The Bradley Braves stole the ball 13 times against Missouri State, but the Bears had a chance to tie the game the second half, but couldn’t convert and end up losing 71-60 in Peoria.
Those 13 steals were the most by a Bears’ opponent this season as MSU turned the ball over a total of 18 times. The Bears were down by 10 early in the second half and Bears Coach Cuonzo Martin called a timeout and regrouped the troops. The Bears went on a 16-9 run over the next 11 minutes to pull to within three and even got the game to 47-45, but were unable to get any closer.
The Bears (10-17, 3-13 MVC) got 15 points and five rebounds by Kyle Weems, including 11 in the second half, to lead the way. Weems recorded his sixth straight double-figure scoring game.
The Bears shot 46% from the field on 22-of-48 shooting and converted 7-of-21 three-pointers. The Bears will try to snap a four-game losing streak when they return to action Saturday night at Tennessee-Martin (18-6) at 6 p.m. in the ESPNU Bracket Busters game.
