Close call

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Bradley found a diamond in the rough before Wednesday night's matchup with SIU.

Unfortunately for the Braves, it was misplaced at halftime.

Mike Suggs scored 18 of his career-high 26 points before the half, helping Bradley forget about estranged forward Danny Granger, but it was not enough as SIU snuck by Bradley 75-72 in front of 5,545 at the SIU Arena.

"They always say I'm undersized and I'm playing against bigger people, but I don!=t care about that," Suggs said. "I'm just playing, that gets me going even more. That just gets me playing harder and harder every time."

Kent Williams led the Salukis with 22 points with the benefit of four threes. Jermaine Dearman added 20 points and six rebounds, and Darren Brooks scored eight points, including two clutch shots with nine seconds left, forcing a desperation prayer by Phillip Gilbert that fell on deaf ears.

The free throws came after Williams fouled out with 58 seconds left - the first time since his freshman year - and Brooks was left to run the offense and clinch the game for the Salukis.

"It was just a dogfight," Dearman said. "We were fighting back, we got down so much in the first half we were fighting through that whole game trying to get through that press and that zone. It was just a tough game."

Stetson Hairston anchored the SIU defense, recording five steals in the nail-biter, and Sylvester Willis, who had scored only two points in his last four games, finally put his demons behind him and scored eight along with several clutch offensive boards.

"It was the best he played in a long time," SIU head coach Bruce Weber said. "He played with a lot of energy. He was great on defense."

James Gillingham and Michael Stewart scored 21 and 10 points, respectively.

SIU was abysmal in the first half, shooting a rancid 31 percent from the field and only 15 percent from three-point range. The result was a seven-point halftime deficit, but it could have been worse.

SIU, not known for being exceptional free-throw shooters, made 11 of 14 free throws in the first half. Bradley made only two of seven, preventing the game from reaching blowout status.

The Braves would have been better off shooting their free throws from beyond the arc. Bradley shot 44 percent from three-point land in the first half and 59 percent from the field.

The Salukis stormed back in the second half. SIU shot 58 percent in the second half, compared to Bradley!=s 40 percent. The crowd grew silent when Williams was booted from the game, but Williams said he knew his teammates would pull him through.

"It's not easy to sit there when the game's tied and when you're one of the go-to players," Williams said. "At the same time I had the confidence on my team. I knew they were going to do something to step it up."

SIU is now 8-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference, and since Evansville stunned Wichita State Wednesday, the Salukis are now one of only three teams in the MVC with one loss.

The Dawgs will face the recently demoted Shockers Saturday in Wichita, Kan.

Reporter Michael Brenner can be reached at mbrenner@dailyegyptian.com