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Bradley
Dec 11, 2007 21:59:36 GMT -5
Post by Tipp City Raider on Dec 11, 2007 21:59:36 GMT -5
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Bradley
Dec 11, 2007 22:06:05 GMT -5
Post by Wolf on Dec 11, 2007 22:06:05 GMT -5
Tough loss to a good team. It stinks now, but it should make us a better team if we learn from it.
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Bradley
Dec 11, 2007 22:42:20 GMT -5
Post by Big D on Dec 11, 2007 22:42:20 GMT -5
I hate that we lost tonight. That being said, I left the arena proud of our coach and team. Coach had a great game plan that we executed well. The team as a whole played very well against a top team from a higher rated conference than us. We just need to play with more poise at the end of the game.
The only thing I was not proud of tonight was our crowd. It is pathetic that more people don't come out to support this team.
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Bradley
Dec 11, 2007 22:42:22 GMT -5
Post by rock70 on Dec 11, 2007 22:42:22 GMT -5
Another tough loss. Just like the Valparaiso game we lead in the game with under a minute to play and let it slip away. We don't have a closer for the end of close games, you know that player that can create his own shot. We were destroyed on the boards. Coach Brownell said on his postgame show that Bradley scored twenty-four second chance points to our twelve, that is the game right their.
Any one else catch what coach Brownell said on the post game show? He said he told the team after the game that only Vaughn and John David played at a high level tonight. I love that he has no problem be straight with them and basically called out the rest of the players.
A couple of bright spots for me were Gardners continued improvement. John David had 6 points, 6 assist, 6 rebounds, and only one turnover.
I also think Cooper gave us all a glimpse of what he is capable of doing.
Of course Vaughn was a stud tonight.
On to Miami.
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Bradley
Dec 11, 2007 22:47:17 GMT -5
Post by rock70 on Dec 11, 2007 22:47:17 GMT -5
The only thing I was not proud of tonight was our crowd. It is pathetic that more people don't come out to support this team. I hear you BigD. It was embarrassing how small the crowd was tonight especially when you factor in that we just beat the thirteenth ranked team in the country two days earlier.
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Bradley
Dec 11, 2007 22:59:03 GMT -5
Post by Glory Days on Dec 11, 2007 22:59:03 GMT -5
They outrebounded us 42-32. If we are going to go with a 3 guard line-up, we need those 3 guards to help crash the boards.
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Bradley
Dec 12, 2007 4:01:12 GMT -5
Post by gerb on Dec 12, 2007 4:01:12 GMT -5
As far as our crowd goes, I am more than a little perturbed at the community for not turning out. Our students are showing up like never before, especially on break. That said, I was more than a little pissed at all of the students sitting above the walkway/bar for not standing up or cheering. They almost seemed like they'd be embarrassed if somebody saw them. If you're an able-bodied student, you should be on your feet. In that sense, this game was ridiculous.
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Bradley
Dec 12, 2007 7:09:38 GMT -5
Post by Raider Country on Dec 12, 2007 7:09:38 GMT -5
WSU loses defensive battle with Bradley in overtimeBy Marc Katz Staff Writer Wednesday, December 12, 2007 FAIRBORN — It was a prize fight of a game, complete with some bloodied jerseys and a couple players limping off the court when it was over, which was a long time after it began. It was the kind of defensive battle Wright State men's basketball coach Brad Brownell likes, but he didn't like the outcome. Bradley beat the Raiders 72-65 in overtime in front of 3,382 at the Nutter Center on Tuesday night. "You can't be excited about moral victories," said Brownell, whose team is 3-3 to Bradley's 7-3. The Raiders also were walloped last year, 88-49, at Bradley. "You've got to win games. We had a chance to win this game, and we didn't get it done." Wright State almost got it done. The Raiders led by nine — 51-42 —with 6:28 to play. It was 58-58 with 19 seconds left, and the Raiders had the ball. "I had a chance to win the game at the end, and it didn't fall," said Vaughn Duggins of his final shot from the top of the key. "I think we were confident. We knew how to finish the game. We just didn't execute." Only in the overtime did the Raiders really fail to execute. It was 60-60 when the game began to get away. Bradley, which shot better and better as the game wore on, took advantage of WSU's Todd Brown being out with five fouls 37 seconds into overtime, and Will Graham sitting out with cramps. Daniel Ruffin, one of Bradley's big scorers, chose this moment to hit his only basket of the game, a 3-pointer to give the Braves a 63-60 lead. Wright State answered with a free throw, and Jeremy Crouch scored in the lane. The Raiders answered with two Duggins free throws — finishing off his game-high 24 points — but the Raiders were no longer a factor. "It was Round 12, and we weren't up to doing the things we needed to win the game," Duggins said. Despite the effort, it was the third loss in four games for the Raiders, who host Miami on Saturday. www.daytondailynews.com/s/content/oh/story/sports/college/wsu/2007/12/11/ddn121207wsubb.html
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Bradley
Dec 12, 2007 7:11:46 GMT -5
Post by Raider Country on Dec 12, 2007 7:11:46 GMT -5
Raiders stop Bradley's key shooters, but not reboundsBy Marc Katz Staff Writer Wednesday, December 12, 2007 FAIRBORN — For two straight games, the Wright State Raiders have minimized exceptional backcourts. Against Butler on Saturday, WSU held A.J. Graves and Mike Green — the best backcourt in the Horizon League — to shooting a combined 4-for-23 with 12 points. Tuesday night, Bradley came in with a three-guard configuration of Jeremy Crouch, Daniel Ruffin and Andrew Warren. Ruffin and Crouch were 3-of-12, and assist-leader Ruffin matched his five assists with five turnovers. It was quite a defensive effort, although Warren finished with 23 points. It might have been Warren's rebounding that made the difference. With Bradley trailing 57-53 and less than 40 seconds to play, Warren missed a 3-point shot, but secured the rebound and went out to shoot the 3 again. He made it. "He's got to take those," Bradley coach Jim Les said. "We'll live with the result." A few moments later, Bradley had the game tied with free throws that sent it to overtime. Duggins wants extraVaughn Duggins, a sophomore who had his highest scoring game with 24, felt he had to score more with Todd Brown out much of the game with fouls. Brown eventually played 22 of the 45 minutes, while Duggins played 40. "It just felt like whatever we did, we couldn't get that extra," Duggins said. "We can be a great team. It's about making those stops. We were a couple stops away from beating Valpo and a couple of stops away from winning tonight. "It's about crunch time, and someone going in and making a play. We just couldn't make those tough plays, offensively and defensively. Without Todd, it just fell into my hands. I had to make up for Todd not being out there. We played great D, and then everybody tried to chip in." Big men shootReserve big men Cooper Land and Gavin Horne have had few chances to score this season, but each came up with a big basket against Bradley. Horne made his second basket of the season from the baseline in the first half to give the Raiders a 13-5 lead, and Land made a 3-point basket to give WSU a 51-42 lead with 6:28 to play. Scouts out to watchDespite Butler's high ranking and several senior players, no pro scouts asked for tickets to last Saturday's game against Wright State. But two scouts — Ray Dieringer for Dallas and Jim Mitchell from Golden State — were in attendance for the Bradley game. Mitchell, who resides in Lexington, Ky., said he had already scouted Butler three times. Of most interest on Bradley? Ruffin. Visitors honoredWright State honored visiting Bradley president Joanne K. Glasser as well as Raj Soin, a Bradley graduate and trustee and a former trustee of Wright State. Soin — whose name is on the WSU school of business — wore a split sweatshirt — Bradley on the front, Wright State on the back. www.daytondailynews.com/s/content/oh/story/sports/college/wsu/2007/12/11/ddn121207wsubbnotes.html
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Bradley
Dec 12, 2007 7:13:11 GMT -5
Post by Raider Country on Dec 12, 2007 7:13:11 GMT -5
WSU needs manual for crunch timeBy Tom Archdeacon Staff Writer Wednesday, December 12, 2007 Wright State didn't come away with a victory Tuesday night, but at least Bradley handed it a blueprint for games like this, and maybe the Raiders can follow it from here on out. Right now they're looking at end-of-the-game crunch time the way some Christmas morning father looks at a box full of new bicycle parts that's minus the instruction sheet. For the second time in three games, WSU faltered in the closing seconds, didn't have one leader step up in the final minute and ended up losing — this time 72-65 in overtime to the Braves. As it was, the Raiders played especially well in some phases. They held Bradley's two top scorers, David Ruffin and Jeremy Crouch — who average a combined 31 points — to just 14. On the offensive end, WSU guard Vaughn Duggins hit big shot after big shot and finished with a career-high 24 points. For a while it seemed they were about to piggy-back a win over a team that beat them by 39 points last year onto Saturday's stunning triumph against 13th-ranked Butler. But then it was shades of the loss to Valparaiso last Thursday. In the final 35 seconds Tuesday — with the Raiders leading 57-53 — they suddenly could neither make the necessary defensive plays nor hit a clutch shot. Bradley tied it 58-58 and then pulled away in overtime. "We've got to do better, we can't be excited about moral victories," WSU coach Brad Brownell said afterward. "We had a chance to win the game and we didn't get it done. We've really got to grind through this. Some guys are going to have to mature and some of our older guys have to take hold of this team." Instead, the Raiders senior big man Jordan Pleiman struggled inside, the team's leading scorer Todd Brown was in foul trouble much of the game and point guard Will Graham was wracked by cramps the second half. Meanwhile, Bradley got stronger as the game wore on. "When you're down like we were with time against you — especially on the road — you have to find a way to make plays," said sophomore guard Andrew Warren, who finished with 23 points. "We did, whether it was hitting a shot, getting a deflection or making a stop on defense. "Doing that, we were able to get it into overtime and we rode that momentum from there on out." Bradley coach Jim Les said he expected no less of his 7-3, senior-laden team: "I didn't see any panic set in. They calmly stepped up and made the plays we needed to have." And with that, Les walked off with his arm around Warren, a 10-point scorer who had more than doubled his effort Tuesday when the team's top two point producers had been held in check. Wright State had none of that on this night. "This is just the business of coaching," Brownell said in a private moment afterward. "You're fortunate when you have seasons when you win a lot of close games — when one or two game-changing plays go your way. "And then there are years where it's more of a struggle. You put in the same amount of time, but the days seem longer, the nights seem longer ... and it makes for a lot quieter times at home." www.daytondailynews.com/s/content/oh/story/sports/college/wsu/2007/12/11/ddn121207arch.html
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Bradley
Dec 12, 2007 9:30:15 GMT -5
Post by bradleybravesfan on Dec 12, 2007 9:30:15 GMT -5
Hello again from Peoria. Wow, that was a heck of a game! WSU played us as well as anyone this year and probably deserved to win...until the overtime, I felt you guys were the better team tonight. And if Brown didn't foul out, I think you would have won. We found out just before the game that Dan Ruffin, our "star" PG had an abdominal strain and was a last minute decision to even play in the game. IMO, he should have sat out because except for that 3 he hit in OT, he was a non-factor. Luckily, Andrew Warren, our hit-and-miss sophomore who we hope is the future decided to have a break out game.
Vaughan Duggins, wow! If we had lost, that name would be haunting us day in and day out for the shooting display he put on. That guy is going to win you some games this year. My main thought from an outsider on WSU is that it seems like you need a post presence to open up your mid-range/outside game. This is the same aspect of offense that kills us. We're not going to 10-22 from long-range every game, so we need to find somebody who will back a defender down and get a bucket or get to the line.
One more thing to add, we watched the game on the Horizon league website with WSU radio/TV commentators. They were excellent. Good commentary, insightful, and they showed excitement even when BU scored. Very few smaller schools can find the quality commentators that both of our schools have.
Best of luck for the rest of the season, let's try to help each other's RPI's out by continuing to play great ball and hopefully we'll see each other at the tourney!
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Bradley
Dec 12, 2007 13:31:16 GMT -5
Post by raiderrunt on Dec 12, 2007 13:31:16 GMT -5
Live Coverage: Bradley Beats Wright State in OT December 12th, 2007 Bradley, Game Recaps, Wright St By Bill Kintner
DAYTON – When a team holds the opponent’s two best players to one total basket in regulation play, you would expect that team to win, unless that team is the young Wright State Raiders.
With their two leading scorers held to just one for 10 in field goals an experienced Bradley team had enough other weapons to defeat Wright State in overtime 72-65.
With 33 seconds left in regulation play and Wright leading by four at 57-53, Bradley’s Andrew Warren hit a 3-pointer to cut the Raiders’ lead to one.
When Wright State’s Vaughn Duggins got fouled with 31 seconds left he made one of two free throws to get the lead back to two at 58-56.
Wright State’s John David Gardner fouled Jeremy Crouch with 19 seconds remaining he made both free throws to tie the game at 60-60.
Wright State (3-3) got one more shot to win. With 2.1 seconds remaining Duggins got off a good shot at the top of the key and it bounced out to send the game in overtime.
In overtime Bradley (7-3) out-scored the Raiders 14-7 as Bradley’s leading scorers each scored a basket after being handcuffed in regulation play.
“I thought they (Wright State) guarded us really well. I thought both teams played well defensively. They are a good basketball team and they will win a lot of basketball game,” said Bradley coach Jim Les. “I didn’t see any panic set in and we stepped up and made big plays.”
Daniel Ruffin is leading Bradley at 16.4 ppg. He played with an abdominal strain finished 1-5 at seven points. Jeremy Crouch averages 14.5 ppg for the Braves and finished with seven points on 2-7 shooting.
Warren steeped up big tonight for the Braves with 23 points. He was the only Bradley player in double figures.
Warren who had been just 6-22 his previous three games had been working on his shots in practice and thought he was in a good position to take shots from the perimeter.
“The way our offense is sometimes, certain teams draw in on the penetration and that frees up guys out on the wings. That is how I got some good shots in the first half,” explained Warren.
In the first half Wright State jumped out to a 15-5 lead at the 11:45 mark. Bradley came roaring back and finally took the lead on a 3-pointer by Andrew Warren at the 1:25 mark.
With 53 seconds left Duggins fouled Warren as he attempted to shoot a 3-pointer. He calmly went to the line and hit all three foul shots to put Bradley up by five points at 29-24.
Wright State got the ball with 18 seconds. As time was running down Gardner missed a long jump shot. He got his own rebound and put it in just as time ran out to make it 29-26 at the half.
In the second half Bradley held the lead until the 14:00 minute mark when Duggins hit a jump shot to put the Raiders up 39-37.
Wright State got their lead up to nine points when Cooper land hit a 3-pointer to make it 51-42.
It was a lead the Raiders would hold until Bradley tied it up to send it into overtime.
Duggins led all scorers with 24 points on 8-13 shooting.
"It shows how easy a game could swing and tonight it just didn’t work out for us,” said Duggins “We just couldn’t make those tough plays offensively and defensively when we had to.”
Notes: -Bradley leads the all-time series 2-0. -Bradley also played Horizon League member UIC losing 84-75 and Loyola winning 64-47. -If you were wondering where former Evansville coach Steve Merfeld went after leaving Evansville, wonder no more. He is an assistant coach at Bradley. -Bradley’s next game is Wednesday December 19th at Butler at 7 pm. -Wright State’s next game is Saturday against local rival Miami at home at 7 pm.
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