deen on consecutive possessions were trouble.

Indiana State cashed in both times, getting a layup from Courvoisier McCauley and a layup from Cameron Henry for 35-26 at 3:57.

Ville extends streak

6:36 p.m.: Ville Tahvanainen ran his consecutive free throw streak to 31 with 4:39 left.

He passed Sam Maniscalco's 30 (2009-10) and into a tie for sixth-longest all-time at BU with Jeremy Crouch (2007-08) and Hersey Hawkins (1987-88).

Braves down 6

6:30 p.m.: Mast hit a layup to pull the Braves within 26-20, then grabbed a rebound after Indiana State missed its ninth straight 3 at the media break with 7:42 left.

Mast had a game-high nine points, with 4 rebounds, at the break.

Indiana State runs

6:22 p.m.: Indiana State missed eight straight 3s in the opening eight minutes.

But Cade McKnight put in a pair of layups and Cooper Neese added a turnaround jumper for a quick 8-0 run over 2:15 to take a 16-13 lead with 11:44 left in the first half.

Mast and-1

6:12 p.m.: Bradley center Rienk Mast with a turnaround jumper and-1 to give BU a 13-8 lead in the opening minutes.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Bradley basketball: BU wins MVC road game at Indiana State