Bradley 63, Illinois-Chicago 62
CHICAGO -- Jake Eastman hit a jumper at the buzzer to give Bradley a 63-62 BracketBusters victory over Illinois-Chicago on Saturday at the Pavilion.
Eastman's shot came after the Braves missed two tries in a late 14-second span. Shayok Shayok secured an offensive rebound after the second miss to set up Eastman's game-winner.
Bradley (16-13) trailed 51-42 with 6:09 left in regulation before staging a rally.
Walt Lemon Jr. topped the Braves with 22 points, Dyricus Simms-Edwards had 17 while Tyshon Pickett added 10.
Daniel Barnes topped Illinois-Chicago (15-13) with 18 points and Marc Brown added 13.
The Flames broke a 22-22 tie with an 8-1 run through the final 4:40 of the opening half on the way to a 30-23 halftime lead.
Barnes had a game-high 12 first half points.
Illinois-Chicago claimed a 9-8 lead on Brown's 3-pointer at the 14:13 mark and never trailed the rest of the opening half.
The Flames return to Horizon League play at home Tuesday against Wright State. Bradley hosts Creighton in a Missouri Valley Conference game on Wednesday.
