Childs scores 14 to carry Bradley over S. Illinois 69-67

CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) — Elijah Childs had 14 points and nine rebounds as Bradley narrowly defeated Southern Illinois 69-67 on Saturday.

Childs was playing in his third game since missing 12 of 13 games with a hand injury.

Nate Kennell had 13 points for Bradley (18-9, 9-5 Missouri Valley Conference). Ja’Shon Henry added 12 points. Koch Bar had 11 rebounds.

Trailing by 21 points in the final minute of the first half, SIU rallied to within a point, 65-64, with 4:19 remaining. But Ville Tahvanainen scored 10 seconds later for Bradley and neither team would score again until Darrell Brown hit a jumper from the foul line for a five-point edge. Eric McGill made a 3-pointer at game’s end.

The Salukis‘ 42 second-half points marked a season high for the team. SIU saw a 10-game home winning streak end.

Lance Jones had 19 points for the Salukis (15-12, 9-5). Marcus Domask added 15 points and eight rebounds. Barret Benson had 12 points.

The Braves improve to 2-0 against the Salukis on the season. Bradley defeated Southern Illinois 67-48 on Jan. 11. Bradley takes on Missouri State at home on Wednesday. Southern Illinois plays Evansville at home on Thursday.