PEORIA, Ill. -- Donte Thomas scored 14 points with 10 rebounds, Darrell Brown added 13 points and Bradley never trailed in beating Illinois State 70-58 in Wednesday night's I-74 rivarly game, ending an eight-game skid in the series.
Jayden Hodgson scored 10 points for the Braves (18-10, 8-7 Missouri Valley Conference), who are now tied with the Redbirds for fourth place.
Bradley pulled ahead on an 11-4 run and Brown's free throws capped a 9-3 run for a 49-32 Bradley lead. The Redbirds closed to 53-47 after 9-1 run with 7:10 left, but Bradley responded with an 8-2 run with Brown hitting four of seven Braves free throws in the final 5:27 to seal it.