Bradley University Athletics

Survive and Advance

Daniel Ruffin hit the go-ahead basket with 34 seconds left, sending Always A Brave to the second round of the TBT Midwest Regional

Bob Hunt - Photographer

Bobby Parker, Associate AD for Communications General 7/16/2017 12:20:00 AM

PEORIA, IL - Virtually every player on Bradley's alumni team, Always A Brave, came up with big plays Saturday, but none bigger than point guard Daniel Ruffin's go-ahead basket with 34 seconds left, lifting the third-seeded AAB to a 68-63 win against No. 14 seed Mid American Unity in the opening round of The Basketball Tournament Midwest Regional Saturday evening at Renaissance Coliseum.

With the majority of the largest crowd in TBT's four-year history - 2,142 for the entire day - filling Bradley's on-campus arena to cheer on the home team, Tony Bennett's defense and David Collins' work in the paint helped turn the tide in the favor of Always A Brave. Collins blocked three shots and snared a game-high eight rebounds in his 15 minutes off the bench and, though he scored just four points, his second-chance dunk early in the second half ignited the hometown fans. One of Collins' offensive rebounds also helped set up Bennett for one of his three 3-pointers to give AAB its largest lead, nine points, with 11:52 remaining.

Marcellus Sommerville, a member of the 2016 TBT All-Tournament Team, scored a game-high 17 points and first-year AAB member Walt Lemon Jr. chipped in with 12 points and four assists. Ruffin, who suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon early in the 2016 TBT semifinals versus Team Colorado, finished with eight points in his 18 minutes as the starting point guard.

Richie Gordon led three Mid American Unity players in double figures with 14 points. Jay Youngblood added 12 and Jamil Dudley scored 11 off the bench.

All eight alumni teams - seven college and one NBA G-League - won their first-round games in the Midwest Regional, setting up a remarkable second day of action Sunday at Renaissance Coliseum, including Always A Brave against Fort Wayne Champs at 2:30 p.m. in the day's third game:

2017 TBT Midwest Region Schedule
Saturday, July 15 | Peoria, IL | Renaissance Coliseum

Game	Time	Matchup
Game 9	11:00 AM	#4 Purple & Black (K-State alumni) vs. Hilton Magic Legends (Iowa State alumni)
Game 10	12:45 PM	#2 Scarlet & Gray (Ohio State alumni) vs. Banner Boys (Milwaukee alumni)
Game 11	2:30 PM	#3 Always A Brave (Bradley alumni) vs. #6 Fort Wayne Champs (Mad Ants alumni)
Game 12	4:15 PM	#1 Golden Eagles Alumni (Marquette) vs. Majerus SLU Crew (Saint Louis Alumni)

2017 TBT Midwest Region | Tickets | Merchandise
Sunday, July 16 (4 games)

Category	Full Price	Promo Code BRAVEFAN10
Official Always A Brave T-Shirt	$25	$22.50
Single-Day Adult GA Ticket	$20	$18
Single-Day Child (13U) GA Ticket	$5	$4.50
Single-Day Student, Faculty, Staff GA Ticket	$10	$9
Family Four Pack (4 GA Tickets) - Online Only	$40	$36
Courtside Seats	$50	$45
VIP Room Access	$25	$22.50

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