Egolf Sparks Braves to Win at FGCU, 58-54

FT. MYERS, Fla. – Sophomore forward Will Egolf earned his first career start Tuesday, but it was his finish that keyed Bradley’s 58-54 victory at Florida Gulf Coast (1-3) in the third round of the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic at Alico Arena. Egolf, who scored a career-best eight points and matched his career high with five rebounds, beat the shot clock with a free throw line jumper with 1:45 left for a 56-52 lead, then corralled a loose ball, was fouled and sank two free throws with six seconds remaining for the game’s final points.

Senior forward Theron Wilson turned in his second double-double of the young season with 13 points and 12 rebounds, while sophomore guard Sam Maniscalco matched Wilson’s 13 points as the only other double-digit scorer for Bradley (2-2). Reserve guard Reggie Chambers led the Eagles with 13 points, while a trio of FGCU players -- Kyle Marks, Derrick O’Neal and Reed Baker -- added 11 points apiece.

Trailing 30-28 at the break, Bradley scored the first six points of the second half on an Egolf tip-in, a Chris Roberts follow slam and a Wilson layup. The Braves eventually built their lead to eight points, 42-34, on a Dodie Dunson jumper with 13:51 left, but after a Darian Norris 3-pointer gave Bradley a 49-42 lead with 10:12 remaining, the Braves went cold.

Bradley did not score again until Maniscalco hit a jumper with 5:00 remaining for a 51-47 lead. Baker’s 3-pointer with 3:01 left gave FGCU a 52-51 lead, but Maniscalco answered with an old-fashioned 3-point play with 2:31 reamining to give the Braves a lasting lead, 54-52. With the shot clock winding down on Bradley’s next possession, Maniscaclo drove into the lane and fed Egolf. The Alaskan hit nothing but net as the horn sounded for the 56-52 lead.

The Braves will close out the 2008 O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic Wednesday by taking on Richmond (3-1) in a 4 p.m. (CST) contest from Alico Arena. The game will be televised in both the Peoria (Comcast 74, Mediacom 78) and Richmond markets by Comcast cable. After playing four straight games away from home, Bradley will return to Carver Arena Saturday night by hosting East Tennessee State in a 7:05 p.m. contest at Carver Arena.