Memphis forward Joey Dorsey picked up a technical, his seventh of the season, with 16:27 remaining after jawing with Wright. Dorsey’s teammates were furious with his lack of composure and got in his face to let him know it. Sommerville hit both free throws to pull Bradley within 42-35.

The Tigers weren’t about to let one guy bring them down. This postseason is redemption of sorts for this squad boasting four freshmen and three sophomore regulars.

A year ago, with Memphis down by two to Louisville in the Conference USA tournament championship game, Washington got fouled shooting a 3-pointer as the final buzzer sounded. Alone at the line, he had a chance to win the game by making all three free throws. He hit the first and missed the next two, then fell to the floor in heartbreak as the Tigers’ NCAA hopes slipped away.

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Bradley won nine of its final 11 games and captured the attention of the country at a school that last gained this much national exposure in men’s basketball during the days of Hersey Hawkins.

Memphis, the Conference USA regular-season and tournament champion, led 35-30 at halftime and started the second half with a 7-0 spurt to take control for good.

Bradley missed five shots and committed three turnovers in its first seven possessions and fell behind 7-0 before taking a timeout at 17:45. O’Bryant finally got the Braves on the board with a putback at 16:27.