Eastern Illinois Panthers @ Bradley Braves
Kukobat's late dunk helps Eastern Illinois to 73-66 win
PEORIA, Ill. -- Rade Kukobat completed a 3-point play off a dunk in the final minute to give Eastern Illinois just enough cushion to hold off Bradley 73-66 on Thursday night for its third straight win.
Bradley had closed to 64-62 following two Darrell Brown free throws with 1:03 left before Kukobat slammed home the dunk. Brown hit a jump shot to trail 67-64 with 45 seconds left. Shareef Smith and Josiah Wallace made six free throws down the stretch to clinch the win.
Mack Smith nailed 6 of 9 from behind the arc to total 20 points with Wallace adding 14 points. Shareef Smith and Ben Harvey added 12 points apiece for the Panthers (6-5).
Eastern Illinois drained 13 of 24 from distance (54 percent) while holding the Braves to 5 of 17 (29 percent) from long range.
Bradley took a 36-33 lead into the break. A Harvey 3-pointer gave the Panthers a 40-38 lead less than three minutes into the second half. The teams swapped the lead until Mack Smith nailed two treys to start Eastern Illinois on an 8-0 run for a 58-48 advantage midway through the second half. The Braves never regained the lead.
Koch Bar had 13 points and Brown 12 for Bradley (7-4).
Game Information
Peoria, IL
Referee:Gene Grimshaw
Referee:Bobby Daw
Referee:Mike O'Neill
2025-26 Standings
| Ohio Valley ConferenceOhio Valley Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| UT Martin | 11-2 | - | 19-5 |
| Tennessee State | 9-4 | 2 | 15-8 |
| Southeast Missouri State | 9-4 | 2 | 14-10 |
| Lindenwood | 9-5 | 2.5 | 15-10 |
| SIU Edwardsville | 8-5 | 3 | 15-9 |
| Morehead State | 8-5 | 3 | 12-12 |
| Little Rock | 6-7 | 5 | 9-15 |
| Tennessee Tech | 5-8 | 6 | 10-14 |
| Eastern Illinois | 5-8 | 6 | 9-15 |
| Southern Indiana | 2-11 | 9 | 5-18 |
| Western Illinois | 0-13 | 11 | 4-20 |
| Missouri Valley ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont | 12-2 | - | 22-3 |
| Murray State | 10-4 | 2 | 18-7 |
| Bradley | 9-5 | 3 | 16-9 |
| Illinois State | 8-5 | 3.5 | 16-8 |
| UIC | 8-6 | 4 | 13-12 |
| Northern Iowa | 7-6 | 4.5 | 15-9 |
| Valparaiso | 6-7 | 5.5 | 12-12 |
| Drake | 6-8 | 6 | 12-13 |
| Southern Illinois | 4-9 | 7.5 | 10-14 |
| Indiana State | 3-10 | 8.5 | 10-14 |
| Evansville | 1-12 | 10.5 | 5-19 |
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