Hot-shooting Illinois State advances to title game
ST. LOUIS - Osiris Eldridge scored 21 points and had 4 of Illinois State's 13 3-pointers in a 73-49 rout of cold-shooting No. 2 seed Creighton in the semifinals of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament on Saturday.
Eldridge and Champ Oguchi, who added 18 points with six 3-pointers, were a combined 10-for-13 from long range for Illinois State (24-8).
The third-seeded Redbirds, who were 13-for-19 overall on 3-pointers, ended Creighton's 11-game winning streak.
"When one person starts feeling it, it lights a fire in everyone else," Eldridge said. "It seems like, as a team, everyone starts feeling it and the baskets start to fall."
Illinois State earned a repeat berth in the finals today against top seed Northern Iowa (22-10) at 1:05 p.m. The Redbirds lost to UNI twice in the regular season, but by a combined total of just 6 points.
Valley player of the year Booker Woodfox had 13 points but on 4-of-14 shooting for Creighton, the second seed and the Valley's best hope for an at-large NCAA Tournament berth given its RPI of 39 and late-season success.
The Bluejays (26-7) shot just 27 percent a day after barely escaping the quarterfinals on a controversial last-second basket by Woodfox to beat Wichita State 63-62.
Illinois State was in control the entire way, hitting 6 of their first 8 3-pointers and grabbing a 27-9 lead.
Northern Iowa 76, Bradley 62: Theron Wilson scored 16 points and Sam Maniscalo added 14, but it wasn't enough for Bradley in a Missouri Valley semifinal loss. The Braves (18-14) lost all three meetings with Northern Iowa this season.
The game was close for almost 30 minutes as Bradley drew within 45-44 on a Taylor Brown layup with 11:57 remaining. But a nearly four-minute scoreless drought by the Braves followed, and Northern Iowa took advantage by going on a 10-0 run.
Bradley got withing 55-48 with 7:29 left, but was no closer after that.
Adam Koch (7-for-10) scored 22 points and Kwadzo Ahelegbe (9-for-9 FTs) had 21 to lead Northern Iowa.