PEORIA, Ill. – The Illinois State men's basketball team led for all but three minutes Wednesday night at Bradley and survived a late Braves rally to snap a three-game Missouri Valley Conference losing streak, winning 55-52.
The Redbirds (10-10, 4-3 MVC) overcame 34 percent shooting by outrebounding Bradley, including a career-high 15 from Deontae Hawkins. Paris Lee led all scorers with 16 while DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell chipped in with 15. Hawkins also added nine points.
Both teams started slow with Bradley holding a 6-4 lead at the first media timeout.