Bradley Beats Tulsa, Evens CBI Championship Series 1-1

By Trashtalk Superstar

Last night, Bradley beat visiting Tulsa 83-74 in game two of the Championship Series of the inaugural College Basketball Invitational.

More here.

With last night's win, Bradley pulled even in the Championship Series 1-1. The third, and deciding game will be played at Tulsa on Friday night.

Senior guard Jeremy Crouch led Bradley with 20 points, most of which came from beyond the three point arc. But it was Crouch's back court running mate, senior point guard Daniel Ruffin, who set the tone for Bradley by applying constant pressure on Tulsa's ball handlers and by dishing out 8 assists (to go along with his 12 points).

Bradley also got a stellar performance from 7 foot center David Collins. Collins played 20 minutes, scored 8 points, grabbed 5 rebounds and blocked 2 shots. But Collins' most valuable contribution to the Braves' winning effort came from his constant challenging of Tulsa's shots in the paint and from his neutralizing of Tulsa's 7-1 center, Jerome Jordan.

Bradley took control of the game in the opening minutes and never relinquished the lead. Tulsa made a mini run midway through the second half, thanks to Brett McDade's hot hand from the three point stripe. But the Hurricane were never able to erase Bradley's sizable lead.

McDade was the bright spot for Tulsa. He didn't have many opportunities to score in the first half, which he spent playing the point guard position. But in the second half, Tulsa Coach Doug Wojcik moved McDade off the ball to the shooting guard position. That's when McDade went off for 24 points and sparked Tulsa's mini-run.

But it wasn't enough to get Tulsa back in the game. As Wojcik told the Tulsa World:

"They (Bradley) played a great game. They pretty much controlled the game after we won the opening tip and scored."

Last night's game was the final home game for Bradley seniors Crouch, Ruffin and Matt Salley. Crouch and Ruffin have enjoyed particularly stellar careers at Bradley, and both played key roles in Bradley's 2006 march to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet Sixteen. 9,014 boisterous fans attended Bradley's win and bid farewell to Crouch, Ruffin and Salley at the Peoria (IL) Civic Center's Carver Arena.

Game 3 of the CBI will begin at 7:00 PM (Central Time) on Friday night in Tulsa, OK.

The Chicago Tribune has more coverage of last night's game.