Eldridge's 24 help Illinois State past Bradley

Osiris Eldridge scored 24 points to lead Illinois State to a 72-68 win over Bradley in a sold-out Missouri Valley Conference matchup on Saturday in Normal.

Eldridge was 4-for-6 from the 3-point line for Illinois State (17-7, 9-4 Missouri Valley), while Theron Wilson and Jeremy Crouch both had 17 points to lead Bradley (14-11, 7-6 Missouri Valley Conference).

Bradley led 33-31 at the half, but Illinois State came back from the break to outscore the Braves 41-35 in the second period.

The lead flip-flopped three times during the game, with Bradley leading by as many as 12 during the first period and Illinois State up by 10 in the second. The score was tied four times.

Illinois State leaned on its bench for 13 points, while Bradley saw no scoring from its bench but was able to convert 20 points off turnovers.

Anthony Slack had 14 points and Dinma Odiakosa chipped in 13 for the Redbirds. Daniel Ruffin had 16 for the Braves.

The win broke a six-game losing streak for Illinois State against Bradley.

Tenn.-Martin 73, EIU 62: Lester Hudson scored 24 points and grabbed 8 rebounds as host Tennessee-Martin (13-14, 9-8 Ohio Valley) beat Eastern Illinois (4-20, 3-13).

The Skyhawks jumped ahead early and led 39-26 at the break. The Panthers pulled within 10 points in the second half, but it was as close as they would get.

Benzor Simmons and Djero Riedewald scored 14 points each for the Skyhawks. Riedewald also had 13 rebounds.

Jake Byrne was the Panthers' leading scorer with 13 points and led the team in rebounds with 7. Bobby Catchings and Julio Anthony added 11 points each.

S. Dakota St. 81, W. Illinois 75: South Dakota State (8-16, 3-10 Summit League) built an 8-point halftime lead and held on to beat visiting Western Illinois (11-13, 6-7).

Ben Beran scored 18 points, and Kai Williams added 14 points and 7 rebounds for the Jackrabbits.

SDSU shot 62 percent from the field, including a 3-for-4 effort from 3-point range, to take a 42-39 lead at halftime. Western Illinois shot 56 percent in the second half, while holding SDSU to 31 percent. But the Jackrabbits made 23 of 32 free throws in the second half to hold off the Leathernecks.

SDSU was 30-for-43 from the line, while WIU was 18-for-26.

Clint Sargent chipped in 12 points and Michael Loney had 10 for the Jackrabbits.

David DuBois had 19 points to lead WIU. David Jackson added 17 points, and David Nurse added 12.