PEORIA, Ill. - Wichita State battled a shortened roster, a 19-point deficit and a senior night crowd at Carver Arena to come up just one bucket short of a victory against the Bradley Braves on Wednesday night. The resilient visitors fell in Illinois, 75-73.

Led by junior forward J.T. Durley's second double-double of the year, Wichita State (22-8, 11-6) put up 46 points in the second half to offset a listless offensive performance in the opening 20 minutes.

Playing short-handed due to injuries, the Shockers were forced to find alternative ways to both score and stop a dangerous Bradley lineup. They did so with balance as five Shockers finished the game in double digits. Aside from Durley's 13 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, guards Clevin Hannah and Toure' Murry each racked up 15 points on Wednesday.

The underclassmen stole the show on senior night for the Braves (15-13, 9-8). Junior guards Sam Maniscalco and Andrew Warren scored 19 and 18 points, respectively. The duo went 7-for-11 from three-point land.

The Braves opened the game in a fury, scoring in nearly every possession en route to building a quick 12-2 lead not even four minutes in.  Maniscalco kick started the game with a dunk and a three.

Bradley's scoring attack when from bad to brutal as four different Braves stepped up to hit threes to build their lead, 25-6, just midway through the opening half. The buzz saw the Shockers found themselves faced with shot at a 70-percent clip during that span, while keeping the Shocks under the 25-percent mark.

Ready to fight back, the Shockers - led by sophomore center Garrett Stutz' early eight points - churned out an 11-2 run in the next three minutes. Junior Graham Hatch capped the rally, draining a three to cut the deficit to 10, 27-17. Stutz knocked down a pair of a free throws to shrink the Braves' lead to single digits.

Bradley responded in a big way asWarren and Dyricus Simms-Edwards hit back-to-back long balls to again strengthen their lead. Maniscalco recovered a loose ball and dished it to Warren for the breakaway dunk to return the sizable lead, 36-21, under the four-minute mark.

A game prior to his own senior night, point guard Clevin Hannah shook off an upset stomach to drill a three from Murry's assist. The duo switched roles during
the next possession as Hannah found Murry behind the arc. Murry connected to close the gap before the break, 39-27.

The Shocks hit the floor with enthusiasm to start the second half, warming up much quicker by sinking five of their first 10 shots to remain in striking distance of the home team. Unfortunately for the Shockers, Bradley didn't do much cooling off during the break.

Maniscalco hit his third three of the game two-and-a-half minutes into the half to put the Braves ahead, 48-32.

As if someone flipped a switch, the Shockers went to work on erasing the deficit with Hatch and Hannah driving the comeback wagon. Hatch hit a trio of crucial threes to slice Bradley's once 19-point lead to four, 57-53.

The visitors pressed harder. Hannah picked up five points amongst a 10-2 run, quieting a crazy Carver Arena crowd. Murry drove to the bucket for a layup and one to narrow the gap to one before Hannah busted out a flawless up-and-under layup to give the Shockers their first lead of the game, 66-65, with five minutes to play.

Durley converted his 10th rebound of the game into a put-back layup, giving WSU the 70-67 edge with three minutes on the clock.

Simms-Edwards' night went from good to monstrous when his second three of the evening tied the game. Maniscalco hit an artery when he nailed one not even a minute later.

With a weak stomach against him, Hannah took another opportunity to prove his toughness when he sunk a massive trey to knot the game, 73-73. But with 11 seconds on the clock, the Shockers turned the ball over on the inbounds pass. Maniscalco recovered the loose ball and turned it into a pair of made free throws to seal the game in the Braves' favor, 75-73.

The Shockers head home for senior night on Saturday, Feb. 27, when they play host to Southern Illinois.