Jackie Carmichael had 16 points and 14 rebounds Saturday and Illinois State beat Bradley 54-53 on Saturday.

Jon Ekey scored 10 points for the Redbirds (18-12, 9-9 Missouri Valley).

Walt Lemon Jr. led the Braves (7-24, 2-16) with 21 points, but missed a free throw in the final seconds that would have tied the game. Dyricus Simms-Edwards added 14 points for Bradley.

Both teams played their final games before the MVC tournament in St. Louis. Illinois State, the No. 4 seed, will play Northern Iowa on Friday in the quarterfinals. Bradley, the No. 10 seed, faces Drake in a first-round game on Thursday.

Illinois State has won six in a row against Bradley, tying its longest streak that last happened in 1982-85.