Braves Hold Off SIUE 67-61

Box Score

Aamir McCleary

December 23, 2008

          PEORIA, Ill. - In what was billed as a bit of a homecoming for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville head coach Lennox Forrester, Bradley didn't show any over-the-top courtesy to its former assistant coach.
          Bradley had some anxious moments in the closing seconds against the Cougars, finally winning 67-61 at Carver Arena. The Braves missed a handful of free throws down the stretch but was able to defend just enough for the six-point win.
          Forrester said he liked the team's aggressiveness against the Braves.
          "I thought it was the best game we played all year," said the second-year head coach.
          Forrester, an assistant at Bradley for five seasons including an NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen appearance under current head coach Jim Les, was given a round of applause by the Bradley faithful when he came to the court.
          But that was as far as the niceness went.
          The Cougars fell to 2-10 for the season despite a career-high 23 points from Aamir McCleary, who hit three three-pointers. McCleary shot 7 of 9 from the field, connected on all three of his three-pointers and was perfect in six attempts from the free throw line.
          "He set the tempo for us tonight," said Forrester of McCleary. "As well as his 23 points, I thought defensively he did a good job. I thought he was a great leader out there."
          Bradley improved to 6-5 with 17 points each from Theron Wilson and Sam Maniscalco.
          Bradley used an 11-0 run in the first half to garner an eight-point lead at halftime. There were eight lead changes in the first half, but the Cougars were unable to close the gap in the second half.
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