SIU, sizzling Bradley reach MVC title game

~ The Salukis defeated Northern Iowa 55-46 in overtime.

ST. LOUIS -- Top seeds never seem to last in the Missouri Valley tournament. Not that it's do or die anymore.

Marcellus Sommerville tied his career high with 14 rebounds and scored 17 points, helping No. 5 seed Bradley upset regular-season champion Wichita State 60-52 in the semifinals Saturday. For the eighth straight season, the No. 1 team in the regular season will have to wait for a possible at-large NCAA tournament berth.

The regular-season champion has received an NCAA bid every year since 1994, even though only two top seeds have won the tournament during that period.

Wichita State (24-8) lost for only the fourth time in 17 games but were the victims of the Valley's hottest team. Bradley (20-9) will take a seven-game winning streak into the championship game today against second-seeded Southern Illinois (21-10), which outlasted Northern Iowa (23-9) 55-46 in overtime.

Bradley will try to become only the second No. 5 seed to win the tournament

Jamaal Tatum added 12 points and Bryan Mullins had 10 for Southern Illinois, including a driving, twisting layup that forced overtime.

Ben Jacobson had 13 points and five assists and Erik Crawford added 11 points for sixth-seeded Northern Iowa, which shot only 35 percent and has lost five of seven. That slump for the preseason league favorites includes a one-point loss at Southern Illinois in the regular-season finale last Saturday.

The teams split regular-season meetings, one by a point and the other going to double-overtime, and this was more of the same. Neither team led by more than three points in the second half, a tight, defensive struggle.

The layup by Mullins with 33 seconds left was the seventh tie of the half. Northern Iowa held the ball for a last shot, but Jacobson's 3-point attempt with about two seconds to go was long.

Southern Illinois immediately took control in overtime on Randal Falker's dunk and resulting 3-point play with 4:42 left.