Undefeated Bradley took the easy street to Saturday’s championship game of the inaugural Chicago Invitational Challenge at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates. Undefeated Illinois took a hazardous route along the edge of a cliff.
Chester Frazier’s driving layup with 18 seconds to play pulled the Illini from the brink of disaster, and they escaped with a come-from-behind 51-49 victory over Miami of Ohio in Friday night’s semifinals.
Bradley advanced to the title game against Illinois by putting on a dazzling clinic in three-point shooting in the first half and roaring past Rutgers 101-72.
Miami’s strong defense was almost the undoing of the Illini (6-0) in their first game outside Assembly Hall.
“I’m not sure we truly deserved to win, but we found a way,” Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. “Huge play by Chester. Not an easy shot by any means.”
Illinois was trailing 49-48 when the 6-foot-2-inch point guard took the ball down the free-throw lane to the hoop.
“It was a high ball screen with Warren [Carter] and me,” Frazier said. “I saw a lane and I took it. It was a millisecond decision. It was either do or die.”
Frazier’s basket gave the Illini only their third lead of the game. Calvin Brock’s rebound shot sent them ahead 2-1 and Carter’s jump shot put them on top 49-48.
Nathan Peavy, who had 22 points and 11 rebounds for the RedHawks, answered with a jump shot, giving the lead back to Miami with 43 seconds to play.
After Frazier made his clutch layup, Michael Bramos attempted to win it for Miami with a three-point shot.
It was off the mark. Carter pulled down the rebound and was fouled with two seconds left. He made the first of a one-and-one and missed the second. Then time ran out on the RedHawks (2-3), who led by as many as 16 in the first half.
In falling behind 33-26 in the first half, Illinois had a hard time getting open shots and made good on only 9 of 26 shots.
But Rich McBride’s three-point shooting and Brock’s scoring in the second half got the Illini back in the game.
The Illini’s thriller was preceded by Bradley’s laugher. In putting Rutgers (2-2) down 61-27 in the first half, the Braves (5-0) made 13 of 17 three-point shots.
“We work a lot on that,” Bradley’s Jeremy Crouch said. “That’s going to be a big weapon for us. Every day after practice the guards have to make 30 threes.”
Crouch hit 7 of 10 shots and all three of his three-pointers in scoring a game-high 19 points for the Braves, who had five players in double figures.
While Bradley was tearing apart the Scarlet Knights’ defense from the perimeter, forward Zach Andrews, the 6-8 big man in the four-guard lineup, was asserting himself down low. Highlighting Andrews’ 16-point, nine-rebound performance was 7 of 10 shooting.
“Playing a Big East team didn’t phase them,” Bradley coach Jim Les said.
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nmilbert@tribune.com
