Bradley Braves @ Southern Illinois Salukis
O'Brien, Beane help Southern Illinois hold off Bradley 71-59
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Sean O'Brien had 24 points including a pair of key baskets in the final 5:10 to help Southern Illinois hold off Bradley 71-59 on Wednesday night.
Anthony Beane, after missing his first 12 attempts from the field, had back-to-back 3-pointers down the stretch that were crucial in helping the Salukis (21-7, 10-5 Missouri Valley Conference) pull away.
Bradley (4-24, 2-13) had a 12-2 run to pull within 55-52 with 5:27 left. O'Brien hit a jumper to stop the run and Beane followed with the two 3s -- his only points of the night. O'Brien added a 3 to make it 66-55 with 2 minutes left.
Mike Rodriguez scored 14 points and Bola Olaniyan had 11 points and 11 rebounds for Southern Illinois.
Donte Thomas had 17 points and Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye scored 12 for the Braves. Thomas scored six during the late run that pulled Bradley within three.
Game Information
Carbondale, IL
Referee:Rick Randall
Referee:Winston Stith
Referee:Paul Janssen
2025-26 Standings
| Missouri Valley ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont | 16-4 | - | 26-6 |
| Bradley | 13-7 | 3 | 21-13 |
| Illinois State | 12-8 | 4 | 23-13 |
| Murray State | 12-8 | 4 | 20-13 |
| UIC | 12-8 | 4 | 19-16 |
| Northern Iowa | 11-9 | 5 | 23-13 |
| Valparaiso | 11-9 | 5 | 18-15 |
| Southern Illinois | 10-10 | 6 | 16-16 |
| Drake | 6-14 | 10 | 14-20 |
| Indiana State | 4-16 | 12 | 11-21 |
| Evansville | 3-17 | 13 | 7-25 |
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